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BOOKS

We carry a unique curation of English and Chinese books on fine art, design, visual culture, as well as picture books of fine illustration, pop-up and paper-art for children and adults.

A peek of some highlights here:

Around The World in 80 Trees

by Jonathan Drori
illustrations by Lucille Crere

Trees are one of humanity’s most constant and most varied companions. Expert Jonathan Drori uses plant science to illuminate how trees play a role in every part of human life, from the romantic to the regrettable.

Discover the secret

behind the Dragon's Blood resin from Yemen used by the famous Stradivari...

Find out about the toxic tree

deep in the jungles of Indonesia. It's said that birds perching on its branches would keel over dead. Is this true?

Ever seen a tree with

glistening turquoise globules? Drori took us to New Caledonia to meet this intriguing Séve Bleue...

And many many more

strange and true tales – populated by self-mummifying monks, tree-climbing goats and ever-so-slightly radioactive nuts – is illustrated by Lucille Clerc, taking the reader on a journey that is as informative as it is beautiful.

Small Shops, Big Hearts

by Christina Yung

This gem of a book lets the stories speak for themselves. Discover Hong Kong cultural heritage in daily life through traditional trades that have been around for decades and some, for centuries, in this modern day and age. Immerse yourself in real life tales from one of the first Hong Kong’s photo studio stalls, bamboo steamers maker, handpainted china works, and more.

Established in the 1940's

this is the last remaining shop that produces handmade brass utility wares in Hong Kong. Read on in the book...

While back in the 1930's

the now so called 'old-style' Chinese Scales were not that old. The shop is still around in present days... take a peek...

Go further back to the 1900's

when this snake soup shop first opened its doors... According to Uncle Mak, 87, who runs it now, nothing much has changed since then! Discover more in the book "Small Shops, Big Hearts".

Design DNA of Mark I

Hong Kong's Public Housing Prototype
by Dr Rosman CC Wai

The birth of every piece of

public architecture including museums, cultural centres, public parks, public housing – all have their own stories in the city, its design and art aesthetics development.

It is not possible to adequately

understand post-war Hong Kong without recognising the profound impact that its public housing programme has had on the city’s development. Mark I, Hong Kong’s public housing prototype provided more than basic shelter for society’s less privileged, its design also deserves architectural merit.

The inception of the Mark I Block in

1954 indeed aroused questions: what was the housing situation like in Hong Kong before the 1950s? Was the Shek Kip Mei fire on Christmas Day 1953 the sole instigator of the colonial government’s interventions in Hong Kong’s public housing programme

This book is the result of

ten years of investigation into the history, professional accounts, and design development of Hong Kong’s public housing prototype, and is dedicated to all who have contributed to public housing in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Apothecary - A Visual History of Chinese Medicine Packaging

by Simon Go

The packaging of Chinese patent medicines has evolved from a strong and dynamic tradition that has yielded a vocabulary of basic forms. Of these, there are seven traditional basic forms, namely, Gao (plasters), Tan (pellets), Wan (pills), San (powder), Cha (tea), Yeow (oil) and Jiu (wine). These forms had a direct influence on the modes, materials, typefaces, patterns, and compositions adopted in packaging.

A Visual Journey Through

Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Packaging is the consummation of Go's four years of research into traditional Chinese medicine packaging through interviewing, collecting and studying Chinese Medicine manufacturers and neighbouring folk since 1997.

Richly illustrated with

graphical design motifs, this fascinating book documents the contemporary changes and development in the packaging of Chinese patent medicines and the retrospective changes in some Chinese medicine shops since the mid-19th century. The book was championed with high regard in the Hong Kong Print Awards 2001.

This book makes a perfect

gift for designers and artists who are both nostalgic and fascinated with contemporary oriental design elements in packaging design; creative practitioners and marketers seeking marketing and design inspiration from design and daily life; socio-cultural historians who have special interest in changes in Chinese medicine traditions.

Find more interesting and inspiring books at our shop. New titles are arriving frequently. Check back often!