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Boston.
Ticknor.
1888.
Third edition.
Folding sepia coloured map of Korea, 6 full page plates from photographs by the author, 16 black and white illustrations in text, viii + 412pp, index. Rebound in modern brown cloth, lettered in silver on spine, new endpapers, top edge gilt, some leaves a little trimmed at lower edge, light even browning throughout the text though the plates are clean. Closed tears on the margins only of two plates and small closed tear at hinge of map barely entering the image of the map itself. A sound and complete copy professionally rebound. Although Percival Lowell is best remembered today for his interest in astronomy, his books of Asian interest were popular and influential at the time. His astronomical interest led him to found the Lowell Observatory in Arizona and his interest in Mars and its "canals" which he believed proved there had been life on the planet is thought to be the source of much of interest in science fiction circles about the "Red Planet". He is also remembered for his unshakeable belief that there was a planet beyond Neptune which was discovered after his death and named Pluto partly in his honour. Prior to his interest in astronomy which began in the last years of the 19th century, he travelled in Japan and Korea and was the author of several books on the region, the best known being "The Soul of the Far East". In 1883 he served as Foreign Secretary and Counsellor to the Korean Special Mission to the United States. On returning from this trip he spent the winter in Seoul as the guest of the King. This book describes Korea as he found it. As well as a description of the country's geography he includes information on the position of women; religion; architecture; gardening; costume; hats; food and mathematics and many other observations on Korea and Korean life. Lowell himself a mathematician, describes his meeting with a Korean colleague in a chapter entitled "My Friend the Mathematician". Photography was among Lowell's many talents and the plates in this volume bear witness to this. (When referring to this item please quote stockid 123671)
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Related Subject Areas:
antiquarian
Costume
East Asia
History
Korea
Women
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