A Lost Edition of Crow’s 400 Million Customers – A Bit of a Mystery

My thanks to bookdealer Joe McKernan for sending through some pics of this seemingly rare, and slightly mysterious, edition of Carl Crow’s 400 Million Customers. Perhaps someone out there knows a bit more…??

My best guess is that it is a print copy made in Shanghai shortly after the book’s initial publication (1937). According to the torn sticker in the book it was printed by a firm called Li Hanzhang, a firm I do not know (though possibly a derivation of the name of Li Hongzhang’s, China’s self-strengthening movement leaders, brother?). Their offices appear to have been located at 123 Huajia Road in Shanghai, which I cannot locate (there is a Hua Jia Road but it’s out in the Songjiang Industrial Estate and, I assume, of more recent construction and naming). The publisher also appears to have a branch in Nanking (Nanjing). The book was printed by The Modern Printing Company of Shanghai. It is a straight reprint of Crow’s 400 Million right down to the same page numbers, dedication and illustrations by George Sapojnikoff (aka “Sapajou”). The cost was $4.20 (i assume Chinese dollars pre-1949) and about right for a book at that time I think. The book was previously owned by someone who signed it, but I can’t make that signature out I’m afraid.

Any ideas, leads? I’d love to know…