Frederic Shoberl - The World in Miniature: Japan [with historical ownership notes] - 1823

The absolute highlight: A lost piece of American Civil War history
This specimen is far more than an antiquarian book – it is a tangible testimony of the Civil War. The handwritten entries on the flyleafs tell a dramatic story of wealth, flight, and military seizure:

The Prewar South (1860): The early ownership note “Elizabeth Barnwell, Beaufort, S.C., May 28th 1860” connects the book directly to the influential planter aristocracy in the Lowcountry of South Carolina just before the outbreak of the war.
War booty of the Union (1863): The historical note “W.D.C. Rodrock, Chaplain 4th Reg. Pa. Vols., Beaufort, S.C., Sept. 2nd 1863” documents how the book, after the family’s flight during the occupation of Beaufort by Union troops, fell into the hands of Reverend W.D.C. Rodrock (Chaplain of the 4th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment).
Additional contemporary notes and annotations on the inside pages emphasize the vivid biography of this volume.

Frederic Shoberl (Ed.) – The World in Miniature: Japan – London, R. Ackermann, 1823 | Exceptional unique item of US history: War booty of a Union chaplain from the plantation library in South Carolina (1863) (17 of 20 plates)

Item description
Title: The World in Miniature; Edited by Frederic Shoberl. — Japan, containing Illustrations of the Character, Manners, Customs, Religion, Dress, Amusements, Commerce, Agriculture, &c. of the People of that Empire.
Editor: Frederic Shoberl
Publisher: Printed for R. Ackermann, Repository of Arts, Strand, London
Year of publication: 1823
Extent: Main part with 286 pages as well as the original plate index (Directions for Placing the Plates).
Language: English

Plate composition & condition:
Plates: The work should, according to the index, contain 20 hand-colored copper engravings. Present are 17 splendid, freshly colored plates. By pencil marks in the original plate index, the three missing illustrations can be identified exactly (missing on p. 59: Japanese Soldier; p. 141: Woman and Child; p. 212: Lady Walking abroad). The remaining 17 copper engravings are in a clean and attractive condition.

Binding & binding condition: The back cover/binding has separated from the spine.
Inside: Paper browned and foxed with historical Civil War signatures and contemporary notes.

Notes on the photos:
The accompanying detail photos (especially the historical signatures from 1860 and 1863, the pencil marks in the index, the binding, and the existing plates) are an essential part of this description.

Private sale from my private collection