New books on Korean history, war crimes, farming, silver, and Darwin

A seven-volume series, “Rereading Modern and Contemporary Korean History,” traces Korea’s modern development from the Korean Empire through Japanese colonial rule, the independence movement, liberation, division, industrialization, and democratization. The series also covers Korea’s relations with the United States and Japan, civil society, science and technology, music, and art.

“The War Crimes of Nazi Germany” investigates how ordinary people who had not previously been associated with violence could become brutal perpetrators under the Nazi regime. It describes the Holocaust as the 20th century’s largest war crime and also criticizes 21st-century Zionism, arguing that Israel monopolizes the narrative of that tragedy while massacring Palestinian civilians.

“Bonriji,” a four-volume Korean edition from the late Joseon scholar Seo Yu-gu’s encyclopedia “Imwon Gyeongjeji,” covers agriculture in detail. Its subjects include land systems, irrigation, sowing, cultivation, harvesting, storage, five types of disaster, farming calendars, tools, and related facilities.

“Silver, a World of Desire” follows the precious metal’s role in medieval and modern history. After Europe’s discovery of the New World, silver filled the desires of royal courts and wealthy elites through harsh exploitation and mass mining, while expanding both wealth and poverty.

A Japanese evolutionary biologist’s guide to Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” translates key passages from the 1859 first edition and explains them for readers who may find the original difficult. It also corrects scientific errors from the period in which Darwin wrote the book and follows the original’s chapter structure.