FEATURED BOOK REVIEW

Korean Research Institute. 321 pages. large format, 36.5 x 25 cm 

This important large-format volume is a valuable reference, documenting 602 Suseok considered superior at the time of publication. It is the result of a multi-year effort to present selected stones from different regions of South Korea, rather than a conventional exhibition catalog. As a result, many high-quality stones are gathered in one place.

Only two stones are illustrated per page, and the quality of the photographs allows readers to appreciate the detail of each stone along with its tray or wood base. A careful study of these illustrations will help develop a deeper understanding of Korean Suseok and the often subtle distinctions between Korean Suseok and Japanese suiseki. Many of the stones have been sprayed with water before photographing, a common practice in suseok presentation.

Each stone is accompanied by its dimensions and a short commentary from the editor, a recognized leader in Suseok, helping readers better understand and interpret each display. In his summary, the editor acknowledges that the project took longer and proved more difficult than anticipated.

The editor notes in his summary that more than 500,000 people were collecting stones in South Korea at the time of publication, near the peak of Suseok popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The number of collectors has since declined gradually to approximately 60,000 to 80,000 today—a slow but steady retreat over three decades that mirrors the decline in suiseki collecting in Japan over the same period.