Korean Works
오직 한없이 가지고 싶은 것은 높은 문화의 힘이다
The one thing I seek in infinite quantity is the power of a highly developed culture. " By Kim Koo (1879-1946) (translated by Kim Koo Museum)
Korea has a long and rich heritage of written culture. With its connections with the civilisations of neighbouring China and Japan, and the invention of the Korean alphabet Hangul 한글 in 1443, Korea developed and innovated exceptional printing technology, particularly during the Goryŏ (918-1392) and the early Chosŏn (1392-1897) dynasties. Some notable examples of this legacy include the world’s oldest surviving woodblock print, Pure Radiance Spotless Pure Light Dharani Sutra 무구정광대다라니경 , and the oldest surviving metal print Jikji 직지심체요철 .
Most of the old Korean books in the Cambridge University Library (CUL) were collected by missionaries working in Korea during the late Chosŏn period and they came into the University Library collection in the early 20th century. The library’s annual report, published in 1902, recorded the acquisition of early Korean books:
“The Korean Tract Society, the English Church Mission in Corea, and the British and Foreign Bible Society presented some Corean books through Miss Lucy Nevile, who also purchased on behalf of the Library various other works in that language. The Rev. M.N. Trollope and the Rev. J.S. Badcock, of the English Church Mission, and the Rev. A.S. Gale, of the American Mission, Chairman of the Korean Tract Society, helped her in selecting and procuring such books as it was desirable and possible to obtain.”
Nevile’s acquisitions include Christian texts, Confucian works, and Hangul novels. These books form the foundation of the Cambridge University Library’s collection of old and rare Korean materials.
In addition, the library holds several Korean-related books and manuscripts collected by diplomats who worked in East Asia during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Among them are the papers of diplomat Sir Harry Smith Parkes (1828–1885), who served in Japan, China, and Korea and participated in several significant historical events. His collection includes a rare handwritten Hangul letter from Kim Ok-kyun (1851–1894)—a government official and member of the Kaehwa (enlightenment) party, known for advocating modernisation and political reform in Korea.
Other notable Korean materials are also found in the Sir Thomas Wade (1818-1895) Collection, as well as in the collections of Sir Ernest Mason Satow (1843–1929) and William George Aston (1841–1911). Satow and Aston were scholars of Japanese studies and diplomats in the early 20th century. Their collections include books related to Chosŏn-era Korea that were published in Japan, such as Samhan kiryak 삼한기략 , Chingbirok 징비록 , and Haedong chegukki 해동제국기 .
The Korean collection has grown steadily since the 1960s and also includes some North Korean publications from the 1980s. Additionally, the Bible Society's Library , also housed within the Cambridge University Library, holds a large number of rare and early translations of the Bible into Korean, including the world’s oldest Korean-language bible .
