Taekwon-Do In Print

I'm going to take a short break from the Founding Fathers to post a little on the subject of books on Taekwon-Do. Please note that this will be biased in favour of the Chang Hon system.

Taekwon-Do ( 1959 )
Choi Hong Hi

Mrs Choi and 1959 Taekwon-Do book

Back in 1959 , General Choi penned the first book on Taekwon - Do. Apparently it was text only and in Korean and is as rare as hen's teeth! The picture above shows Mrs Choi at the 2009 Taekwon-Do Hall of Fame awards being presented with a copy of the book.

Taekwon-Do The Art of Self Defence ( 1965 )
Choi Hong Hi

Taekwon-Do 1965 1st Edition

The first English language book on Taekwon-Do was penned by General Choi Hong Hi in 1965. The book is now a collectors item. What is notable about the book is the absence of politics ( no I.T.F. as yet ) , the completely white doboks and the inclusion of some Karate Kata ( back then there were only 20 Taekwon-Do patterns , the other 4 would be created the following year)

Inside the first English Language book!

Taekwon-Do Guidelines ( 1972 )
Choi Hong Hi

This second venture into the English language world of publishing came in 1972. Now we see a lot of changes ; well most notably the appearance of the black trim for Dan grades. But no trim down the legs and arms for 4th Dan and above. I think this came later.

The black trim at the bottom of the jackets for Black Belts makes its picture debut!

Still , from the look of things , these were still formulative years for the Art. A brilliant historical record. General Choi spent 3 years preparing this book ( 1969 to 1972 ).

Taekwon - Do ( 1972 ) B.S. Huan

The first book by somebody other than the founder was this rarity in 1972 written by Grrandmaster B.S. Huan from Singapore. It claimed to lay bare the bones of Taekwon - Do.

Encyclopedia of Taekwon - Do Vol. 1 to 15 ( 1985 )
General Choi Hong Hi

Published in 1985 , this would become the Bible of I.T.F. Taekwon-Do! 15 Volumes covering everything that the General had researched over the years. It featured all 24 Patterns including the "new" Pattern - Juche - which replaced Kodang for 2nd Dans. This controversial move was the catalyst for the eventual mass exodus from the I.T.F. of many Masters who went on to found their own organisations. We also see the appearance of the black trim down the legs and arms for 4th Dans and higher. And a new design dobok!

Taekwon - Do The Condensed Encyclopedia ( 1986 )
General Choi Hong Hi

This was basically a digest version of the Encyclopedia released the following year and concentrated on the self - defence aspects of the art. Almost all of General Choi's books have seen reprints several times now , but originals sell for ludicrous amounts of money.