Anthology Publication at the Gyoseogwan in the Nineteenth Century: The Case of the Guamjip

Abstract:

The Gyoseogwan 校書館 was a prominent national publishing institution in Korea that played a major role in publishing anthologies in late Joseon-period Korea. One such anthology was the Guamjip 龜巖集, the collected works of the distinguished Hamgyeong-do scholar Yi Wonbae 李元培 (1745–1802), published by the Gyoseogwan in 1820. The Hoedangjip 晦堂集, the collected works of Yi’s disciple Hyeon Iksu 玄翼洙 (1766–1827), includes a detailed account of the process of preparing, publishing, distributing, and preserving the Guamjip. In the present study, I examine the Hoedangjip, existing copies of the Guamjip, and various related historical records to explore the conditions of nineteenth-century publishing at the Gyoseogwan, yielding five primary findings. First, I reveal the dedicated work of Yi’s disciple Hyeon as he spent twenty years meticulously preparing and publishing his teacher’s collection, collecting and organizing materials, securing funding, selecting a publication venue, carrying out the publishing process, and distributing and preserving the eventual product. Second, I offer insight into the activities of publishing institutions such as the Gyoseogwan and individual publishers in nineteenthth-century Seoul. Third, I confirm the tradition of separating the main text and appendix in printed publications. Fourth, my analysis of the existing copies of the Guamjip sheds light on publishing quality at the Gyoseogwan in the nineteenth century. Fifth, I reveal that a national storage facility known in Korean as a sago 史庫 was used for the preservation and dissemination of anthologies in the nineteenth century. Until 2023, the understanding of the Gyoseogwan’s publication activities was limited to the status and significance of its publications. The current study thus bears considerable significance as the first to delve into the Gyoseogwan’s nineteenth-century publishing activities and culture.