Maps and atlases form the largest part of the manuscript collection. Finely drawn on silk or paper, these include a court-sponsored atlas of the provinces, various copies of Kim Chong-ho's Taedong Yojido (General Atlas of Korea), and a fine, possibly unique, scroll-format map dated ca. 1898, Taehan Chonjido.
Manuscript copies of historical novels in the Korean script Hangul complement a larger collection of 19th century printed novels, a rare and important survival. Illustrated manuscripts include a fine 18th century album of poetry and landscape scenes, Okkyesa; a set of folded acupuncture charts showing the energy paths believed in East Asian therapeutic traditions to allow cures to particular organs of the human body; a magnificent royal commemoration manuscript of 1809 which includes fine depictions of courtly regalia and palace architecture, and a set of 100 genre scenes by the late 19th century artist Kisan depicting occupations and street life of the time. A small group of munjado, a uniquely Korean style of popular painting depicting the calligraphic signs for the virtues necessary for living well, has recently been added to the collection, to illustrate a local Korean imaginative application of the skills of the calligrapher's brush.
An early 19th century copy of the encyclopaedia Tongguk munhon pigo is a valuable historical and political record of Korea before the opening to the West, and the manuscript collection also includes a number of genealogical and legal texts.
Contact
Asian and African Studies enquiries
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7873
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7641
E-mail: Ask the Reference Team
Hamish Todd, Head of Japanese Section
Asian and African Studies
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7662
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7641
E-mail: hamish.todd@bl.uk
