Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
RASKB bookstore holds open house this Saturday
Balloons display the name RASKB at the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch office on Daehangno in Seoul, at the first open house held Jan. 26. Courtesy of Steven L. Shields
By Jon Dunbar
By Steven L. Shields
Where is the one bookshop that stocks more English-language books about Korea than any other other? The Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch (RASKB) office on Daehangno in Seoul!
The RASKB office doubles as a specialty bookshop. In the early years, the society was alone in publishing a full catalog of English-language books about Korea. Today dozens of global publishers including many university or academic presses, are issuing English-language books. But, the RASKB bookshop is the sole, single-source retailer in Korea for the most extensive offering of books on Korea from dozens of publishers. Titles range from children's books and literature to casual “layperson” approaches to specific in-depth academic research. Indeed, there is something for everyone.
Last January, the RASKB held its first-ever open house.
While the office is open to the public during business hours, the public was invited to come to the office and meet RASKB councilors and members. The day-long event featured huge discounts on books for sale for everyone who came. Refreshments were served throughout the day. Guests included English teachers, university professors, a former Korean ambassador, businesspeople, students of the Korean language, and other friends, spouses and children. New friendships were made, old ones renewed. Several guests left with bags full of books. So much conversation, so much networking.
The January open house was such a success, the open house is back by popular demand on Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open to the public as well as members, books will be available for holiday gift-giving.
I got to know the RASKB in the mid-1970s when I was a young missionary in Seoul. An avid reader from childhood, I developed an interest in history during my high school years. I browsed the books in the office on many occasions. Each time I visited, I returned home with several books. Having finished them, I went back for more. This pattern continued for many years until I amassed an extensive library at home, with several hundred books about all things Korea. They were important in shaping my understating of Korea.
The RASKB works differently from some of its counterparts in other parts of Asia and England. Many of those societies require an application for admission, and the leaders elect new members based on academic achievement. Over the almost 120-year-long history of the RASKB, members have been invited to join based on their interests, not their academic success.
Members of the diplomatic community have long been members of the RASKB, since its founding in 1900. This interest and participation continues today. Many Korean scholars have contributed their expertise to the RASKB's time-honored annual journal, “Transactions,” as well as many volumes of the RASKB's monograph publications series. Western scholars have also made significant contributions.
The RASKB remains unparalleled, for both its history and its approach.
I have met ambassadors from many countries, scholars from many disciplines ― Korean and others ― friends in the business community in Korea, teachers, and so many others. The RASKB has introduced me to a rich and varied network of friends. Truly all are welcome.
Check out the RASKB's Facebook page at fb.com/RASKB or the website at raskb.com for more information about the society and its schedule of events. And please, come to the open house on Nov. 2.
Steven L. Shields, a retired cleric, serves as a vice president of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (www.raskb.com) and is a columnist for The Korea Times.