Analyzes Yu Hyongwon's 17th-century encyclopedia to examine the development and shape of major institutions of Choson dynasty Korea, looking at the Chinese classical and historical texts Yu used as well as Korean primary sources and Korean and Japanese secondary scholarship. Traces the history of each of Yu's subjects from the beginning of the dynasty and through the 18th and 19th centuries, examining reforms such as the use of metallic currency and the introduction of wage labor. For scholars of Korean, China, and Japan. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.