Coree

Best.-Nr. 7461 — Two parts in one vol. Small folio orig. wrappers somewhat tired & a little soiled some light staining & soiling here & there manuscript title on upper cover later stitching. Hansong Seoul: Kyujanggak the Royal Library Preface dated 1793 & 1796. First edition of this handsome and large-format 323 x 217 mm. royal publication. King Chongjo 1752-1800 was one of the most intellectual and enlightened of the Korean monarchs. Perhaps Korea’s greatest bibliophile as royal patron he supported all aspects of the book: typographers printers authors librarians and lexicographers. A number of “royal” editions were published under his auspices. He founded the Kyujanggak Library in 1776 now part of the library of the Seoul National University. “The official rhyming dictionary of Chinese characters compiled under the supervision of King Chongjo and engraved in 1796. The arrangement is different from the usual Korean system in that instead of three rows of characters in the same rhyme there are four rows with the ipsÅng characters distributed in the bottom row” Fang The Asami Library 12.3. The main compiler of this work was the reformer Tong-mu Yi 1741-93 who had travelled to China and was an important member of the Northern Learning School. This group of intellectuals recognized the practical benefits of commerce and technology and urged the modernization of Korean society. Yi was appointed by King ChÅngjo as one of the famed four editors of the Royal Library overseeing the publication of books. A very nice copy. References Fang Chaoying. The Asami Library: A Descriptive Catalog. Edited by Elizabeth Huff. Berkeley: University of California Press 1969. unknown