Retold by Kim So-un
Illustrated by Jeong Kyoung-Sim
TUTTLE Publishing Tokyo Rutland, Vermont Singapore
As seen in the first story in this collection of stories for children, "The Story Bag," stories do not like to be hoarded, but want to be told and told again, passing always from lip to lip. I have chosen and retold here a number of Korean folk tales that have been handed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next. There are stories that have been told by grandparents to their grandchildren, huddled on the heated floors of Korean homes in the dead of winter, with the cold snow-laden winds raging outside. There are stories repeated in the yards of Korean homes to children seated on straw mats in the cool of a summer evening, smoke from mosquito coils whirling about their faces. These are short tales recounted in great merriment by farming folk, as they rest from their work in the fields in the shade of a nearby tree. These are stories which the Korean children of countless generations have wept and laughed over. They reveal the inevitable foibles of people everywhere and expose the human-like qualities of animals and the animal-like qualities of humans. In these stories ants talk, a baby rabbit outwits a tiger, a tree fathers a child, and a toad saves a whole village. They reflect the serenity of the men and women nurtured by the ancient land of Korea. Here may be found stories which echo those told in many countries throughout the world. Here are also stories that are peculiar to Korea. These stories were first heard in my childhood in Korea. I hope they will use their magic powers to rise above all language barriers and speak directly to the hearts of all "children" between the ages of eight and eighty in other lands.
Author—Kim So-un
The Tuttle Story: "Books to Span the East and West"
Most people are very surprised to learn that the world's largest publisher of books on Asia had its beginnings in the tiny American state of Vermont. The company's founder, Charles E. Tuttle, belonged to a New England family steeped in publishing. And his first love was naturally books—especially old and rare editions.
Immediately after WW II, serving in Tokyo under General Douglas MacArthur, Tuttle was tasked with reviving the Japanese publishing industry, and founded the Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Company, which still thrives today as one of the world's leading independent publishers.
Though a westerner, Charles was hugely instrumental in bringing knowledge of Japan and Asia to a world hungry for information about the East. By the time of his death in 1993, Tuttle had published over 6,000 titles on Asian culture, history and art—a legacy honored by the Japanese emperor with the "Order of the Sacred Treasure," the highest tribute Japan can bestow upon a non-Japanese.
With a backlist of 1,500 books, Tuttle Publishing is as active today as at any time in its past—inspired by Charles' core mission to publish fine books to span the East and West and provide a greater understanding of each.
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
First Edition, January 1955 Illustrations © 2004 Jeong Kyoung-Sim Originally Published in The Story Bag.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
LCC Card No. 2003112851
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0816-5 (ebook)
Printed in Malaysia
15 14 13 12 11
12 11 10 9 8 7 6
1109TW
Distributed by:
North America, Latin America and Europe
Tuttle Publishing, 364 Innovation Drive,
North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436.
Tel: 1 (802) 773 8930 Fax: 1 (802) 773 6993
Asia Pacific
Berkeley Books Pte Ltd, 61 Tai Seng Avenue,
#02-12 Singapore 534167.
Tel: (65) 6280 1330 Fax: (65) 6280 6290
Japan
Tuttle Publishing, Yaekari Building, 3F 5-4-12, Osaki,
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan 141-0032
Tel: (81) 3 5437 0171 Fax: (81) 3 5437 0755
Indonesia
PT Java Books Indonesia, Jl Rawa Gelam IV No. 9
Kawasan Industri Pulogadung, Jakarta 13930, Indonesia
Tel: (62) 21 4682 1088 Fax: (62) 21 461 0206
TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Contents
| The Story Bag | 9 |
| The Pheasant, the Dove, and the Magpie | 16 |
| The Bridegroom Shopping |
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