In Praise of Shadows
In Praise of Shadows is an essay on Japanese aesthetics by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, first serialised in the magazine Keizai Ōrai in December 1933 and January 1934. It weighs shadow and subdued light against Western brightness. Leete's Island Books issued the first full English version in 1977.
- Editions tracked
- 3
- First edition
- Chūōkōronsha, 1935
- First published
- Nippon Hyōronsha (in the magazine Keizai Ōrai), 1933
- First UK edition
- Jonathan Cape, 1991
The first edition of In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki was published in Tokyo by Chūōkōronsha in 1935. We track 3 editions.
Which edition do you have?
First edition
Later and other editions
- Leete's Island Books1977 Hardback I own In Praise of Shadows, Leete's Island Books 1977 Log in to want this
- Random House1991 Hardback I own In Praise of Shadows, Random House 1991 Log in to want this
We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.
Awards, adaptations and setting
In print
- Editions recorded
- 30 on Open Library, 10 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 14 languages
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
More by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
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How to Identify a First Edition
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Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
Who published the first edition of In Praise of Shadows?
The first edition of In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki was published in Tokyo by Chūōkōronsha in 1935.
How many editions of In Praise of Shadows are there?
We track 3 editions of In Praise of Shadows, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Where these facts come from
- In Praise of Shadows, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- 陰翳礼讃, Wikipedia (Japanese) (ja.wikipedia.org)
- In praise of shadows (Leete's Island Books, 1977), Open Library (openlibrary.org)
- In praise of shadows (Cape, 1991), Open Library (openlibrary.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 28 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.