This is a very timely book published on the centennial of the first Japanese Antarctic expedition, led by Nobu Shirase, aboard Kainan-maru (Captain Naokichi Nomura). It was contemporaneous with the expeditions of Roald Amundsen (aboard Fram, 1910–1912) and Robert Scott (Terra Nova, 1910–1913). Indeed there was a surprising meeting between the Japanese and Norwegian expeditions in the Bay of Whales in February 1912. Although a few general descriptions of the Japanese expedition are published (notably Hamre Reference Hamre1933 and Akashima Reference Akashima, Edholm and Gunderston1973) and other references to it appear in many publications, the principal work remains in Japanese. Nankyoku-ki, the official account of the expedition, was published in 1913 and has been reprinted. Presently a translation is in progress. This is expected to be available in the northern spring of 2011.

The bibliography is dedicated to Zenya Taniguchi, whose photograph, with that of the author, appears on page xxv. The dedication is for a continuous commitment to polar research and efforts to preserve the legacy of Nobu Shirase.

The work is a remarkable achievement of searching, ‘detective work’, Japanese and international collaboration, which involved five years of difficult and dedicated research. It begins with a foreword, by Michael Rosove, a noted Antarctic bibliographer, briefly outlining the achievements of the expedition and its contributions to the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration. The author's perseverance is noted and the observation that he ‘neither speaks nor reads Japanese’ is made. However he met enthusiastic people in Japan who were eager to help publicise the expedition. This involved the compiler travelling in Japan following a variety of bibliographical leads. The preface describes this comprehensive work, as well as outlining the four classes of documents recorded: primary accounts (9 items), secondary ones and biographies (14 items), periodical articles (20 items), and notable documents including ephemera (4 items). The majority of these are in Japanese. Several pages then give a brief account of Shirase's life and his Antarctic expedition. This devolved into two parts as ice prevented Kainan-maru getting south of Coulman Island during the 1910–1911 summer; thus the expedition wintered in Sydney. The main work was done during the 1911–1912 summer in the Ross Sea region.

The bulk of the book is essentially a series of monographs on each bibliographic entry, the left (even) page has cataloguing information, including concise descriptions, and opposite each is a colour plate of the work showing the cover and selected images. (This reviewer has always warmed to a bibliography with illustrations of the spines of works – it makes them so much easier to find). This information is systematic and very thorough, two pages folds out to allow better representation of the images. It is intriguing to see that several of these publications, often first-person accounts, were published in the mid 1950s which corresponded to a renewed Japanese interest in Antarctica when ‘Syowa’ station was founded as a contribution to the International Geophysical Year.

Appendices give a chronology of Nobu Shirase's life (1861–1946) with a series of photographs. Two notable subsequent events include the naming the new Japanese icebreaker Shirase and the opening of the Shirase Museum. The book concludes with a list of the personnel of the expedition.

The presentation of the volume is a tribute to the publisher and much effort has been applied to its design and materials involved. The cover and slip case are adorned with the Southern Cross, the symbol adopted by the expedition. The end papers show Shirase, Kainan-maru, and a contemporary Japanese map of Antarctica. A consequence of this, combined with the costs of visiting Japan, is that it is an expensive volume, but nevertheless it is essential for understanding this enigmatic expedition. Although this reviewer is not a Japanese reader, he is impressed by its thoroughness. It will combine very well with the forthcoming English edition of Nankyoku-ki.