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Korean Books & Ephemera

Pak Ssi ch'irhyŏn kŏŭi rok [or] Pak Ssi chirhyeon geoeui rok 朴氏七賢舉義錄 [Record of the Righteous Resistance of Seven Worthies of the Pak Lineage (of Chinwŏn 珍原)]

Pak Ssi ch'irhyŏn kŏŭi rok [or] Pak Ssi chirhyeon geoeui rok 朴氏七賢舉義錄 [Record of the Righteous Resistance of Seven Worthies of the Pak Lineage (of Chinwŏn 珍原)]

by PAK, Chae-hwan (or PAK, Je-hwan) 朴在煥, attributed author

52 folding leaves. Large 8vo (298 x 190 mm.), orig. patterned semi-stiff wrappers (wrappers a little soiled), old stitching (stitching partially defective). [Korea]: Preface dated 1801, Afterword dated 1816. A very rare edition of this collection of documents relating to seven men and their actions during the Imjin War and the Manchu invasion of Korea in 1636. The invasions of Korea, first by the Japanese in the 1590s and then by the Manchus in the 1620s and 1630s, were important moments in the... Read more about this item
Item Price
$5,500.00
TONGGUK MUNHŎN [or] DONGGUK MUNHEON 東國文獻 [Lettered Worthies of the Eastern Kingdom]

TONGGUK MUNHŎN [or] DONGGUK MUNHEON 東國文獻 [Lettered Worthies of the Eastern Kingdom]

46; 45; 46; 45.5 folding leaves. Four vols. Large 8vo, orig. patterned brown semi-stiff wrappers (wrappers somewhat soiled & stained), orig. stitching. [Korea]: probably 19th century. Undated edition of this collection of lists giving biographical data for notable personages from Korea, the "Eastern Kingdom." The individuals are divided into categories, such as "high officials," "famous servants of the throne," and "scholars." The last chapter of the book contains a list of institutions. The chapter... Read more about this item
Item Price
$4,750.00
Korean-English English-Korean Dictionary

Korean-English English-Korean Dictionary

by Si-Sa-Yong-O-Sa

New York: Hippocrene Books, 1996. Third printing. Trade Paperback. Very good. Tall 8vo. pp. 364. Some light edgewear to covers, some faint spotting to page edges.
Item Price
$6.84
Two sheets of paper (each ca. 480 x 420 mm.), both written on one side only, with census information

Two sheets of paper (each ca. 480 x 420 mm.), both written on one side only, with census information

by CHOSŎN CENSUS REGISTER

[Korea]: mid- to late Chosŏn era. A remarkable survival: this is a substantial part of a Korean Chosŏn-era census register, known as hojŏk 戶籍 ("household registry"). It is written in classical Chinese. These registers were maintained by the Chosŏn government for the purpose of levying taxes and corvée (labor exacted in lieu of taxes by public authorities). The registries were divided according to the administrative divisions of counties and provinces and updated every three years. Our... Read more about this item
Item Price
$3,500.00
Chŏngjae Cho Sŏnsaeng silgi [or] Jeongjae Jo seonsaeng silgi 靜齋曹先生實紀 [True Record of Teacher Cho of the Tranquil Studio]

Chŏngjae Cho Sŏnsaeng silgi [or] Jeongjae Jo seonsaeng silgi 靜齋曹先生實紀 [True Record of Teacher Cho of the Tranquil Studio]

by CHO, Sŏg-u (or Jo Seog-u) 曺錫雨, ed

Woodblock-printed. 56 folding leaves. Two juan in one vol. Large 8vo (310 x 210 mm.), orig. yellow patterned semi-stiff wrappers, orig. stitching. [Yŏngch'ŏn]: 1854. First edition of this collection, including the life and writings of Cho Sang-ch'i or Jo Sang-chi 曺尙治 (fl. 1419-55), a prominent official in the early Chosŏn period. From an early age, Cho studied "writings on human nature and principle" (sŏngni chi sŏ 性理之書) - that is, Neo-Confucianism. As one text on his life put it,... Read more about this item
Item Price
$5,500.00
Yŏ sasŏ 女四書 [Four Books for Women]

Yŏ sasŏ 女四書 [Four Books for Women]

by BAN, Zhao 班昭 et al

Printed in Hangul & Chinese characters. 22; 57; 28; 55 folding leaves. Four vols. Small folio (302 x 197 mm.), orig. semi-stiff wrappers (upper cover of first vol. is a little soiled), manuscript title labels on upper covers, old stitching. [Korea]: 1907. An extremely rare Korean edition with no copy listed in WorldCat; this is a translation of Nü sishu, a collection of Confucian works all written by women. The collection was first published in China before appearing in Korea. "The Nü sishu... Read more about this item
Item Price
$9,500.00
An Introductory Course in Korean

An Introductory Course in Korean

by LUKOFF, Fred

Seoul: Yonsei University Press, 1982. First Edition. Oversize Paperback. Very good. 4to. xxx, 487. Gatefold card wraps. Some wear, rubs, to cover edges, spine ends, but otherwise a firm, sound copy, binding tight, internally clean. Uncommon in the original Korean first edition.
Item Price
$15.96
Munmyo hyangsarok 文廟享祀錄 [Record of the Sacrifices at the Confucian Temple]

Munmyo hyangsarok 文廟享祀錄 [Record of the Sacrifices at the Confucian Temple]

by YŎNGJO (or YEONGJO) 英祖, King of Korea

Four leaves of illus. 30 folding leaves. Large 8vo (305 x 208 mm.), orig. yellow semi-stiff wrappers (upper wrappers somewhat soiled, both wrappers with some worming), new stitching. [Korea]: 1765. First edition of this book published on royal command by King Yŏngjo of Chosŏn. The book was compiled by Kim Kwi-ju 金龜柱 (1740-86), the older brother of Queen Consort Chŏngsun (1745-1805). The royal Preface is furthermore written in Kim's standard script calligraphy. Years after the compilation of... Read more about this item
Item Price
$4,950.00
A rare surviving woodblock (470 x 202 mm.), carved on both sides with classical Chinese text

A rare surviving woodblock (470 x 202 mm.), carved on both sides with classical Chinese text

by KOREAN WOODBLOCK

Korea: [early 19th cent.]. In East Asian woodblock printing, the first step was choosing a piece of deciduous wood. A calligrapher would write out the text on a sheet of paper, which was then pasted ink-side down onto the block. Most of the paper was then rubbed off, leaving only a mirror image of the characters. The carver would then carve around inked parts of the wood to leave the area to be printed in relief. Carving was usually done along the grain. "After the carving is complete, the surface... Read more about this item
Item Price
$1,850.00
AMITABHASUTRA (in Sanskrit); [Ch.: Fo shuo amituo jing yao jie; K.: Pulsol amit'a kyong yohae 佛說阿彌陀經要解; The Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra [or] The Amitabhasutra]

AMITABHASUTRA (in Sanskrit); [Ch.: Fo shuo amituo jing yao jie; K.: Pulsol amit'a kyong yohae 佛說阿彌陀經要解; The Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra [or] The Amitabhasutra]

Trans. by Kumarajiva. Commentary by Ouyi Zhixu. Four splendid full-page woodcuts. 54 folding leaves. Large 8vo (318 x 198 mm.), orig. yellow-brown patterned wrappers, new stitching. Naewon'am, "The Inner Courtyard Nunnery," Samgaksan: 1853. A rare reprint of the 1753 edition of The Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra, one of the three most important Mahayana sutras of the Pure Land tradition, printed in 1853 (Xianfeng 3), at Naewon'am 內院庵, "The Inner Courtyard Nunnery" at Samgaksan 三角山, a peak of... Read more about this item
Item Price
$9,500.00
Manuscript on paper, entitled on upper wrapper "Matsubara Shin'emon Chosen monogatari" ["Recollections of Korea by Matsubara Shin'emon"]

Manuscript on paper, entitled on upper wrapper "Matsubara Shin'emon Chosen monogatari" ["Recollections of Korea by Matsubara Shin'emon"]

by MATSUBARA, Shin'emon

Two double-page manuscript maps. 57 folding leaves. 8vo (247 x 175 mm.), orig. wrappers, orig. sewing. [Japan]: Editor's Preface dated "1840." The hostilities between Japan and Korea resulting from Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasions in the late 16th century ended at the beginning of the Edo period. Diplomatic relationships were re-established, followed by a series of 12 major Korean diplomatic missions during the Tokugawa years, several of which were held in the Tsushima island fiefdom instead of Edo.... Read more about this item
Item Price
$9,500.00
Myobŏp yŏnhwagyŏng [or] Myobeop yeonhwagyeong [Ch.: Miao fa lian hua jing 妙法蓮華經; Sutra of the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma]

Myobŏp yŏnhwagyŏng [or] Myobeop yeonhwagyeong [Ch.: Miao fa lian hua jing 妙法蓮華經; Sutra of the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma]

by KUMĀRAJĪVA 鳩摩羅什, trans

Two double-page woodcuts. Woodblock-printed. 62 folding leaves (plus one leaf, 32, in duplicate). Large 8vo (317 x 213 mm.), orig. semi-stiff wrappers, new stitching. Yongjan-sa Temple: 1635. A very rare and early illustrated Korean edition of the Lotus Sutra, published in 1635. The woodblock of the final page with the imprint appears to have slid during printing and the text is unclear (but the date is clear). We believe it says that it was printed by Yongjan-sa 龍藏寺 temple, which would mean... Read more about this item
Item Price
$25,000.00
[From upper wrapper]: Kogŭm pŏpch'ŏp or Gogeum beopcheop 古今法帖 [Old & Current Calligraphic Copy Book]; title on pillars: Pŏpch'ŏp

[From upper wrapper]: Kogŭm pŏpch'ŏp or Gogeum beopcheop 古今法帖 [Old & Current Calligraphic Copy Book]; title on pillars: Pŏpch'ŏp

by PAK, Mun-hoe 朴文會 & others

82 folding leaves. Small folio (334 x 220 mm.), orig. wrappers (rubbed & a little soiled), later stitching. [Korea: 1859]. A rare calligraphic copybook, using rubbings of inscriptions carved in stone. The rubbings are from various pieces of famous calligraphy, including those of Injo (1595-1649, r. 1623-49), king of Chosŏn. Various styles of calligraphy are demonstrated. One leaf each is bound-in at the front and back of the book. These leaves contain printed Buddhist texts and appear to be printer's... Read more about this item
Item Price
$5,000.00
YŎNGGWANG ŬPCHI (or YEONGGWANG EUPJI) 靈光邑誌 [Gazetteer of Yŏnggwang]

YŎNGGWANG ŬPCHI (or YEONGGWANG EUPJI) 靈光邑誌 [Gazetteer of Yŏnggwang]

One full-page woodcut county map. Wooden movable type. 74 folding leaves. Large 8vo (320 x 202 mm.), orig. brown semi-stiff wrappers (wrappers a little tired & soiled), new stitching. [Korea]: 1897. Rare edition of this local gazetteer of Yeonggwang (or Yŏnggwang) county, located on the coast of South Jeolla province in the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula. We find no copy of this edition in WorldCat, but it is held at a few libraries in South Korea. The word "gazetteer" is used in... Read more about this item
Item Price
$4,750.00
CHŎNUN OKP'YŎN or Jeon-un okpyeon 全韻玉篇 [Jade Chapters for the Complete Rhymes]

CHŎNUN OKP'YŎN or Jeon-un okpyeon 全韻玉篇 [Jade Chapters for the Complete Rhymes]

Printed in Chinese characters & Korean Hangul. Ten columns per page; variable number of characters per column. 152 folding leaves. Two vols. bound in one. Large 8vo (295 x 202mm., text block: 217 x 153 mm.), orig. yellow wrappers, new stitching. [Korea]: n.d., but ca. 1796. First edition and rare. The great rhyme books [issued in Korea] of the eighteenth century were Hwa-Dong jeongeum tongseok un-go [Examination of Rhymes in the Correct Pronunciation of China and the East [viz. Korea], with... Read more about this item
Item Price
$9,500.00
Ŏje hunsŏ [or] Oeje hunseo 御製訓書 [Royally Commissioned Exhortations]

Ŏje hunsŏ [or] Oeje hunseo 御製訓書 [Royally Commissioned Exhortations]

by YŎNGJO (or YEONGJO) 英祖, King of Korea

41 folding leaves. Large 8vo (337 x 206 mm.), orig. semi-stiff wrappers, new stitching. [Korea]: Simdo 沁都, 1756. First edition and rare; WorldCat lists only one printed copy, at Berkeley. This book of exhortations on good government, with striking royal calligraphy, was written by King Yŏngjo (or Yeongjo) of Chosŏn (1694-1776) in 1756. At this time, Yŏngjo was commemorating the death of his father, the previous king. According to Fang Chaoying (1908-85), Yŏngjo, then in his 65th year, "could... Read more about this item
Item Price
$5,500.00
Nosa chip or Nosa jip 蘆沙集 [Works of Nosa]

Nosa chip or Nosa jip 蘆沙集 [Works of Nosa]

by KI, Chŏng-jin 奇正鎭

22 juan plus two juan of addenda in 11 vols. Large 8vo (290 x 186 mm.), orig. patterned wrappers, new stitching. [Korea: 1898]. Second edition, enlarged, and printed with movable wooden type, of the writings of a prominent Neo-Confucian thinker of the 19th century; it is one of the most important collections (chip) published in Korea during the final years of the Chosŏn dynasty. Our edition contains Ki's writings in various genres, ranging from political manifestos to poetry, and is supplemented by a... Read more about this item
Item Price
$14,500.00
Karye (or Garye; Ch.: reading jia li) 家禮 [Family Rituals]

Karye (or Garye; Ch.: reading jia li) 家禮 [Family Rituals]

by ZHU, Xi 朱熹

26 pages of illus. & diagrams. 79; 47 folding leaves. Seven juan in two vols. Large 8vo (286 x 200 mm.), orig. semi-stiff wrappers (wrappers tired & upper wrapper of first vol. partly defective), new stitching. [Korea]: Chosŏn period. The organization of family and clan life was an important part of East Asian Confucianism. The topic accordingly occupied Zhu Xi (1130-1200), one of the most influential thinkers of the past millennium. He was among a number of scholars who wrote treatises that... Read more about this item
Item Price
$6,500.00
Kyerim sŭngji [or] Gyerim seungji 鶏林勝誌 [Historical Records of Kyŏngju]

Kyerim sŭngji [or] Gyerim seungji 鶏林勝誌 [Historical Records of Kyŏngju]

by CHŎNG, Kyŏng-sŏp (or JEONG, Gyeong-seop) 鄭京燮

Movable type print. 73; 66; 72 (two leaves misnumbered 70); 27 folding leaves. Four vols. Large 8vo (310 x 199 mm.), orig. patterned brown semi-stiff wrappers, orig. stitching. Namwŏn, South Jeolla province: Chŏng Kyŏng-sŏp (printed by Im T'ae-hwa 尹泰和), 1933. First edition of this local gazetteer for Gyeongju (Kyŏngju) in South Jeolla province of South Korea. This book is remarkable in that it represents a genre that flourished in the Chosŏn period, and it was printed using the movable... Read more about this item
Item Price
$4,950.00
Yija sŏngni sŏ [or] Yija seongni seo 李子性理書 [Writings on Human Nature and Principle by Master Yi]

Yija sŏngni sŏ [or] Yija seongni seo 李子性理書 [Writings on Human Nature and Principle by Master Yi]

by YI, I 李珥

Edited by Yi To-jung 李度中. One woodblock text diagram. 62 folding leaves. Large 8vo (307 x 207 mm.), orig. semi-stiff wrappers (wrappers slightly soiled), orig. stitching. Korea: 1816. Yi I (1536-84) was one of the most important Neo-Confucian thinkers of Chosŏn Korea. This book is concerned with sŏng (Ch.: xing), "human nature," and i (Ch.: li), "principle" or "coherence." These were key concepts in Neo-Confucian metaphysics. Indeed, in Chinese, Neo-Confucianism is often called "the learning... Read more about this item
Item Price
$5,000.00
Manuscript on paper, entitled Sindo t'aeŭlgyŏng (or Sindo taeeulgyeong) 神道太乙經 [Classic of the Great Unity of the Spirit Way] & other Daoist texts and talismans

Manuscript on paper, entitled Sindo t'aeŭlgyŏng (or Sindo taeeulgyeong) 神道太乙經 [Classic of the Great Unity of the Spirit Way] & other Daoist texts and talismans

by DAOIST TALISMANS & SPELLS, KOREAN

Many illustrations in the text. Manuscript in accordion format. 36 pages (or panels), written on both sides. 8vo (204 x 98 mm.), orig. boards. [Korea?]: 18th or 19th century. A unique manuscript collection of Daoist texts and talismans, richly illustrated with diagrams and images. The manuscript is probably Korean, as we find another manuscript with the title Sindo t'aeŭlgyŏng held at Dongshin University library in Naju, South Korea. We find no copy of a work with this title in WorldCat, be it... Read more about this item
Item Price
$5,500.00
YUHAP 類合 [Combined Categories]

YUHAP 類合 [Combined Categories]

21.5 folding leaves. 8vo, orig. yellowish-brown wrappers, new stitching. [Korea]: n.d. Yuhap is a common primer for children dating from the early Chosen period. The book teaches Chinese characters by giving their Sino-Korean pronunciation along with a vernacular Korean translation. Both the pronunciation and the translation are given in han'gul, the Korean alphabet promulgated in 1443. The characters are arranged by category, as indicated by the title. The end of a list of characters belonging to a... Read more about this item
Item Price
$5,500.00
Mokchae kasuk Tongguk t'onggam chegang [or] Mokjae gasuk Dongguk tonggam jegang 木齋家塾東國通鑑提綱 [The Basic Framework of the Comprehensive Mirror of the Eastern Kingdom from the Family School of the Wood Studio]

Mokchae kasuk Tongguk t'onggam chegang [or] Mokjae gasuk Dongguk tonggam jegang 木齋家塾東國通鑑提綱 [The Basic Framework of the Comprehensive Mirror of the Eastern Kingdom from the Family School of the Wood Studio]

by HONG, Yŏ-ha (or HONG, Yeo-ha) 洪汝河

Seven vols. Large 8vo (303 x 190 mm.), later wrappers using various old manuscripts, new stitching. [Korea]: Preface dated 1786. An uncommon edition of this "first influential Chosŏn history raising the question of legitimacy in ancient Korea" (Baker, "Writing History in Premodern Korea," 115), by Hong Yŏ-ha 洪汝河 (1620-74, literary name Mokchae or Wood Studio). The book was written in the 17th century, but our edition is later. Hong's work "denied legitimacy to the kingdom of Wiman Chosŏn,... Read more about this item
Item Price
$3,750.00
Colloquial Korean: A Complete Language Course.

Colloquial Korean: A Complete Language Course.

by KIM, In-Seok

London and New York: Routledge, 1996. P/b., ix+278pp. Very good, clean and tight. For self-study or class use, the course offers you a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Korean. No prior knowledge of the language is required. Interactive – lots of exercises for regular practice Clear – Concise grammar notes Practical – useful vocabulary and pronunciation guide Complete – including answer key and reference section
Item Price
$19.00
Ŏjŏng Yuk chu yakson 御定陸奏約選. Edited by King Chŏngjo

Ŏjŏng Yuk chu yakson 御定陸奏約選. Edited by King Chŏngjo

by LU, Zhi

Ten columns per page, 18 characters per column. 2, 37, 34, 1 (=74) folding leaves. Two parts in one vol. Small folio (350 x 228 mm.), orig. wrappers (wrappers rather rubbed & somewhat soiled), later stitching. [Jeolla Province: the Governor's Office], from the colophon: July 1797. A most uncommon Korean woodblock (?, see below) book, which reproduces the finest of the Korean moveable metal typefaces, the kabinja. "Selections from the memorials of Lu Chih (754-805), the great statesman of the T'ang... Read more about this item
Item Price
$4,750.00
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