Kel'in, I. [Japan: A Cultural-Historical and Economic Overview]. Iaponiia: Kulturno-istoricheskii i ekonomicheskii ocherk.

Including a map of Japan.

Moskva-Leningrad, Gosudarstvennoe izdatel’stvo, 1924.
8vo, 167, [1] pp., map. 

In original wrappers.
In good condition, wrappers professionally restored along spine and with minimal repair to corners, short tears and minor losses to edges, lightly rubbed, owner marks to front cover, title ('V. Aboltin / 4/II 25'), and text, short tear along folds (map), professional restoration to map.

The only edition. One of 5 000 copies published.      

This early Soviet review of Japan—one of the first of its kind—offers a comprehensive overview of the country across multiple disciplines. It covers a physical and geographical survey of Japan, demographics (anthropological type, character and spiritual life, religion, public education), a brief historical outline of Japan, and an extensive section on the national economy, including primary industries (agriculture, livestock, fishing, mining, forestry), manufacturing, trade, and the merchant fleet.
The review also discusses Japan’s major cities, the impact of the Russo-Japanese War on the national economy, the ‘Pacific Question’, and the economic rivalry among Japan, Great Britain, and the United States. It touches on nationalist propaganda such as Pan-Mongolism in the Dutch East Indies and French Indochina, Japan’s role in World War I, and an analysis of Japan through the lens of capitalism as well as socialist and communist ideology. The study concludes with a bibliography of works in English and German on Japan.
Interestingly, the map included in the book was taken from a pre-revolutionary publication, as evidenced by the use of old Russian orthography in the place names.
Unfortunately, very little is known about the author, Ivan Kel’in. According to the preface and archival sources, Kel’in taught at the Petrovskoye Commercial School of the St. Petersburg Merchants' Society until 1916. After that, his traces vanish. The preface also reveals that the book is based on a course Kel’in taught at the school, which drew on foreign literature and included updated information. Curiously, during the Soviet period, he published only two books: this one, and the textbook ‘Essays on Economic Geography’ in 1926.
Of particular interest is the ownership inscription on the title page, which bears the signature of Vladimir Aboltin (1899–1978)—a Soviet diplomat, military intelligence officer, orientalist, and economist, known for numerous works on the Far East. In 1925, he participated in negotiations with Japan over the return of Northern Sakhalin following Japanese occupation, and subsequently oversaw economic management of the region. This copy of the book contains numerous pencil annotations in his hand.

OCLC locates two copies of this edition: in the British Library and the Berlin State Library.