Korea: Land of the Morning Calm [Hardcover]

Chong-Sik Lee (Author), Mike Langford (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1990

"Undoubtedly the warmest, friendliest, most polite and most hospitable people I have met." So wrote Mike Langford after his four months' journey through North and South Korea by bus, boat, bicycle and on foot, often living with the people in their homes. On North Korea he wrote"The countryside is fresh and clean; the people have a spirit of socialism that must be like that of China in the sixties - everyone looks like they have just walked out of a revolutionary poster. They are wonderful!" Whilst Korea is now a highly modernized, industrial society, especially in the South, Mike took his cameras off the track in order to record the magnificent scenery and the Korean people of the countryside. Of the thousands of shots he took, this book pre3sents ninety of them in stunning fashion. Already famous for his photography in such works as 'Han Suyin's China', his empathy with Korea shinee through. In a style that could only be displayed by a native of the country, Chong-Sik Lee, Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, has produced a fascinating, historical and cultural background text which will surely whet the appetite of the interested student of this comparatively little-known but ancient land. ---- from book's dustjacket

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Universe Pub (November 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876636938
• ISBN-13: 978-0876636930
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 10.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,317,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Travel > Asia > North Korea

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Picture/Coffee Table Book with Great Photos of Rural, Traditional Korea, January 17, 2010

By 

Richard L. Fuller (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Korea: Land of the Morning Calm (Hardcover)

Chong-Sik Lee and Photographer Mike Langford's brilliant photo compilation "Korea - Land of the Morning Calm: A Journey through North and South Korea" is an good coffee table style photo book of the Korean Peninsula.

The book focuses on the rural and traditional scenes of Korea, with only a couple of near-urban photos. Langford's photos capture mostly traditionally dressed Koreans engaging in day-to-day activities. The skill of the photographer is remarkable and the processing and presentation bring his hard work to the reader.

I disliked only one point in this book; the excessive white space surrounding some of the photos. In several cases, the photos are centered on a page surrounded by three to four inches of white space frame, seemingly for lack of material or in an awkward attempt to emphasize the photo. I believe this is likely a publishing issue, one which detracts from an otherwise wonderful text.