A 10-volume text on the history of Korean science will be released by the Cambridge University Press in English, the Academy of Korean Studies said Thursday.

“Science and Civilization in Korea,” chronicling the history of science in Korea was originally released in 22 volumes in Korean. But through collaboration with the Needham Research Institute of the prestigious British university, they will be published in a 10-volume set in English.

The first seven books will be titled “History of Science and Technology in Korea”; “Pungsu: History and Cultural Ecology of Korean Geomancy”; “Patients, Doctors, and the State: History of Korean Medical and Pharmaceutical Culture”; “History of Astronomy in Korea”; “The West and Korea in the History of Science and Technology”; “Development of Science and Technology in the Korean Authoritarian Regime” and “Dynamics of Technological Development in Korean Industrialization.”

The Cambridge University Press previously published “Science and Civilization in China,” one of the classic references to Chinese civilization.

“It is true that people outside Korea think of Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ and North Korea when it comes to Korea. But Korea is an advanced nation in science technology and the project is crucial to promote that. The books have huge potential,” said Christopher Cullen, a Cambridge University professor and former head of the Needham Institute.

“Specialized books like ours have limited demand ― getting 100 orders will be lucky. But with Cambridge University Press, which has already sold more than 1,000 sets for the ‘Science and Civilization in China,’ we expect the books to fill the bookshelves at major public and university libraries,” said Yoon Hong-key, a University of Auckland professor responsible for the English-language version of the books.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)