The Hall of Heavenly Records: Korean Astronomical Instruments and Clocks, 1380-1780 (review)

BOOK REVIEWS135 Four describing the Tongil campaign should have been placed at the beginning. The problem was somewhat mitigated by the contents of Chapter Seven, a summation of state/society relations in other bureaucratic-authoritarian regimes like Taiwan and Brazil, and how, in terms of their research policies and agricultural development responses, they are alike, yet different, from the South Korean example. Finally, I doubt that the survey instrument introduced in Chapter Six, administered in the manner described, within the time frame described, has much validity. Burmeister intimates as much on page 135, where he discusses the problems of adapting his questionnaire to that particular environment. I am also surprised that when Burmeister conducted his key informant surveys, he missed a splendid opportunity to sample opinions of those foreign (British, American, West German, and other) agricultural advisors who worked closely with the Office of Rural Development during the 1970s. Their opinions are a deep well of refreshing and rich anecdotal materials about the South Korean agrobureaucracy . In spite of these several, and for the most part minor criticisms, I find Burmeister 's book overall to be informative and thoughtful. Some sections are extremely interesting and enjoyable to read. At such a moderate price in paperback , I can recommend it for purchase to enhance any library collection that includes advanced studies on international development and on Korea. David J. Nemeth Central Michigan University The Hall ofHeavenly Records: Korean Astronomical Instruments and Clocks, 1380-1780, by Joseph Needham, Lu Gwei-djen, John H. Gombridge, and John S. Major. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986. To the traditions which make up East Asian civilization, Korea has its own contributions , which historically have manifested some differences from the Chinese tradition, but about which comparatively little is known. This is particularly so in regards to the traditional science and technology of Korea. Only recently has the history of science been gaining ground in South Korea. However, there is still not even a single non-Korean historian of Korean science. Thus The Hall of Heavenly Records, by Needham, Lu, Gombridge, and Major, is indeed a welcome addition to the poverty-stricken academe in Korean traditional science. Even in Korean, no similar research has been published, making this book a unique contribution for future study of the history of Korean science . The book consists of three main sections, discussing the equipment of the Royal Observatory under King Sejong (r. 1418-1450) (Part 2), the armillary clock of 1669 (Part 4), and an eighteenth century astronomical screen (Part 5). Part I 136BOOK REVIEWS provides a "Theoretical and Historical Background" (pp. 1-15), and Part 3, "From Munjong to Yöngjo (1450-1776)," presents a narrative description of the relevant developments of the period. In Part 2, the authors have attempted to present the preliminary research necessary for rebuilding the whole array of astronomical instruments and timepieces of the Sejong era. King Sejong, the fourth king of the Chosön Dynasty (1392-1910), is remembered today for his great cultural achievements, including the creation of the Korean alphabet. Beginning in the 1430s he tried to build a Royal Observatory, containing a variety of astronomical instruments and clocks. Unfortunately none of these instruments have survived, except in records that are sometimes detailed but mostly very brief. In Part 2 the authors offer reconstructions of eighteen items from the Royal Observatory, including a self-striking water-clock, several forms of sundials, a rain gauge, and other lesser known instruments. Five pieces in particular receive better treatment in their reconstruction drawings: a sun-and-stars time definer (pp. 44-60), a forty-foot gnomon and its shadow definer (pp. 70-74), a plummet sundial, a horizontal sundial, and a south-fixing sundial (pp. 80-90). Although these reconstructions may well have limitations, they definitely can serve as a starting point for the reconstruction of the instruments of King Sejong's observatory. The details of another major invention of the period, an ingenious selfstriking water-clock, are now lost, but from the remaining vague descriptions, the authors have tried to reconstruct a minutely detailed technical description of the water-clock, sufficient to rebuild one today. A similar effort is made in Part 4 to...