Someday, Somewhere by Yasuhiro Ishimoto, First Edition with Dust Jacket

This is a first edition, first printing of Yasuhiro Ishimoto’s critically acclaimed photobook “Someday, Somewhere (Aruhi Arutokoro)” published by Geibi Shuppan, Tokyo in 1958. The book features 7 color photographs and 178 black-and-white gravures including various gatefolds and fold-outs. In volume one of "The Photobook: A History", Parr and Badger write: “Yasuhiro Ishimoto represented an influential link between Japanese and American Photography … In 1958 he had the distinction of producing the first major postwar Japanese photobook, the elegant Aruhi Arutokoro (Someday, Somewhere), shot in both Tokyo and Chicago … Aruhi Arutokoro is a photobook of truly international stature, providing Japanese photographers with a model of expression that transcended both the parochial and the purely documentary tendency dominating Japanese photography of the time".

Measuring approximately 11.25” x 9”, the book is bound in black cloth covered boards with a yellow spine and a photographically illustrated dust jacket. Laid into the book are 3 pieces of ephemera – a small booklet containing messages by book designer Ryuichi Yamashiro, Taro Okamoto, Ken Domon, and others, the publisher’s postcard, and slit. The condition of the dust jacket is Very Good+ with some minor chipping and closed tears to the edges and a small amount of loss to the head and heel of the spine area. The inside of the dust jacket has been reinforced with tape at the head and heel of the spine. There is also some surface wear to the front and back covers. The book is in Near Fine- condition with some foxing to the top outside of the book and top outside edges that does not extend to inside of book with the exception of a tiny foxing spot on the top edge of the folding page. The pages opposite the first image page and the index page show some printing ink reflection which is very common for this title. The ephemera is in FINE- condition. Notwithstanding the list of faults listed above, this is a superior copy of this title that has all of the elements as issued.

Cited in “The Photobook: A History by Parr & Badger and Ryuichi Kaneko’s reference work on Japanese Photobooks, “Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and 1970s”.

Numerous photographs of the dust jacket and the faults mentioned above appear in the photo section of the listing.