Karma And Other Stories & Essays, Lafcadio Hearn 1921. This book is titled "Karma And Other Stories & Essays", written by Lafcadio Hearn and published in London by George G. Harrop in 1921, and it's first edition, according to the copyright page, which says "First Published April 1921", and it's in fine binding by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. (Sangorski & Sutcliffe is a firm of bookbinders established in London in 1901 and one of the most important bookbinding companies of the 20th century; it was famous for its luxurious jeweled bindings that used real gold and precious stones in their book covers, and alas, that is not the case here.) The book has five raised bands, six gilt-ruled compartments with gilt lettering on the black label and elaborate gilt tooling on the rest of the spine. There are double gilt-fillet borders and polished red calf on the front cover, gilt dentelles with marbled endpapers, the Sangorski & Sutcliffe name is on the top of the first blank endpaper, the half-title has "The Harrap Library" at the bottom of that page, the frontispiece shows an engraving portrait of Lafcadio Hearn protected by a tissue guard, the title page also has a red and white logo which says "Cogito ergo sum" … "I think, therefore I am" … and the copyright page also says the book was printed by the Ballantyne Press in London and several other cities. There's a two-page Editor's note thanking people for letting him use excerpts from certain works to complete the book, then one page of Contents, the text ends at page 205, and the top edge is gilt. Lafcadio Hearn (1850 - 1904) was a Greek-Japanese writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the West. His writings offered unprecedented insight into Japanese culture, especially his collections of legends and ghost stories. Before moving to Japan and becoming a Japanese citizen, he worked as a journalist in the United States, primarily in Cincinnati and New Orleans. His writings about New Orleans, based on his decade-long stay there, are also well-known. Hearn was born on the Greek island of Lefkada, which is probably how he got his first name. He was abandoned by his mother, then by his father, and finally by his father's aunt, who had been appointed Lafcadio's official guardian. At the age of 19, he emigrated to the United States and found work as a newspaper reporter, first in Cincinnati and later in New Orleans. He lived in New Orleans for nearly a decade, and from there, he was sent as a correspondent to the French West Indies, where he stayed for two years, and then to Japan, where he remained for the rest of his life. His Japanese name was Koizumi Yakumo, and Hearn won a wide following in Japan, where his books were translated and remain popular to the present day. His books are treasured in Japan as a trove of legends and folk tales that otherwise might have vanished because no Japanese had bothered to record them. The vast number of his writings about New Orleans and its environs, many of which have not been collected, include the city's Creole population and distinctive cuisine, the French Opera, and Louisiana Voodoo. The book measures 6 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. wide, with clean pages and a tight binding. There's a chip on the black label on the spine which cuts off the last letter of "Karma" and the n on "Hearn", there's faint rubbing at the heel and crown of the spine, traces of rubbing along the edge of the spine and a speck of rubbing near the top tips, and there is a glue mark in the gutter of the first blank endpapers in front, and that brown spot is not from foxing, but from glue leaking during the binding process. (You can tell because when you fold the two blank endpapers on top of each other, the brown spots are mirror images of each other, and that wouldn't happen during foxing.) The first blank flyleaf also has a small sticker with the number "273" on it, and that's it for condition issues. Overall the book is in very good condition, and it's first edition in a fine binding by Sangorksi & Sutcliffe. #34 #7042