The Annals of King T'aejo: Founder of Korea's Choson Dynasty

by Harvard University Press

Overview

Never before translated into English, this official history of the reign of King T’aejo—founder of Korea’s illustrious Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1910 CE)—is a unique resource for reconstructing life in late-fourteenth-century Korea. It includes a wealth of detail not just about politics and war but also religion, astronomy, and the arts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674281301
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	06/23/2014
Pages:	1056
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.30(h) x 2.30(d)

About the Author

Choi Byonghyon is Professor of American Literature at Honam University.

Table of Contents

Book VI
Note on Translation
Acknowledgments
Translator’s Introduction
General Introduction
Book I
Book II
Book III
Book IV
Book V
Book VII
Book VIII
Book IX
Book X
Book XI
Book XII
Book XIII
Book XIV
Book XV
Glossary of Terms
Glossary of People and Places
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Another masterpiece from Choi Byonghyon. Integrating a remarkably wide range of expertise in classical Chinese, Korean history, Confucianism, geography, and East Asian political structures, Choi offers an accessible translation for modern readers and a model for the rest of the vast ‘veritable records’ of the Chosŏn Dynasty. This book brings to life King T’aejo’s Sinicizing and yet profoundly Korean late fourteenth-century world. Readers can follow T’aejo and his court through the hopes and challenges of the dynasty’s founding era, including national reconstruction, state formation and legitimacy, ideological transformation, and the nature of leadership. The Annals of King T’aejo is a treasure trove for anyone interested in Korean and East Asian history.
— Byung-Kook Kim, Korea University

A welcome addition to an expanding list of Korean primary sources in English. Scholars, students, and general readers alike will find The Annals of King T’aejo a must to understand the transition from Koryŏ to Chosŏn Korea.
— Edward J. Shultz, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa

From the Publisher

A welcome addition to an expanding list of Korean primary sources in English. Scholars, students, and general readers alike will find The Annals of King T’aejo a must to understand the transition from Koryŏ to Chosŏn Korea.

Edward J. Shultz

Another masterpiece from Choi Byonghyon. Integrating a remarkably wide range of expertise in classical Chinese, Korean history, Confucianism, geography, and East Asian political structures, Choi offers an accessible translation for modern readers and a model for the rest of the vast ‘veritable records’ of the Chosŏn Dynasty. This book brings to life King T’aejo’s Sinicizing and yet profoundly Korean late fourteenth-century world. Readers can follow T’aejo and his court through the hopes and challenges of the dynasty’s founding era, including national reconstruction, state formation and legitimacy, ideological transformation, and the nature of leadership. The Annals of King T’aejo is a treasure trove for anyone interested in Korean and East Asian history.

Byung-Kook Kim