Recent Books

Sunshine Knowledge Note

Kang Jun-man; Person and Idea; 404pp., 14,500 won.

Many would be familiar with the frustration one feels when someone asks you the definition of a word, concept or idea, and you cannot describe it in your own words. That's when you need more than just a dictionary. Kang Jun-man, an avid fan of dictionaries and a journalism professor at Chonbuk University, offers ``Sunshine Knowledge Note,'' which lists detailed information on various words and concepts that will help you explain things articulately.

There is no need to memorize the definitions or even underline important concepts. ``Sunshine'' is like Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, in pages: interesting, organized and easy.

The definition of concepts and words are explained through incidents. For example, in the section ``Curiosity'' Kang gives a historical example, such as the American missionary G.W. Gilmore who came to Korea in 1892. According to Gilmore, one of the most fascinating characteristics about Koreans at that time was that they were curious about everything.

Have fun with ``Sunshine,'' and maybe you will find yourself with the perfect answer next time some one asks for a definition.

-Han Sang-hee