Lafcadio Hearn (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

The writings of author and traveler Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) introduced many Western readers to the otherworldly space of Japan. This unauthorized 1919 biography of a unique figure in literary history is based on his candid correspondence with his Irish half-sister, Mrs. Atkinson. For as Kennard notes, Hearn was shy and not just any correspondence would suffice to present the journalist as who he was.