Nojagwonjaeguui

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1655

Category

Books & Records

Designated year

2010

Location

청주시, 충청북도— 충북 청주시 흥덕구 직지대로 713, 청주고인쇄박물관 (운천동,청주고인쇄박물관)

Coordinates

36.644045, 127.471437

Annotated commentaries on Lao-tzu (or Laozi) are countless and are usually as hermetic as his own text they set out to explain. This commentary by Lin Xiyi, on the other hand, written in vernacular Chinese, as its title Noja gwonjeguui (Lao-tze juanzhai kouyi in Chinese, Lao-tzu with Colloquial Commentaries) states, was considered more concise, much easier to understand, and therefore, better adapted for beginners than most other books of its kind; it was, for this reason, read widely across East Asia. Of this book, printed with the gyeongja Type, the second movable type cast in Joseon after the gyemi Type, few intact copies with no missing pages have survived. This copy, which not only has no missing pages, but has suffered no noticeable damage or degradation, is invaluable for the study of ancient book editions. This book offers important glimpses into the history and evolution of movable type printing technology, shedding light on what character forms were used in this period, and improvements introduced to the layout, and is also of great significance for bibliographic research and research into the history of Joseon publishing.

Location