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Tales of Korea: 53 Enchanting Stories of Ghosts, Goblins, Princes, Fairies and More!
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
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.
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
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.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published January 3, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 20, 2022
In a Nutshell: An interesting collection, though not my kind of folktales. This anthology would work nicely for the right reader.
This is a collection of Korean classic stories, mostly written by Im Bang (mid-17th century writer) and Yi Riyuk (mid-15th century), with three anonymous tales. The fifty-three stories cover a variety of themes, whether spiritual or absurdist or family or fantastical. In terms of the range of topics, the scope of the book is magnificent. Many of the tales seem to have a foundation in local spiritual beliefs. The length of the stories ranges from one page long to eight pages long.
As the tagline promised tales of ‘Ghosts, Goblins, Princes, Fairies and More!’, I confess that I was looking for a more fantastical and/or folksy experience. But many of the stories felt like slice-of-life tales, with some ending too abruptly. Quite a few are more like episodes instead of fully-developed stories. Most stories begin with an introductory note related to its key character or its background. Sometimes, this note was almost as long as the ensuing story and even contained spoilers.
On the pro side, the tales do reveal a lot about the Korean beliefs and culture of the authors’ respective eras. It doesn’t look like the stories have been updated for the modern audience but as if their original content has been retained.
This book was first published in Korean in 1913, and has been reprinted quite a few times since. This latest edition, due to be released on 3rd January 2023, is supposed to contain thirty full-color minhwa paintings (Korean folkart), but as mine was an ARC, these were missing from my copy (to my great disappointment) and I cannot give a feedback about the same, though I am sure they would be a delight in the printed edition.
Most of the stories rated around the 3 star mark for me; I liked them enough but wasn’t wowed by them. There were very few exceptions either way. Maybe going in with the right expectations would help deliver a better experience. The foreword states that this is a “collection of yadam, a form that allows for the expression of things considered otherwise unsuitable for literature.”
Recommended to fans of Korean mythology and lore.
3 stars from me.
My thanks to Tuttle Publishing and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Tales of Korea : 53 Enchanting Stories of Ghosts, Goblins, Princes, Fairies and More!”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
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My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
This is a collection of Korean classic stories, mostly written by Im Bang (mid-17th century writer) and Yi Riyuk (mid-15th century), with three anonymous tales. The fifty-three stories cover a variety of themes, whether spiritual or absurdist or family or fantastical. In terms of the range of topics, the scope of the book is magnificent. Many of the tales seem to have a foundation in local spiritual beliefs. The length of the stories ranges from one page long to eight pages long.
As the tagline promised tales of ‘Ghosts, Goblins, Princes, Fairies and More!’, I confess that I was looking for a more fantastical and/or folksy experience. But many of the stories felt like slice-of-life tales, with some ending too abruptly. Quite a few are more like episodes instead of fully-developed stories. Most stories begin with an introductory note related to its key character or its background. Sometimes, this note was almost as long as the ensuing story and even contained spoilers.
On the pro side, the tales do reveal a lot about the Korean beliefs and culture of the authors’ respective eras. It doesn’t look like the stories have been updated for the modern audience but as if their original content has been retained.
This book was first published in Korean in 1913, and has been reprinted quite a few times since. This latest edition, due to be released on 3rd January 2023, is supposed to contain thirty full-color minhwa paintings (Korean folkart), but as mine was an ARC, these were missing from my copy (to my great disappointment) and I cannot give a feedback about the same, though I am sure they would be a delight in the printed edition.
Most of the stories rated around the 3 star mark for me; I liked them enough but wasn’t wowed by them. There were very few exceptions either way. Maybe going in with the right expectations would help deliver a better experience. The foreword states that this is a “collection of yadam, a form that allows for the expression of things considered otherwise unsuitable for literature.”
Recommended to fans of Korean mythology and lore.
3 stars from me.
My thanks to Tuttle Publishing and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Tales of Korea : 53 Enchanting Stories of Ghosts, Goblins, Princes, Fairies and More!”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
April 22, 2024
VERY BORING!
The audacity of claiming these 53 stories "enchanting" when they are such snoozefests. "Lullabying" would be more accurate.
I still cannot believe how they could successfully make folktales boring. Seriously, I'm amazed. I've read a number of books on folktales from various cultures and all of them so far (up until this book) featured such vibrant tales, dramatic plots, fascinating characters and bombastic happenings. And this book, with its 53 (!) tales gave me nothing. Nada. Zilch. They kept on harping about years and how so-and-so were so amazingly educated that they rose up in ranks (ya don't say! 🙄).
Only 13 stories were by Yi Ryuk, a couple by anonymous authors and the rest by Im Bang. Yi Ryuk's were mostly one-page shorts. Generally, I preferred Yi Ryuk's but both authors were pretty dull. There were 3 stories that were not too bad, but I mean 3 out of 53, really? The only one that I would probably remember for some time was Hong's Experiences in Hades. Partly because I like dark things but also because it kind of reminds me of Dante's Divine Comedy and some Greek mythologies. Other than that 😴
Honestly, this was such a waste of my time. I didn't get to see much of Korean cultures here. The cover is beautiful and there are illustrations inside but those are still not enough to make this book worth it.
The audacity of claiming these 53 stories "enchanting" when they are such snoozefests. "Lullabying" would be more accurate.
I still cannot believe how they could successfully make folktales boring. Seriously, I'm amazed. I've read a number of books on folktales from various cultures and all of them so far (up until this book) featured such vibrant tales, dramatic plots, fascinating characters and bombastic happenings. And this book, with its 53 (!) tales gave me nothing. Nada. Zilch. They kept on harping about years and how so-and-so were so amazingly educated that they rose up in ranks (ya don't say! 🙄).
Only 13 stories were by Yi Ryuk, a couple by anonymous authors and the rest by Im Bang. Yi Ryuk's were mostly one-page shorts. Generally, I preferred Yi Ryuk's but both authors were pretty dull. There were 3 stories that were not too bad, but I mean 3 out of 53, really? The only one that I would probably remember for some time was Hong's Experiences in Hades. Partly because I like dark things but also because it kind of reminds me of Dante's Divine Comedy and some Greek mythologies. Other than that 😴
Honestly, this was such a waste of my time. I didn't get to see much of Korean cultures here. The cover is beautiful and there are illustrations inside but those are still not enough to make this book worth it.
July 12, 2022
A kind thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC.
I have long wanted to read Korean folk tales and folklore, so I was very excited when I found this on Edelweiss and delighted when they approved me. I started reading as soon as I could.
I might sound weird, but the preface was very interesting. It explains how this book came to publication and offers insight on the people involved, mainly James S. Gale. I will definitely read the reading recommendations they listed. The stories come with biographical notes that I also appreciated a lot. It provided some interesting context. These notes were mostly taken from the Kukcho inmulchi, "Korea's Record of Famous Men". Im Bang's brief notes fascinated me because they reflected the beliefs and atmosphere of the era with a precise authenticity. Throughout the book, one can also learn a little about Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddism (through the stories themselves and the notes). In short, I could say that this publication came to being when an old manuscript of Im Bang's stories were found by a translator, and that the 13 short stories by Yi Ryuk are from a reprint of Korean writings issued 1911 by a Japanese publisher.
For example, to showcase the authenticity of these tales, here's a citation that blew my mind: "Prince Han's children had heard this story from himself, and I, the writer, received it from them.
The stories, in total, were 53 and they were of various length. I believe that many/most of them were from 1500-1600s. The English translation stayed true to the Korean form of folk tale storytelling, not deviating to Western norms, which I was very grateful for. The book comes with a collection of minhwa, though, and I'm very sad that the ARC didn't include them. I was looking forward to them. Therefore, I can't comment on them at all.
I generally enjoyed all the stories as each was different and had its own moment of intrigue. My favorites were: The Fortunes of Yoo, Ten Thousand Devils, Whom the King Honors, The Snake's Revenge, Faithful Mo, The Senses, Ta-Hong, Strangely Stricken Dead, The Old Man in the Dream, The Awful Little Goblin, The Fearless Captain, A Visit from the Shades, The Temple to the God of War, The Plucky Maiden. The Man Who Became a Pig, The Geomancer, The Man on the Road, Cursed by the Snake, The Literary Man of Imsil, A Story of the Fox, and Charan that started the collection.
It really is perfect for mythology fans and bedtime story lovers of all ages, as the description says. Fascinating tales that open a window to Korean culture and history. It was a delight to read it.
I have long wanted to read Korean folk tales and folklore, so I was very excited when I found this on Edelweiss and delighted when they approved me. I started reading as soon as I could.
I might sound weird, but the preface was very interesting. It explains how this book came to publication and offers insight on the people involved, mainly James S. Gale. I will definitely read the reading recommendations they listed. The stories come with biographical notes that I also appreciated a lot. It provided some interesting context. These notes were mostly taken from the Kukcho inmulchi, "Korea's Record of Famous Men". Im Bang's brief notes fascinated me because they reflected the beliefs and atmosphere of the era with a precise authenticity. Throughout the book, one can also learn a little about Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddism (through the stories themselves and the notes). In short, I could say that this publication came to being when an old manuscript of Im Bang's stories were found by a translator, and that the 13 short stories by Yi Ryuk are from a reprint of Korean writings issued 1911 by a Japanese publisher.
For example, to showcase the authenticity of these tales, here's a citation that blew my mind: "Prince Han's children had heard this story from himself, and I, the writer, received it from them.
The stories, in total, were 53 and they were of various length. I believe that many/most of them were from 1500-1600s. The English translation stayed true to the Korean form of folk tale storytelling, not deviating to Western norms, which I was very grateful for. The book comes with a collection of minhwa, though, and I'm very sad that the ARC didn't include them. I was looking forward to them. Therefore, I can't comment on them at all.
I generally enjoyed all the stories as each was different and had its own moment of intrigue. My favorites were: The Fortunes of Yoo, Ten Thousand Devils, Whom the King Honors, The Snake's Revenge, Faithful Mo, The Senses, Ta-Hong, Strangely Stricken Dead, The Old Man in the Dream, The Awful Little Goblin, The Fearless Captain, A Visit from the Shades, The Temple to the God of War, The Plucky Maiden. The Man Who Became a Pig, The Geomancer, The Man on the Road, Cursed by the Snake, The Literary Man of Imsil, A Story of the Fox, and Charan that started the collection.
It really is perfect for mythology fans and bedtime story lovers of all ages, as the description says. Fascinating tales that open a window to Korean culture and history. It was a delight to read it.
October 24, 2023
I picked this book up at a store in Sydney because Korean works are a special area of focus in one of my book challenges this year. My hope was that folk tales and old traditional stories would provide me a different viewpoint of the history and character of Korea. I feel I got the different viewpoint, but I also cannot explain it in words. In large part this is because the stories -- some less than a page, a few up to 10 pages, in length -- are not accompanied by any context or analysis. I am certain that there are stories which are part of the shaping of Western European and American world views that are likewise not explained to others and which knowing the context is the basis for their specific importance. Perhaps if I were Korean or spoke Korean, I would have a better grasp of these stories, as some terms are not translated and some that are clearly lack the cultural impact. Most of these stories are taken from records of 2 Korean scholars prior to the 1600s as translated by a modern writer. I recognized some familiar tropes, including a clear homage to the story of Polyphemous in the Odyssey and Dante's description of the levels of hell in The Inferno. However, many of these stories are just tidbits from books of lives of famous Korean men (and a few women) who experienced paranormal events as they went about their lives. It was readable and enjoyable but not what I was hoping for.
Read
January 21, 2024dnf at 60%
I wanted to finish this but at the same time I feel no interest in most of the stories. It's not to say that they're bad by any means but I'd actually been expecting more fairytales and less...whatever these might be called. Anyway, it's certainly a fair insight into the history of Korea but I'm sure there are better books out there for that purpose.
I wanted to finish this but at the same time I feel no interest in most of the stories. It's not to say that they're bad by any means but I'd actually been expecting more fairytales and less...whatever these might be called. Anyway, it's certainly a fair insight into the history of Korea but I'm sure there are better books out there for that purpose.
Read
January 30, 2024DNF
November 18, 2025
Enchanting fits this set of stories for many reasons. I am going to miss my nightly read on this book. Really fun, totally interesting and not predictable .
October 10, 2023
This book review was originally written for The Folklore Podcast and can be found at that website.
Tuttle Publishing is a leader in providing the world with English-language books on Asian cultures, and that prestigious title is only enhanced by their latest publication. Tales of Korea: 53 Enchanting Stories of Ghosts, Goblins, Princes, Fairies, and More! by Im Bang and Yi Ryuk, translated by James S. Gale, was one of the first English-language books chronicling Korean folktales. First published in 1913, this reprinting contains a lovely foreword by Heinz Insu Fenkl that further contextualizes the importance of the book and the lives of the writers who contributed to it.
While the English-language collection is titled Tales of Korea and characterizes the stories as folk-tales, the stories are not quite that. They’re classified in Korean as yadam, unofficial anecdotes of people or times in history that aren’t deemed suitable for publication elsewhere. The stories were collected and cataloged with care by the translator, Gale, whose fascinating life is sketched out in the foreword of this collection. Gale was a missionary to Korea in the early 1900s who became fascinated with the cultural attitude towards superstition. He translated and compiled local stories with a curiosity and lack of judgment unusual for the period.
As indicated by the title of this collection, the stories are all characterized by a hint of the paranormal. People are whisked away to the otherworld within these pages. There are enchanting creatures such as fox spirits and goblins, as well as historical figures familiar to anyone part of the culture. This is the nature of the yadam. Gale, in assembling together these stories, carefully checked sources. And, continuing in tradition, before each tale is a small biographical snippet taken from the Gukjo Inmulji (Kuk-cho In-mul-chi, “Korea’s Record of Famous Men”) to lend credence to the yadam.
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. These yadam are at times universally relatable. The love story Charan, for instance, is something that anyone could sympathize with regardless of culture. Other stories offer a glimpse into the cultural mores of Buddhism and Taoism that creates a more intimate understanding than any textbook would. It’s wonderful that this invaluable collection is getting a reprinting to bring it to a new audience.
Tuttle Publishing is a leader in providing the world with English-language books on Asian cultures, and that prestigious title is only enhanced by their latest publication. Tales of Korea: 53 Enchanting Stories of Ghosts, Goblins, Princes, Fairies, and More! by Im Bang and Yi Ryuk, translated by James S. Gale, was one of the first English-language books chronicling Korean folktales. First published in 1913, this reprinting contains a lovely foreword by Heinz Insu Fenkl that further contextualizes the importance of the book and the lives of the writers who contributed to it.
While the English-language collection is titled Tales of Korea and characterizes the stories as folk-tales, the stories are not quite that. They’re classified in Korean as yadam, unofficial anecdotes of people or times in history that aren’t deemed suitable for publication elsewhere. The stories were collected and cataloged with care by the translator, Gale, whose fascinating life is sketched out in the foreword of this collection. Gale was a missionary to Korea in the early 1900s who became fascinated with the cultural attitude towards superstition. He translated and compiled local stories with a curiosity and lack of judgment unusual for the period.
As indicated by the title of this collection, the stories are all characterized by a hint of the paranormal. People are whisked away to the otherworld within these pages. There are enchanting creatures such as fox spirits and goblins, as well as historical figures familiar to anyone part of the culture. This is the nature of the yadam. Gale, in assembling together these stories, carefully checked sources. And, continuing in tradition, before each tale is a small biographical snippet taken from the Gukjo Inmulji (Kuk-cho In-mul-chi, “Korea’s Record of Famous Men”) to lend credence to the yadam.
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. These yadam are at times universally relatable. The love story Charan, for instance, is something that anyone could sympathize with regardless of culture. Other stories offer a glimpse into the cultural mores of Buddhism and Taoism that creates a more intimate understanding than any textbook would. It’s wonderful that this invaluable collection is getting a reprinting to bring it to a new audience.
March 9, 2025
I was hoping these would be a collection of funny or entertaining folk tales but it turned out to be a bunch of stories for feudal Korea's scholarly and bureaucratic elites (the yangban). Practically every story is about passing an exam or some travails befalling a government functionary. I would have given up on this book but the sunken cost fallacy spurred me on. At least the stories were short.
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