The APRL recently received about 200 pounds of Japanese literature from the estate of Robert M. Spaulding, a noted researcher and editor in Japanese philately. Spaulding served as editor of Japanese Philately for 50 years and was awarded the title Editor Emeritus upon his resignation due to health concerns in 2008. He received many honors for his work in Japanese philately, including the inaugural Tracey Woodward Memorial Awards from the Japan Philatelic Society Foundation in 2008. The International Society for Japanese Philately named its award for best Japanese exhibit in his honor.
Most of the books received are written in Japanese. Those we were able to locate cataloging records for have been cataloged and added to the APRL collection. Others, however, are a mystery to our non-Japanese speaking staff. If you have Japanese language skills and are planning a visit to Bellefonte, we’d love to have your assistance in cataloging these volumes. Even if you can’t come to Bellefonte, we may be able to take advantage of your language skills by sending you scans of title pages. If you’d like to help, contact Betsy Gamble.
Lois Evans-de Violini collected classic Japan and might be able to recommend translation help.
Try using the Google translate application with your cellphone. It is free and works incredibly well. I am using it to translate the JSCA specialized catalog one set at a time.