'A fair and thorough overview of Korean culture, mostly during the Chŏson period. … These two meticulously documented volumes are an invaluable tool for scholars studying the long-neglected collections of Korean artefacts in Western museums.' - Minerva Magazine
Many important and valuable rare books, manuscripts and artefacts related to Korea have been acquired by donations throughout the long history of the Bodleian Libraries and the museums of the University of Oxford. However, due to an early lack of specialist knowledge in this area, many of these Korean items were largely neglected. Following on from the publication of the first volume of these forgotten treasures, this book collects together further important and often unique objects.
Notable items include the only surviving Korean example of an eighteenth-century world map, hand-drawn, with a set of twelve globe gores on a single sheet; rare Korean coins and charms including excellent examples of the 1423 Chosŏn t’ongbo 朝鲜通寶; official correspondence from the archives of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, shining a light on the history of Christian missions from the opening of Korea in the 1880s until after the Korean War; photographs from the end of the nineteenth century up to the 1960s showing village and street scenes; a rare silk coat with inner armour plates of lacquered hide; a massive iron padlock inlaid with silver character inscriptions, bronze shoes and spears with parallel-edged blades; spectacles with dark crystal lenses and frames of horn; an elaborately decorated bow, arrows and quiver for wearing with court dress and many other rare artefacts.
Minh Chung is Head of the Bodleian China Centre Library and Korean Collections of the University of Oxford and Chair of the Korea Library Group, UK. He was Head Librarian of Teikyo University in Durham and Subject Consultant (Japanese and Korean) to the Library of the University of Durham.
- Hardback
- 176 pages, 250 x 210 mm
- 120 colour illustrations
- ISBN: 9781851245260
- Publication June 2019
