In previous years this post has been, to a greater or lesser extent, a list of every non-fiction title I could find that was going to be hitting the bookshops in the coming year. As the LKL Korea Book Database has grown in size, including its stock of future publications, there are now far too … [Read More]
Category: Books on traditional arts heritage and folklore
New and upcoming non-fiction titles for 2019
Unlike my list that attempts to compile upcoming literature and fiction titles, here I’ve had to be selective in what to include, otherwise the length of this post would be unmanageable. Nevertheless I’ve almost certainly missed out some titles that I’d want to have on my bookshelf. I’ve divided the list into seven sections: Literature … [Read More]
New and upcoming non-fiction titles for 2018
Too many books, not enough time to read them, or space to store them. Encouragingly, in a skim of the upcoming publication lists I had no problems finding plenty of books on a wide range of interesting topics. No longer it seems is the reading public (or the publishers’ perception thereof) solely interested in that … [Read More]
Eerie Tales from Old Korea – republished 100 years on
100 years ago, Homer B Hulbert and James Scarth Gale translated and published “Eerie Tales from Old Korea”, a collection of Korean ghost stories. Now Brother Anthony of Taize has handpicked some of those tales, and Seoul Selection has republished them to celebrate the 150th birthdays of Gale and Hulbert. It’s definitely going on to … [Read More]
New book on Korean artefacts in Oxford
Oxford’s Bodleian Library announces the publication of a new book on historic Korean artefacts in the University’s collections. It accompanies an exhibition which runs 26 August to 26 September 2011 in the Proscholium at the Bodleian Library: Korean Treasures: Rare Books, Manuscripts and Artefacts in the Bodleian Libraries and Museums of Oxford University by Minh … [Read More]
Donguibogam to get English translation
The Donguibogam, the encyclopedia of Korean traditional medicine finished by Heo Jun in 1613, finally gets translation (http://bit.ly/ecjgvO #) in prepartation for the 400th anniversary of its publication. “The translation is almost done, and we will soon check the material a final time before publication,” said Shin Gyu-bum, an official at the Ministry of Health … [Read More]
Book review: Michael Pettid – Korean Cuisine – an illustrated history
Michael Pettid: Korean Cuisine – an illustrated history Reaktion Books, 2008 Michael Pettid’s fascinating study is maybe not for a general reader. But for those who take more than a passing interest in Korean food and culture, this is an informative read. Importantly, the book’s title is Korean Cuisine, not Cookery. Pettid defines Cuisine as … [Read More]
New books for the Spring
Three recent publications: First, a new book in the Korean Spirit and Culture series, produced by the aptly named Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project. This is their fourth, and is the first of two to explore Fifty Wonders of Korea. This volume covers Culture and Art, while the next one will cover Science and … [Read More]
Lee O-young (tr John Holstein) – Things Korean
(Tuttle 1999) A lovely coffee table book with beautiful images with descriptions. Though I think that if I were a woman I would be bristling at times about the author’s nostalgia for the times when a woman concerned herself with womanly things. Links: Buy at Amazon.co.uk [Read More]
Jeon Jemin, ed Kevin O’Rourke: Korean Stories
(Eul & Al, 2004) A strange collection. Confucian stories, Buddhist stories, and some essays which though brief remind you of the disjointed ramblings of a genial but slightly senile grandfather. One of the essays does explain, though, why the bedwetting boy in one of the short films in the collection If you were me is … [Read More]