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 Comprehensive Explanations] from 1747, Samun seonghwi [Collected Sounds of the Three Rhymes] from 1751, and Eojeong Gyujang jeonun [Royally... More

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 on scholars opens with a brief biography of the famous medieval scholar Sŏl Chong 薛聰, who “explained the nine classics in the local language and... More

33.5 folding leaves. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff patterned wrappers (a little rubbed), orig. title-slip on upper cover, new stitching. [Edo]: Uonisai 有乎爾齋, title-page: 1849; at end of text: 1850.

First edition to be printed in Japan (first printed in Korea in 1663) of this personal history of the Japanese invasion of Korea (the Imjin War) at the end of the 16th century. An (1573-1654), a native of Chuksan, south of Seoul, had a significant leadership role during the Japanese invasions, organizing and leading local resistance and contributing to the broader guerilla warfare strategy.

“According to the preface added to this... More

80 pp. 8vo (216 x 135 mm.), early 20th-cent. cloth-backed marbled boards & orig. printed wrappers mounted on stubs, gilt title on spine. Paris: Bonnefons Delavialle, Ch. Paillet; London: Treuttel & Wurtz, Jarman; Amsterdam: Dufour & De la Chaux; Brussels: Danot; Berlin: Logier & Simon Schropp; Vienna: Schabacher, [1826].

A fascinating and rare auction catalogue of an extensive and influential collection of Asian artifacts belonging to a “F. Sallé,” with many contemporary pencil annotations in the margins. We have been unable to ascertain his first name, but Sallé appears in numerous early 19th-century Parisian auction catalogues as the commissaire-priseur.

This... More

Many black & white illus. xi, 172 pp. 4to, pictorial hardcover, black cloth-backed, title on spine. Berkeley: University of California, Berkeley Art Museum, 2001.

Scarce exhibition catalogue that was the first authoritative reference work on Cha’s wide-ranging practice, the show was curated by Constance M. Lewallen (1939-2022). The book, with numerous illustrations of the artist’s works, includes essays by Lawrence R. Rinder and Trinh T. Minh-Ha, an exhaustive exhibition history, bibliography, check-list, etc. In fine condition. More

Several woodcuts in the text. Ten columns per page, 22 characters per column, textblock: 208 x 155 mm. 80; 69 folding leaves. Two vols. 8vo (273 x 178 mm.), somewhat later wrappers, later block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. [Korea]: colophon dated 1562 (Jiajing 41).

An early and very rare (no copy in WorldCat) Korean edition of the teachings of the Cheng 程 brothers, Hao 顥 (1032-85) and Yi 頤 (1033-1107), two important philosophers of the Northern Song period; they can be called the true founders of Neo-Confucianism. The Cheng brothers, along with their uncle Zhang Zai, their... More

Manuscript on preprinted paper. 72.5; 57; 52.5; 80 folding leaves. Five numbered kwŏn & purok in four volumes. Large 8vo, orig. semi-stiff wrappers, handwritten title on upper covers, new stitching. [Korea]: [after 1666].

A fine Korean manuscript of the collected works of the martyr Cho Hŏn (alias Chungbong, 1544–92), remembered for his heroic sacrifice during the Imjin War of 1592. These collected works were first published in a woodblock edition in 1666. Pre-1910 copies of this work are very rare: we find only three copies in WorldCat, all woodblock-printed, held at UC Berkeley (Asami Library 39.47), Harvard, and Columbia.

“Today... More

Printed with wooden movable type. 71 folding leaves. Three kwŏn in one vol. Large 8vo, orig. patterned pale brown wrappers (a little frayed around extremities), new stitching. Korea: 1912.

First and only edition of poetry and prose collection by the late Chŏson scholar Cho Tal-sik (1813–50; pen name Yagam or “Small Hermitage”), posthumously compiled and printed by his grandson Cho Yeong-gyu in 1912. The work opens with a Preface by renowned scholar Song Byeong-hwa 宋炳華 (1852–1916), dated to the latter half of the ninth lunar month, 1912, and closes with a Postscript by Cho Tal-sik’s descendant Cho Seok-je 趙錫濟 (1848–1925)... More

41 folding leaves. Small folio (325 x 216 mm.), orig. yellow patterned wrappers, orig. stitching. Kyŏngsŏng 京城 (Seoul): 1928.

First edition of this rare work, printed by wooden movable type, that tells the life story of Chosŏn interpreter and diplomat (yŏkkwan) Hong Sun-ŏn 洪純彦 (1530-98). Impoverished in his youth, Hong made a name for himself with fluency in Chinese and a knack for international trade. The author of our book, Chŏng In-bo (1893-1950), was a prominent Korean historian and independence activist. In his Preface, acknowledging “the time gap” between Hong’s life and the time of writing, Chŏng notes: “I hope... More

Woodblock-printed. 4, 1, 16, 39; 40, 33, 2 folding leaves. Three kwŏn in two volumes. Small folio (341 x 216 mm.), orig. semi-stiff patterned wrappers, handwritten title on upper covers, old stitching. [Hansŏng]: [Chujaso], Preface dated 1797.

Very rare Korean collection of community rituals (K. hyangnye 鄉禮), compiled by and printed for the King of Korea. We find no copy in Korea, and only three copies in WorldCat (Berkeley, Columbia, and Harvard).

The reign of King Chŏngjo of Korea (r. 1776-1800) witnessed a shift in the sovereign’s role in relation to Confucian teachings. “Chŏngjo sought to formulate the sage-king as... More

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... More

Manuscript on paper. 95 folding pre-printed leaves. One kwŏn in one volume. Small folio (353 x 215 mm.), orig. wrappers (lower cover a little wormed), handwritten title & table of contents in black ink on upper cover, later stitching. [Korea]: [between 1775 & 1848].

This fine Korean manuscript is a rare sola scriptura version of the Classic of Changes, with the canonical “Ten Wings” (Ch. shiyi 十翼) commentary.

An unusual, and in its time revolutionary, edition of the Confucian Classics was commissioned by King Chŏngjo (1752–1800) of the Chŏson dynasty in 1775. As his edict to the officials observed, “many... More