Literary recollections of the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras. This work is densely packed with the social customs of the Taisho and Showa periods, and the behind-the-scenes history of the literary world. It includes the author's experiences from before and after joining the company that led him to become a literary critic with "After the Flood," his encounter with Choin Takita when he began writing novels, his time in Omori-Magome with Shiro Ozaki and Chiyo Uno, the unrest in the city after the Great Kanto Earthquake, the rise of proletarian literature around the Hongo Kikufuji Hotel, the illness of his close friend Koji Uno, the suicide of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the death of Zenzo Kasai, and the passing of his father, Ryuro. This is a biographical memoir and a masterpiece of literary reminiscences. Winner of the Noma Literary Prize and the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award. (Kodansha BOOK Club) This is a copy of Kazuo Hirotsu's "Footsteps of the Years," winner of the Noma Literary Prize and the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award, published by Kodansha in August 1963 (first edition), with its original slipcase. There is some yellowing due to age, but no stains, writing, or library stamps. The binding is by Yoshihiko Shibaki. The cover of the book is cloth, and the top edge is dyed black. (The image of the top edge appears black, but this is not due to yellowing.) A revised edition of this work was published by the same Kodansha in March 1969, but this is the original edition. Please consider purchasing this book, understanding that it is a 62-year-old used book.