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A New History of Korea
(1984) Ki-Baik Lee, Translated by Edward W. Wagner
The first English-language history of Korea to appear in more than a decade, this translation offers Western readers a distillation
of the latest and best scholarship on Korean history and culture from the earliest times to the student revolution of 1960. The most
widely read and respected general history, A New History of Korea (Han'guksa sillon) was first published in 1961 and has undergone two
major revisions and updatings. Professor Lee's work presents a new periodization of his country's history, based on a fresh analysis
of the changing composition of the leadership elite. The book is noteworthy, too, for its full and integrated discussion of major
currents in Korea's cultural history. The translation, three years in preparation, has been done by specialists in the field.
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A History of the Korean People in Modern Times: 1800 to the Present
(1993) Robert T. Oliver
This work is an objectively balanced history of Korea during the period of its modernization from about 1800 to the present. Emphasized are the
character, beliefs, and sentiments of the people and the personalities and careers of Korea's pivotal leaders.
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A Panorama of 5000 Years: Korean History
(1987) Andrew Nahm
Koreans
have maintained their nationhood throughout the rise and fall of dynastic rule and repeated foreign invasions.
Once liberated from foreign
rule, the Koreans re-emerged as a vigorous and creative people,
revitalizing their cultural and social heritage. At the same time, they
achieved remarkable economic success despite the divisions of the
country and worries of difficulty brought about by the partition of the
land. There has been a need of reading materials on Korea written in
the English language, particularly on her history and culture, for
young students and general readers. In this book, words and pictures
combine to give a wide panoramic view of the political, social and
cultural history of Korea.
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Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire
(1999) Richard B. Frank
In a riveting narrative that includes information from newly
declassified documents, acclaimed historian Richard B. Frank gives a
scrupulously detailed explanation of the critical months leading up to
the dropping of the atomic bomb. Frank explains how American leaders
learned in the summer of 1945 that their alternate strategy to end the
war by invasion had been shattered by the massive Japanese buildup on
Kyushu, and that intercepted diplomatic documents also revealed the
dismal prospects of negotiation. Here also, for the first time, is a
comprehensive account of how Japan's leaders were willing to risk
complete annihilation to preserve the nation's existing order. Frank's
comprehensive account demolishes long-standing myths with the stark
realities of this great historical controversy.
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Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea
(2006) Keith Pratt
Keith Pratt traverses the ancient landscapes of the Koreas, from
the kingdoms of Old Choson and Wiman Choson to the present-day 38th
Parallel division. The book’s engaging narrative details the wars,
ruling dynasties, Chinese and Japanese imperialism, and controversial
historical events such as the abuses of the Japanese occupation. Everlasting Flower
applies an equally careful eye to religious practices, dress, and food,
and augments the narrative with richly illustrated pictorial essays. As
the Korean peninsula assumes a prominent role in world affairs, Everlasting Flower offers an
invaluable survey of Korean history and culture.
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Eye on Korea: An Insider Account of Korean-American Relations
(2003) James Young and William Stueck
Col. James V. Young spent several years in Asia, including
fourteen in Korea. He writes about a period that saw South Korea develop from an agrarian
economy to a modern industrial state. Young
witnessed how American diplomats convinced the South
Korean president not to develop his own nuclear weapons. He writes of the mistrust that
characterized U.S.-Korean relations during the 1970s, and provides new
insights into behind-the-scones efforts to derail President Jimmy
Carter's troop withdrawal policies. Young's memoir straddles the line between military
and diplomatic history and offers entertaining and often humorous
stories.
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Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary
1999) Keith Pratt
Compiled by specialists from the University of Durham Department of
East Asian Studies, this new reference work contains approximately 1500
entries covering Korean civilisation from early times to the present
day. Subjects include history, politics, art, archaeology, literature,
etc. The Dictionary is intended for students, teachers and researchers,
and will also be of interest to the general reader. Entries provide
factual information and contain suggestions for further reading. A name
index and comprehensive cross-reference system make this an easy to
use, multi-purpose guide for the student of Korea in the broadest sense.
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Korea at the Center: Dynamics of Regionalism in Northeast Asia
(2006) Charles K. Armstrong, Gilbert Rozman, Samuel S. Kim, and Stephen Kotkin
Korea's location at the very center of Northeast Asia gives it a
pivotal role in the economic integration of the region and the dynamic
development of its more powerful neighbors. A great wave of economic
expansion has made South Korea the hub of the region once again, a natural corridor for
railroads and energy pipelines linking Asiatic Russia to China and
Japan. An opening of North Korea, with
multilateral support, would add another major push toward regional
integration. The eminent international contributors to
this volume offer a fresh and stimulating appraisal of Korea as the key
to the coalescence of a broad, open Northeast Asian regionalism in the
twenty-fifth century.
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Korea Old and New: A History
(1990) Carter J. Eckert et. al.
This is the most reliable and popular history of Korea available in
English. The tumultuous developments of the modern era receive the
greatest coverage, but the book's balanced treatment of traditional
Korea emphasizes cultural events as integrally related to the
political, social, and economic evolution of this ancient nation. Five
outstanding scholars give a wide-angle view of each distinct period,
elucidating the past while providing new understanding of the vast
changes that have taken place in Korea.
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Korean-American Relations, 1866-1997
(1999) Yur-Bok Lee and Wayne Patterson, eds.
Built upon the highly successful volume One Hundred Years of Korean-American Relations, 1882-1982, this book describes
Korea's importance to the United States and the development of the current relationship. The ramifications of this relationship
are evident by the facts that South Korea now constitutes America's seventh largest trading partner and 37,000 American troops
remain stationed there on alert. North Korea, however, continues to harbor a deep resentment of the United States and its
southern neighbor and maintains the fifth largest standing army in the world, situated just north of the world's most fortified
demarcation line at the 38th parallel.
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Koreans to Remember 50 Famous People Who Helped Shape Korea
(1993) Richard Saccone
While there are many tourist guides and history books that detail
famous places in Korea, relatively little is written about the people
of Korean history. What little material is available in English is
scattered and sometimes difficult to obtain. To provide the
interested reader with the basic details of many historical characters
of Korea, the author conducted a survey to choose famous names which
Koreans thought foreigners should study if they wanted to develop a
basic knowledge of Korea. There are names from many periods of history.
Included are political figures, businessmen, religious figures,
philosophers, kings, scholars, military figures and artists. There are 90 b/w photos.
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The Koreans: Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies
(1998) Michael Breen
The fact that Korean history has eluded much of the world is
unfortunate, but as Korea becomes more of a global player,
understanding and appreciation for this unique nation has become
indispensable. In The Koreans, Michael Breen provides an
in-depth portrait of the country and its people. an early overview of
the nature and values of the Korean people provides the background for
a more detailed examination of the complex history of the country, in
particular its division into the Communist north and pro-Western south. In
this absorbing and enlightening account of the Koreans, Michael Breen
provides compelling insight into the history and character of this
fascinating nation.
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The Koreas
(2007) Charles K. Armstrong
In the age of globalization. North and South are remarkably different,
yet each plays a major role. The North is a major exporter of arms and
is also perhaps currently the most dangerous place
in the world, as it arms itself with nuclear weapons and
prepares for a possible military showdown with the United States. South
Korea, on the other hand, is a major manufacturer of goods for a global market, and its economic
ties to the rest of the world continue to grow and solidify. The South
is also a major source of immigrants to the United States, and we can
now talk of a global Korean diaspora. Armstrong covers all of
these issues, paying special attention to the Koreas' unique
characteristics, their relationship to each other, their place in the
East Asian region, and how they function in the currents of
contemporary globalization.
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Korea’s Place in the Sun: A Modern History
(1997) Bruce Cumings
Bruce Cumings traces the growth of Korea from a string of competing
walled city-states to its present dual nationhood. He examines the ways
in which Korean culture has been influenced by Japan and China, and the
ways in which it has subtly influenced its more powerful neighbors.
Cumings also considers the recent changes in the South, where
authoritarianism is giving way to democracy, and in the North, which
Cumings depicts as a "socialist corporatist" state more like a
neo-Confucian kingdom than a Stalinist regime. Korea's Place in the Sun does much to help Western readers understand the
complexities of Korea's past and present.
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The North Korean Revolution 1945-1950
(2003) Charles K. Armstrong
North Korea has outlived repeated forecasts of its imminent
demise. Charles K. Armstrong contends that a major source of North
Korea’s strength and resiliency, as well as of its flaws and
shortcomings, lies in the poorly understood origins of its system of
government. He examines the genesis of the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea (DPRK) both as an important yet rarely studied example of a
communist state and as part of modern Korean history. Armstrong’s account is based on
long-classified documents captured by U.S. forces during the Korean
War. This enormous archive of over 1.6 million pages provides
unprecedented insight into the making of the Pyongyang regime and fuels
the author’s argument that the North Korean state is likely to remain
viable for some years to come.
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The Partition of Korea after World War II: A Global History
(2006) Jongsoo Lee
Based on a careful examination of sources in Russian, English and
Korean, including new archival evidence from Moscow, this book seeks to
provide an understanding of the partition of Korea into North Korea and South Korea.
Taking into account not only the policies
of the Soviet Union and the United States but also the roles played by
the Koreans themselves, Jongsoo Lee untangles the complex dynamics of
the Korean partition, placing this partition in the context of modern
world history and the emerging Cold War. Comparing Korea with Germany,
Austria, Finland and elsewhere after World War II, Lee suggests
possible alternative outcomes to Korean partition, thus shedding light
on Korea’s present predicament as she faces the challenges of
reunification.
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Sourcebook of Korean Civilization, Vol. I, (1992)
Vol. II
(2000) Peter H. Lee, ed.
These books are a major achievement in East Asian studies. Compiled and
edited by Peter H. Lee and four other eminent scholars, this is the
most comprehensive and autoritative English-languange anthology of
primary source material on Korea civilzation ever assembled. These booke encompass
social, intellectual, religiuous, and literary traditions from the early times to the modern period.
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The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History
(1997) Don Oberdorfer
Don Oberdorfer has written a gripping narrative history of Korea's
travails and triumphs over the past three decades. The Two Koreas
places the tensions between North and South within a historical
context, with a special emphasis on the involvement of outside powers.
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