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Tales of Korea

53 Enchanting Stories of Ghosts, Goblins, Princes, Fairies and More!

Im Bang author Yi Ryuk author James S Gale translator

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Tuttle Publishing

Published:3rd Jan '23

Should be back in stock very soon

Tales of Korea cover

A must-have collection of folktales for anyone interested in Korean literature and culture!

Tales of Korea is a classic collection of Korea's best-known folktales—presenting all the imagination and wonder of Korean storytelling in a single volume. Collected and written down by Yi Ryuk and Im Bang over three centuries ago, these 53 tales explore fantasy worlds filled with enchanted animals, fairies, goblins, ghosts, princesses and more!

The stories collected in this volume include:

  • "The Home of the Fairies" —A young man happens upon a magical fairy town where he stays for several years before returning home to an uncertain future.
  • "Charan"— A beautiful dancing girl befriends a governor's son. As their friendship blossoms into love, their lives take an unexpected and agonizing turn!
  • "Ten Thousand Devils"— A prince welcomes a distant relative for a visit only to discover that the guest controls thousands of evil creatures that converge on the prince's home.
  • "An Encounter with a Hobgoblin"— A man experiences horrifying visitations in his home and fears that he is living with a sinister force!
  • "The Snake's Revenge"— After a soldier kills a snake, the reptile is reborn as the man's son and seeks revenge in a gruesome way!

This new edition includes thirty full-color minhwa paintings (Korean folkart) to bring the magic and mystery of this collection of Korean folklore to life. A new foreword by Korean folklore expert Heinz Insu Fenkl explains the lasting importance of this fascinating collection of traditional stories. Tales of Korea is perfect for mythology fans and bedtime story lovers of all ages.

"The stories are fascinating, and at times funny. They provide an endearing look into a facet of Korean culture that is still relatively unknown to the West.…It's wonderful that this invaluable collection is getting a reprinting to bring it to a new audience." --Hilary Wilson, The Folklore Podcast
"…an impressive compendium of Korea's best-known folktales. Collected and written down by Yi Ryuk and Im Bang over three centuries ago, these 53 legendary tales explore fantasy worlds filled with enchanted animals, fairies, goblins, ghosts, princesses and more!" --Midwest Book Review

ISBN: 9780804855495

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 510g

192 pages