The Tale of Genji

by Murasaki Shikibu

Transcriber’s Notes.

Text notes:

1. Footnotes have been renumbered and placed at the end of each chapter.
2. The bastard-title page prior to the main title page and the half-title page preceding the main text have both been omitted. They contained the words “THE TALE OF GENJI”.
3. For the HTML version, page numbers of the original printed text are displayed within braces to the side of the text.
4. The original landscape orientation of the genealogical tables has been changed to a portrait orientation by the transcriber in order to provide a better view for eReaders. The Inkscape program was used to produce a SVG image that was then converted to a PNG image. The image is placed in the public domain.
5. In order to facilitate word wrapping, ellipses in the middle of a sentence have been replaced with a group of three periods. This group has a leading and, unless a comma is present, trailing blank space added. Ellipses at the end of a sentence do not have a leading blank space, but closing punctuation has been added if needed.
6. Except as mentioned above and in the Change List that follows, every effort has been made to replicate this first-edition text as faithfully as possible, including non-standard punctuation, inconsistently hyphenated words, and other inconsistencies.

Change List:

• Page 7
  of ‘governess changed to
  of ‘governess[’]
• Page 9
  PREFACE 9 changed to
  PREFACE [7]
• Page 69
  lack of influence... changed to
  lack of influence...[.’]
• Page 95
  reason’ said Gengi. changed to
  reason’ said [Genji].
• Page 102
  joins Mount Katsuragi and Mount Kombu changed to
  joins Mount Katsuragi and Mount Kombu[.]
• Page 114
  steward’s son, and tell changed to
  steward’s son, [‘]and tell
• Page 130
  There could be on harm in this interchange changed to
  There could be [no] harm in this interchange
• Page 137
  and that blurr of shimmering changed to
  and that [blur] of shimmering
• Page 179
  it was very diasppointing to lose changed to
  it was very [disappointing] to lose
• Page 228
  off the scent. And this opinion changed to
  off the scent.[’] And this opinion
• Page 232
  modern Wu-ch’ang in Hupeh. changed to
  modern [Wu-ch‘ang] in Hupeh.
• Page 242
  ‘Oh, how you frightened me? she cried. changed to
  ‘Oh, how you frightened me[,’] she cried.
• Page 263
  consent of the Emperor changed to
  consent of the Emperor[.]
• Page 275
  deep-dyed robe, and he recited the poem: changed to
  deep-dyed robe,[’] and he recited the poem:
• Page 293
  sickening for some strange illness. changed to
  sickening [from] some strange illness.
• Page 294
  her father Prince Hyōbukyo changed to
  her father Prince [Hyōbukyō]