[RARE 1917 1st Ed] History of Early Relations Between US and China 1784-1844 - K.S. Latourette (Yale UP) 1917年首版 拉圖雷特《早期中美關係史 1784-1844》

A historic First Edition (1917) of Kenneth Scott Latourette's foundational work, The History of Early Relations between The United States and China 1784–1844, published by Yale University Press (as Vol. 22 of the Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences).

This landmark volume remains one of the definitive academic studies on the first six decades of Sino-American contact, spanning from the voyage of the Empress of China in 1784 to the signing of the Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. Latourette thoroughly examines the Canton trade system, the opium trade, early Protestant missionary efforts, the role of Hong merchants, and the diplomatic interactions that laid the groundwork for modern U.S.–China relations.

Historical Significance & Provenance

Academic Landmark: Written by renowned Yale historian Kenneth Scott Latourette, this 1917 monograph established the academic field of early U.S.–China diplomatic and commercial history.

Extraordinary WWII Military & Intelligence Provenance:

1. Pre-WWII Japanese Imperial Intelligence: Bears the official red seal of the East Asian Economic Investigation Bureau (東亞經濟調查局) and oval stamps of the Tokyo Branch of the South Manchuria Railway Co. (Mantetsu / 南滿洲鐵道株式會社)—Japan’s premier imperial research and intelligence organ.

2. Post-WWII US Military Occupation (GHQ/SCAP): Confiscated or acquired following Japan's surrender in 1945 by the Allied Occupation forces. Includes original property markings from the U.S. Army Japanese Area & Language Course and the TIS, GHQ (Translation and Interpreter Service, General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers) with its original library pocket and check-out card intact at the rear.

Condition Report

Binding & Exterior: Original dark navy/black cloth boards with gilt title on spine. Shows light rubbing and shelf wear to spine edges and corners, consistent with age and military library usage. Spine remains solid.

Interior: Text block is complete and tight with natural age-toning and minor foxing. Pages remain clean and fully legible.

Provenance Markings: Includes exceptional and rare institutional markings: red circular seal and oval purple stamp of the East Asian Economic Investigation Bureau (Mantetsu, Tokyo), Property of US Army ink stamps, and the original GHQ/SCAP TIS Library paper pocket and index card affixed to the rear endpaper.

本書為美國著名漢學家、耶魯大學教授 Kenneth Scott Latourette（拉圖雷特）於 1917 年由耶魯大學出版社（Yale University Press）出版的經典巨著《早期中美關係史 1784–1844》（The History of Early Relations between The United States and China 1784–1844）。

作為研究 1844 年《望廈條約》簽訂前中美貿易與外交關係的開山之作，全書詳盡梳理了自 1784 年「中國皇后號」（Empress of China）首航廣州起，至鴉片戰爭及中美早期接觸的六十年歷史。內容涵蓋廣州十三行貿易、美商鴉片貿易、廣州特許制度（Co-hong system）、早期的美籍傳教士活動及兩國政府間的初期政治互動。

學術地位： 本書是早期中美關係史的權威基石文獻，拉圖雷特在此書中首次以系統性的原始檔案，建立了西方研究中美外交與貿易起點的學術框架。

珍貴的雙重二戰軍事情報流傳背景 (Unique Provenance)：

1. 

戰前日本滿鐵舊藏： 書中蓋有「東亞經濟調查局圖書之印」及紫印 Ostasiatisches Wirtschaftsarchiv Tokio - Zweig-Bureau der Südmandschurei-Eisenbahn A.-G.，顯示本書曾為二戰前日本最核心的戰略情報機構——南滿洲鐵道株式會社（滿鐵）東亞經濟調查局東京總部之珍藏。

2. 

戰後美軍 GHQ 接收： 1945 年日本投降後，盟軍最高司令官總部（GHQ/SCAP）接收滿鐵資產，本書轉入美軍情報部門，內封貼有 U.S. Army Japanese Area & Language Course Library 與 TIS, GHQ（翻譯與語言服務處）借閱袋及卡片。

裝訂與外觀： 原廠黑色硬殼布面精裝，書脊帶有燙金書名及館藏標號貼紙。封面與書脊邊緣有些許自然磨損與時代退色，結構完整。

內頁狀況： 內頁紙張自然泛黃，帶有少許時代斑點（Foxing），文字清析無缺頁。

特殊印記與配件： 前後扉頁及書名頁保存極其完整的歷史印記，包括滿鐵東亞經濟調查局朱紅圓印、美軍 PROPERTY OF US ARMY 紫印，以及封底完整的美軍 GHQ 語言課程圖書館借閱袋與打字卡片，歷史歷史氣息濃厚。