From the publisher’s website: More than 230 full-color images by some of the world’s most-renowned photographers. South Korea, with its craggy hillsides, gnarled trees, and ancient temples, is steeped in tradition yet, at the same time, is thoroughly modern—the tenth-ranking industrial power in the world. Its capital city, Seoul, is one of the most populous … [Read More]
Booklist: Living leisure and health (page 7)
This Gaming Life: Travels in Three Cities
“In May 2000 I was fired from my job as a reporter on a finance newsletter because of an obsession with a videogame. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.” So begins this story of personal redemption through the unlikely medium of electronic games. Quake, World of Warcraft, Eve Online and other online games not only … [Read More]
Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated History
Publisher description: The spicy tang of kimchi, the richness of Korean barbecue, the hearty flavours of bibimbap: Korean cuisine is savoured the world over for its diversity of ingredients and flavours. Michael J. Pettid offers here an illustrated historical account of Korean food and its intricate relationship with the nation’s culture. Over the last twelve centuries, Korean … [Read More]
Korean Traditional Landscape Architecture
From the publisher’s website: Korean traditional landscape architecture is among the most treasured cultural developments made over the thousands of years of Korean culture. This book illustrates the history and cultural background of Korean traditional landscape architecture, showing the characteristics of each type of Korean landscape architecture: royal palaces, residential areas, walled towns, retreat gardens, … [Read More]
Contemporary Korean Architecture: Megacity Network
Seoul – one of the most densely populated urban areas on the planet. The tremendous pressure this megacity exacts on architecture in terms of spatial intensification, verticalization and amplification, challenges architectural stereotypes and promotes innovation. Megacity Network presents 32 projects by 16 representative Korean architects from the last ten years. Being more like mixtures and hybrids of … [Read More]
The Korean Way of Tea
Publisher description: Tea drinking is now a global pastime and a delectable variety of teas are much sought after by connoisseurs worldwide. In this meditative volume to understanding, appreciating and serving Korean tea, authors Brother Anthony of Taizé and Hong Kyeong-hee share their intimate knowledge of a cultural practice and art form, that at its … [Read More]
Buddhist Architecture of Korea
From the publisher’s website: The easiest way to learn about Korea’s Buddhist culture is to visit the temples where the traditional practice of asceticism is still carried on today. People no longer live in other examples of traditional architecture, such as palaces and Confucian schools and academies; but in temples the monks and nuns eat, … [Read More]
Stories inside Stories: Music in the Making of the Korean Olympic Ceremonies
This volume is about the music in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Seoul Olympics (1988) that were watched on television by millions of people. More specifically, the book is about the planning and decisions that resulted in a remarkable presentation, a narrative enacted in mythic terms from Korean cosmology, archetypes from world religions, … [Read More]
Korea Style
Simplicity, tradition and a deep respect for all things natural–these are the essential elements of Korean design underpinning the nation’s fast-growing creative scene.Influences from China, Japan and the West have filtered into Korea, but the peninsula has always maintained its own identity. Spatial, spiritual and material qualities are reflected in the simple beauty of its … [Read More]
The Culture of Fengshui in Korea: An Exploration of East Asian Geomancy
From the publisher’s website: The term Fengshui, which literally means ‘wind and water,’ is the ancient Chinese art of selecting an auspicious site to provide the most harmonious relationship between human and earth. The term is generally translated as ‘geomancy,’ and has had a deep and extensive impact on Korean, Chinese, and other East Asian … [Read More]
Palaces of Korea
From the publisher’s website: In “Palaces of Korea,” Kim Dong-uk, a renowned historian of Korean architecture, guides readers on a journey through the history of palaces in Korea, daily life and ceremonial events, and palace architecture. However, the author also writes extensively about the similarities and differences between palaces across East Asia, namely Japan and … [Read More]
The Secret Spirit of Korean Architecture
From the publisher’s website: The Secret Spirit of Korean Architecture is a response to the growing international interest in Korean architecture, its tangible historical and contemporary forms, and a multidisciplinary contribution to the discourse that has resulted in new writing and audiovisual materials exploring principal features and themes, materials, techniques and methodologies particular to the genre. … [Read More]
Gardens of Korea: Harmony with Intellect and Nature
From the publisher’s website: Of the three great civilizations of East Asia, Korea used to attract the least attention. Overshadowed by their neighbours in China and Japan, Koreans had trouble gaining recognition abroad for the many accomplishments of their ancestors in such fields as architecture, music, dance, and the arts. That has begun to change … [Read More]
Seowon: The Architecture of Korea’s Private Academies
From the publisher’s website: Seowon: The Architecture of Korea’s Private Academies takes a look at the private educational institutions that were dedicated to higher learning. These same institutions eventually became the crowning glory of Neo-Confucianism. This book examines the role these schools had on society during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) while also taking a closer … [Read More]
Korea’s Pastimes and Customs: A Social History
From the publisher’s website: Why are there so many Gims (Kims), Yis (Lees) and Baks (Parks) in Korea? What was life like in Korea hundreds of years ago? What kinds of communities did the Korean people form? How did they celebrate their birthdays and holidays? What kinds of games did they play in their spare … [Read More]
Healthy Democracies: Welfare Politics in Taiwan and South Korea
Do the pressures of economic globalization undermine the welfare state? Contrary to the expectations of many analysts, Taiwan and South Korea have embarked on a new trajectory, toward a strengthened welfare state and universal inclusion. In Healthy Democracies, Joseph Wong offers a political explanation for health care reform in these two countries. He focuses specifically on the … [Read More]