Korea and her Neighbours A Narrative of Travel, with an Account of the Recent Vicissitudes and Present Position of the Country Korea and her Neighbours 2 Volume Set Series

Isabella Bird (Mrs Bishop, 1831?1904) was recommended an open-air life from an early age as a cure for her physical and nervous difficulties. Her accounts of travel in America, Hawaii, Japan and Persia were best-sellers. This two-volume work, first published in 1898, was one of the books arising from Bird's visit to Korea and China between 1894 and 1897, the other being The Yangtse Valley and Beyond (1899), also available in this series. Korea was a battleground during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894?5, and subsequently became increasingly dominated by Japan, being annexed fully in 1910. Bird provides vivid descriptions of the Korean people, their way of life and customs at a time when the country had only recently opened up to the West. In Volume 2 she visits the Russian frontier, where many Koreans had settled, and discusses the effectiveness of Christian missionaries.

19. The Korean frontier; 20. A new empire; 21. The King's oath. The King and Queen; 22. A transition stage. 'Great Fifteenth Day'; 23. A dark chapter of Korean history; 24. Mr. Yi Hak In. Korean burial customs; 25. From Pa Ju to Song-Do; 26. From Song-Do to Phyong-Yang; 27. Northward ho!; 28. From Tok Chhön to Phyöng-Yang; 29. The position of Korean woman; 30. Christian missions; 31. The 'top-knot'. The Korean hegira; 32. The reorganised Korean government; 33. Education. Trade. Finance; 34. Korean demonism or shamanism; 35. Notes on demonism in Korea, concluded; 36. Seoul in 1897; 37. Last words on Korea; Appendix A. Mission statistics for Korea, 1896; Appendix B. Direct foreign trade of Korea, 1894–6; Appendix C. Return of principal articles of export for the years 1895–96; Appendix D. Population statistics; Appendix E. Treaty between Japan and Russia, with reply of H. E. the Korean Minister for Foreign Affairs; Index.