FEATURED BOOK REVIEW

Seogo Publishing Company, Seoul. 392 pages, no ISBN. (500 copies printed).

This valuable reference stands out from the hundreds of published stone exhibition catalogs, and the introductory manuals to Korean stone appreciation due to its focus on the history and development of Korean Suseok from the earliest days. This volume clearly documents the influence of Chinese thought and stone appreciation practices on Korean interpretations of selected unusual rocks. Unfortunately, only 500 copies of this book were printed.

This book is divided into three major parts. Part One is the Introduction, The Background of Fine Stones. Fourteen essays are present including Seokgasan: The Beginnings of Suseok; The Ethos of Korean Stone Appreciation; The Background of the Philospohy of Suseok, and others.

Part Two, Beloved Classic Korean Stones contains essays about the 80 stones of Monk Seungjeon, The Broken Fish stone of Silla, Dan Gye’s record of Tribute to Stones, and others.

Part Three, the largest of the three parts, is Classics on Stone Appreciation. This part contains 36 essays on specific topics including the Ethos of Mifu’s Fine Stones, Su Dongpo’s Taste for Stone Appreciation, Taihu and Lingbi Stones, the Twelve Stones of Suihan Hall, the Stone Catalog of Yamei, and others. The original Chinese Text is included for each essay.

The Stone Appreciation of Past Scholars is generously illustrated with black and white photographs. Sadly, this volume has been overlooked by scholars and students who focused on either Chinese or Japanese practices. This volume will document the important role of Korean Suseok played in the development of the ancient Asian art of stone appreciation.