Asahi Camera Annual 1969.

First edition of the 1969 Asahi Camera Annual, the photographic yearbook published in Tokyo by the Asahi Shimbun. Quarto, written in Japanese and English, original cloth, profusely illustrated throughout. Association copy, inscribed by Nobuo Ina and Yoshio Watanabe to the celebrated portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh on the front free endpaper, “To Mr. Yousuf Karsh. May 12, 1969. From Nobuo Ina, Yoshio Watanabe.” Inscribed with a further inscription beneath in Japanese from the editorial department of Asahi Camera conveying their gratitude and love. Nobuo Ina (1898-1978) was one of the most influential Japanese photography critics of the twentieth century, a co-founder of the modernist magazine Koga and the theorist whose 1932 essay “Return to Photography” helped shape modern Japanese photography, while Yoshio Watanabe (1907-2000) was an eminent photographer celebrated for his architectural studies; both were closely associated with Asahi Camera, and the inscription dates from Karsh’s visit to Japan in the spring of 1969. The recipient, Yousuf Karsh, is recognized as one of the leading photographers of the twentieth century. Arriving in Canada in 1924 as an Armenian refugee, Karsh eventually settled in Ottawa. Over six decades, he mastered the art of portraiture and created a unique chronicle of his time through images of celebrated legends. Some of his most notable subjects include Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Ernest Hemingway, among others. A celebrity in his own right, he was an elegant and charming public figure, captivating audiences with compelling stories told in images and words. Karsh sought to capture, as he put it, the “elusive moment of truth,” revealing the essential nature of his subjects as reflected in their eyes, hands, and attitudes. From the collection of Yousuf Karsh with his estate label to the front pastedown. Held by the Estate of Yousuf & Estrellita Karsh; after Yousuf’s death in 2002 passing to Estrellita Karsh; after Estrellita’s death in March 2025 passing to Katherine Getchell. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing and creasing to the last two pages.