1. YNU Library
2. Collections

Precious Books Collection

Gempei Seisuiki

in 48 books, 24 volumes, early 17th century
A military romance written in the Kamakura period. It is a revised and enlarged version of the Heike Monogatari, which was originally a narrative chanted to the accompaniment of the biwa (the Japanese lute).

Senjusho

in 9 books, 5 volumes, 1650
A collection of Buddhist stories compiled in the Kamakura period. The author is unknown. It was written under the guise of a record of Saigyo's travels and experiences, and greatly helped the Japanese people to form Saigyo's image as one of a wandering poet.

Wamyoruijusho

in 20 books, 5 volumes, 1667
A Chinese-Japanese dictionary arranged according to categories, such as Heaven, Earth, etc. This lexicon was compiled by Minamoto no Shitago around 934-938 in the early Heian period. It had a great influence on lexicographers in later ages.

Σοφοκλεους αι επτα τραγωδιαι

Geneva, P. Stephanus, 1603
A collection of tragedies written by Sophocles, a Greek tragic poet. It is the oldest book in the University Library.

Histoire des martyrs du Japon

Trigaut., R. P. Nicholas, Paris, 1624
A history of Chiristian martyrs in Japan in the early Edo period.

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

1st edition, Adam Smith, London, 1776
The main work by Adam Smith, a Scottish economist whose ideas about economics led to the growth of modern capitalism. He emphasized that value arises from the labor expended in the process of production. The first edition consists of two volumes, and about 1,000 copies were printed.

An Essay on the Principle of Population

new edition, Thomas Robert Malthus, London, 1803
A pioneer study on population. Malthus contended that poverty and distress are unavoidable, since population increases geometrically with the means of subsistence. The first edition (1798) was anonymous, but the authorship was revealed in the new edition. In this revised work, Malthus admitted "moral restraint" as a preventive check on population growth.

Das Kapital

volume 1. 2nd edition. Karl Marx, Hamburg, 1872
A monumental book, systematically criticizing what Marx saw as capitalism's explosive and self-destructive tendencies. It became "the bible of the working class." Only volume 1 was published while Marx was alive. The last two volumes were edited by Engels.

Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories & Tragedies

A reproduction of the First Folio published in 1623.

Atlas des grossen Kurfursten

A facsimile edition of the atlas presented to Frederick William, the Great Elector (reigned 1640-88). Johann Moritz, representative of the Dutch West Indies Company, presented the original atlas to William in about 1665.

Large-scale Topographical Maps of 13 European Countries

A collection of 5,170 maps drawn on a scale of 1/50,000. They were made by the government agencies of Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland, etc.

Topographical Maps of New Continents

A collection of about 10,000 maps of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. Scales are different, because each of the countries has its own conditions for publishing topographical maps.