Ask a Korean! Wiki: Books about Korea

Dear Korean,

I was wondering if you could list a few Korean books for me about its culture and history. I am 100% Korean but I was born in the U.S. and so I don't know much about Korea's history. I wanted to educate myself since my college doesn't offer any classes.

Lina

Dear Lina,

The Korean would offer Carter Eckert's Korea Old and New. Since it was published in 1991 it may be a little dated, but it is solid overview of Korea history. For a little more trivial interest about how life in Korea was in early modern days, the Korean would recommend Dawn of Modern Korea by Andrei Lankov, which is a fascinating book. But beyond that, the Korean never had any need for a comprehensive Korean history book in English.

So readers, help out Lina here. The Korean knows some of you guys are actual scholars with fancy titles in universities and such. With everyone's input, this would be a great resource for self-motivated people who would like to learn more about Korea.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@hotmail.com.