Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea [Paperback]

Keith Pratt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1861893353 | ISBN-13: 978-1861893352

The defiant dictatorship of North Korea and the thriving democracy of South Korea may appear starkly different, but they share a complex and often misunderstood history that is ably recounted in Everlasting Flower.
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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

a full and fascinating study of Korean history The Guardian Everlasting Flower is significant because for the first time there is a single book which surveys the whole cultural history of Korea, showing Korea's development within the Chinese cultural world, and demonstrating how the civilization of the peninsula changed under the impact of western and Japanese cultural influences in the twentieth century ... Pratt brings a comparative perspective to his discussion of Korean history which gives the book a breadth often missing in other works. History ... a very solidly researched, well-balanced and enjoyable read peppered with glimpses of wit and personal observation. It will be a valuable introduction to Korean history for undergraduates, non-academics and more specialist readers alike and one that will hopefully inspire further reading. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies ... highly readable, well organised study of Korean history from earliest times to the present day. Asian Studies Review a solidly researched, well-balanced and enjoyable read peppered with glimpses of wit and personal observation. It will be a valuable introduction to Korean history for undergraduates, non-academics and more specialist readers alike Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies This book provides an informative and comprehensive coverage of the history of Korea from the prehistorical era to the present ... What distinguishes this book from other general histories of Korea is its thorough and meticulous survey of Korean cultural history ... The author does a superb job in analyzing the factors behind changes in Korean culture, in presenting Korea's cultural accomplishments, and assessing its often underestimated or even neglected contributions to the East Asian tradition. Experts as well as non-experts will find interesting and insightful knowledge of Korea and East Asia ... an excellent choice as a textbook for college level classes ... and a wonderful companion for Korea-bound travellers Canadian Journal of History Everlasting Flower represents a step forward in the historiography of modern Korea -- Donald Clarke, Professor of History

About the Author

Keith Pratt is professor emeritus in the Department of East Asian Studies at Durham University in the United Kingdom. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books and articles on Korea, including Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Reaktion Books (August 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861893353
• ISBN-13: 978-1861893352
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #741,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great (Fairly) Unbiased Overview of Korean History, January 28, 2007

By 

Thomas O. Morrison (Ogdensburg, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea (Hardcover)

Wonderful Resource on Korean History

I had been looking for a good history book on Korea that could give an overview of Korea's history and culture without being overly dry and especially without being overly nationalistic. This is the book that I had been looking for and that I wish I could have read before going to live in Korea for a few years.

The book is very well organized and each chapter gives a small paragraph "abstract" on the forthcoming chapter. Interspersed within the text are various "pictorial essays" which at first I feared would be irrelevant and distracting. Instead they are absolutely fascinating and really complement the text. The author uses them, as well as many other references to present Korea not just from a historical list of happenenings but also from the impact of music, cultual diffucion, and other issues that impacted the people, and therefore the history. This is in addition to his easy-to-read style of writing that doesn't bog down with pseudo-intellectualism... it reads quick and clean and is very interesting without being dry.

Being a fairly small overview, he does cover some material, especially modern topics, in a good general way without a lot of depth or time. A glance though the rear of the book gives up his sources and a way to get further depth though.

Being a very handy size, this book can be tucked away for travel quite easily for anyone going to Korea for fun, work or martial arts. I'd highly recommend this book for Global Studies/World History teachers, Korean style martial arts enthusiasts, travellers to East Asia and anyone interested in Korea. Excellent reference book!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bad For Beginners, January 22, 2008

By 

College Kid (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea (Paperback)

This book is very well written but it is a bad place for beginners to start. The author clearly expects the reader to have a working knowledge of East Asian history and culture. This was my first book on East Asian history and I was frequently confused by the many vague references to Chinese and Japanese history. I had to get online and look up about 20 different people or events in Japan or China that were used by the author, but were not explained at all. Every facet of Korea is 'similar to' something from China or Japan that I've never heard of. Korean art, for example, is described by saying 'Like Chinese art, except for these three little differing details.' For someone who hasn't studied Chinese art, this is not very illuminating. Now the ONLY thing I know about Korean art is those three little details. It would have been great if I had studied Japan and China and just wanted to know how Korea fit in with the rest of Eastern Asia, but this book is not for East Asian beginners.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting introduction but has some flaws, November 20, 2007

By 

Andrew - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea (Paperback)

I'd bought this book just before a trip to Korea this autumn.

The good piont is that it gives you a good idea of Korea's fascinating history from ancient times to presentday and if you're travelling to the country you will feel like you have a lot more context (if you visit any tourist sites, you'll notice that a lot of the explanations assume you already have this background)

The bad points are two: one is that the author seems rather defensive about the nastier bits of Korean history which I think is a bit patronizing at best and also takes away from the credibility. The other is that because it's trying to cover so much ground at times it feels like a big list rather than a coherent narrative, but that I guess is normal given the breadth to cover in just a couple hundred pages.