한국사 편지 영문판 2 Letters from Korean History 2

* ‘코리아’라는 이름을 남긴 고려의 진면목을 보여주는 2권

≪Letters from Korean History≫ 2권은 고려를 집중 탐구하는 책입니다. 하지만 첫 번째 편지와 두 번째 편지는 신라 멸망 이후 시작된 후삼국 시대를 다룹니다. 고려가 형성되기 전에 펼쳐지는 단순한 각축전의 시기가 아니라, 어엿하게 독립된 한 시대로 다루고자 하였기 때문에 들여다볼 자리를 마련한 것입니다.

고려에 대해서는 문벌 귀족, 거란과의 전쟁, 국제 무역, 불교, 무신정권, 청자, ≪삼국사기≫와 ≪삼국유사≫ 등 ‘고려’라는 나라를 입체적으로 꼼꼼하게 들여다볼 수 있는 주제들로 각 편지를 구성하였습니다. 세련된 청자의 나라, 팔만대장경을 만든 불교의 나라, 외국과 활발한 무역을 벌인 개방적인 나라, 몽골과 싸운 용감하고 자주적인 나라, ‘코리아’라는 이름을 남긴 당당한 나라 고려의 진면목을 다채롭게 보여주는 책이 바로 ≪Letters from Korean History≫ 2권입니다.

* Volume 2 showing the true nature of Goryeo, which left behind the name ‘Korea’

Volume 2 of ≪Letters from Korean History≫ is a book that focuses on Goryeo. However, the first and second letters deal with the Later Three Kingdoms period, which began after the fall of Silla. Because we wanted to treat it as a truly independent era, rather than a period of simple competition that took place before the formation of Goryeo, we provided a space to look into it.

Regarding Goryeo, each letter is composed of topics that provide a three-dimensional and detailed look at the country called 'Goryeo', such as family nobility, war with the Khitan, international trade, Buddhism, military regime, celadon, Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa. . This is a book that shows the true face of Goryeo in various ways: a country of sophisticated celadon, a Buddhist country that created the Tripitaka Koreana, an open country that engaged in active trade with foreign countries, a brave and independent country that fought against the Mongols, and a proud country that left behind the name 'Korea'. This is Volume 2 of ≪Letters from Korean History≫.

The English version of Letters from Korean History is published for young readers overseas who are curious about Korea and its people, and for young Korean readers keen to learn more about their own history while improving their language skills as global citizens. I hope that readers will not feel obliged to start at the beginning of Volume I and plow all the way through; rather, each letter contains a historical episode in its own right, and can be chosen and read according to the reader’s particular area of interest. The text is complemented by plenty of photos and illustrations, giving a more vivid sense of history - reading the captions that accompany these should enhance the sense of historical exploration.
-Park Eunbong

Progressing from the stones and bones of prehistory all the way to the turbulent twentieth century in the course of five volumes, Letters from Korean History can be browsed as a reference text or plowed through from beginning to end. As with most histories that cover such a long period, the density of information increases as the narrative approaches the present. The relatively recent Joseon period, for example, accounts for two of the five volumes (III and IV), rich as it is in events and meticulously recorded historical data.
Letters from Korean History has been a great success in its native country among Korean readers. I hope that this translation will now be of help to ethnic Koreans overseas, others interested in Korea or history in general, Koreans looking to study history and English at the same time, and anybody else who believes that exploring the past is a good way to try and make sense of the confusing, flawed and wonderful present.
-Ben Jackson

BOOK 1 From prehistory to Unified Silla and Balhae ｜ 원시 사회부터 통일 신라와 발해까지
BOOK 2 From the Later Three Kingdoms to Goryeo ｜ 후삼국 시대부터 고려 시대까지
BOOK 3 Joseon - from founding to later years ｜ 조선 건국부터 조선 후기까지
BOOK 4 From Late Joseon to the Daehan Empire ｜ 조선 후기부터 대한제국 성립까지
BOOK 5 From the Daehan Empire to North-South rapprochement ｜ 대한제국부터 남북 화해 시대까지