Image: Cover of the Meiji kaiko tenrankai mokuroku 明治回顧展覧會目錄.

The Meiji period (1868–1911) was an intellectually dynamic era in modern Japan. Amidst the sweeping political reforms, the cultural and political elite also tried hard to “enlighten” the Japanese masses. New and somewhat Western-style education institutions were quickly established across the country in the 1870s, and new curriculums were implemented. However, old forms of learning and knowing also persisted in some intellectual circles. This exhibit shows some examples of books compiled and published for the everyday Japanese in this exciting era of Japanese history. The books presented here range from physics and world geography to vocabulary primers and an anthology of exemplary essays.

In 2000, William R. Braisted, Professor Emeritus of History, donated his personal collection of Japanese books to the UT Libraries. Braisted built this collection around his intellectual interests: Japanese political and intellectual history during the Meiji era (1868–1911). The donation has over 400 titles, including about 100 titles published or printed before the twentieth century. The collection represents a wide range of physical formats and printing technologies: woodblock, woodcuts, copperplate, letterpress, etc.