Flamboyant French climber Alain Robert comes to Hong Kong for two events on Monday April 14th. The daredevil author of With Bare Hands will be signing books at lunchtime and then speaking at a literary dinner in the evening. Click on the picture for more...

NEW CHANNELS
Amazon availability for 2008
Blacksmith Books celebrates the Year of the Rat by announcing that many of our fiction and non-fiction titles are now available on Amazon's international network of websites, amongst others. Look below the shopping cart buttons on each book's page to see a list of alternative sources.

BOOK LAUNCH
The Man Who Owned All
the Opium in Hong Kong
Join us at The China Club as we celebrate the launch of King Hui: The Man Who Owned All the Opium in Hong Kong. 6:00-7:30pm, Friday 6th December. Full details here.

AUTHOR EXPLOITS
China lifts ban on French Spiderman
Just months after he was expelled from China for climbing Shanghai's tallest building without permission, a daring French climber is preparing to scale another Chinese peak — but this time at the invitation of the government. Alain Robert, dubbed the French Spiderman for his ascents up some of the world's tallest buildings without climbing gear, will scale one of China's best known mountains in the northern province of Hunan on Nov. 18. Read on...

NEW BOOK
Have you ever wondered...
What would it be like to own all the opium in Hong Kong? Not just a little bit, a fair share, or a large portion... but the whole darn lot?

NEW ART
Sketches of
Sai Kung
The Sai Kung Peninsula is Hong Kong’s back garden – a place where people go to swim, hike, eat seafood alfresco, and otherwise escape the city. But besides the popular beaches and waterfront restaurants, there is an abundance of hidden attractions, and Lorette Roberts has discovered them for her new book! Join us at launch events to celebrate this enchanting new publication.

AUDIO ADAPTATION
Saudi is Spoken
Spy thriller Saudi Match Point is now available as a downloadable audio book. View the details, and listen to an audio sample, at this link: Saudi Match Point.

BOOK LAUNCHES
Hong Kong On Air
We launch Hong Kong On Air at Bookazine, 3/F, Prince's Building, Central, at 6:30pm on Friday 14th September, with wine and cheese from Wineshop.hk. Join us! We then take Hong Kong On Air to Macau, our sister SAR, on Tuesday 18th September. Details here.

NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW
Have Camera, Will Backpack
The Shanghai Daily interviewed China photojournalist Tom Carter on 29th August. Read the story here.

AUTHOR APPEARANCES
Ten Years On
Blacksmith Books author Muhammad Cohen will be speaking at Yale Club event Hong Kong 10/166 -- a panel discussion looking into the past and future of the SAR, on 4th September at the Hong Kong Club.
Cohen will also appear on Bloomberg TV with Bernard Lo at 8:50am on Friday 31st August, and on RTHK Radio 3 with Phil Whelan from 11am on Monday 3rd September.

NEW BOOK
Working Mothers, Happy Kids
Liberation was meant to expand women's opportunities, not to limit them. This illustrated title shows you 21 ways to forge closer bonds with your children. Read more...

AUTHOR EXPLOITS
Three-year photo quest ends in Hong Kong
American photojournalist Tom Carter today announced the completion of a ground-breaking journey throughout all 33 Chinese provinces and autonomous regions, and took his place amongst the few living Westerners able to make the claim. With limited Chinese language skills and an even more limited budget, Carter backpacked alone across the vast Middle Kingdom, visiting over 200 cities and villages. Read all about it!

EVENTS
Hong Kong Book Fair
Looking for quality books at discounts of up to 40%? Such bargains can be yours if you visit our IPHK stand at this year's HK Book Fair: booth GHF06 in the Grand Hall. Read more...

AUTHOR EXPLOITS
Spiderman in Shanghai!
Excited spectators gathered with their camera phones on 31st May to watch daredevil Alain Robert scale the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai. The 420-metre ascent ended in arrest for the fearless Frenchman, but he took it in his stride: having climbed the world's three tallest buildings barehanded, he wasn't about to let the fourth-tallest pass him by. Alain Robert's autobiography -- With Bare Hands -- is soon to be published by Blacksmith Books. Join our mailing list to find out when!

NEW BOOK
Sun, Sand and... Sabotage?
Can the Chinese secret services foil an American oil grab in the Gulf? Can the daughter of a radical cleric escape an arranged marriage? And will a young China expert betray his country to avert a military showdown? Besides international intrigue, Saudi Match Point contains moonshine-mongering Hash House Harriers, double agents and cross-dressing kung fu masters. Put this book on your beach reading list this summer!

NEW FEATURE
Look Inside the Book!
We're offering a sneak peek inside Blacksmith Books titles. Just click on the links on each book's page to see sample pages pop up in pdf format! Try it now by going here.

OVERSEAS EXHIBITION
London Calling
We're showing our Hong Kong publications at the London Book Fair from April 16th-18th 2007. Come and see us at Booth Q934.

DINING DEALS
Good times: here again!
December sees the launch of Good Times, an entertainment membership book that offers thousands of dollars worth of 2-for-1 and 50%-off discounts. In its 2nd edition, Good Times serves up loads of offers at first-rate restaurants. Part of the proceeds raised through the sale of the book are donated to non-profit and charitable organizations. 

NEW PUBLICATION
Easy Money?
To research Whispers and Moans, author Yeeshan Yang spent a year on the streets and in the clubs of Kowloon, interviewing nearly 50 street walkers, hostesses, pimps, mama-sans and transsexual prostitutes. The resulting stories offer rare first-hand insights into Hong Kong's vast but often hidden sex industry.

NEW BOOK
Shimmering Southside
The new illustrated book from bestselling artist Lorette Roberts is in Hong Kong bookshops. Covering a swathe of the glimmering Southside from Repulse Bay through Stanley to Shek O, Lorette uses her distinctive style to uncover more of Hong Kong's hidden gems.

TIMELY PUBLICATION
Hong Kong Volunteers in Battle
To mark the 60th anniversary of the end of war in the Pacific, a new edition of Hong Kong Volunteers in Battle has been issued. This publication marks the only time Evan Stewart's first-hand account of the defence of Hong Kong has been made available to the public. The book was featured on RTHK Radio 3's Hong Kong Heritage. Read about it here.

BOOK EVENTS
Come and join us
Separately and in partnership with other publishers, Blacksmith Books holds launch parties and other events to introduce authors directly to readers. Join our mailing list to be kept informed of launch events and new releases, or keep in touch by checking the events page.

NEW PUBLICATION
Business Republic of China
“I have been teaching in China since 1993, and a book about China would have to be pretty darn good to get my attention. This is that book! Businesspeople planning a China project will ignore this book at their peril.” Read more...

NEW PUBLICATION
Beijing Portrait of a City
Portrait of a City brings China’s capital to life in the year that it hosts the summer Olympic Games. The book is the shared work of some of the city's finest writers who lead us through hutong alleys, antique markets, artists' communities, gay bars, parks and the nostalgic streets of memory. They beguile with poems, amuse with camel anecdotes and thrill with murder stories. They take us back to the often-ignored Mongolian roots of the city and project forward to ask whether spectacular modern architecture will suffice to return Beijing to what it sees as its ancient place at the centre of the world. Read more...

NEW CHILDREN'S BOOK
The Dragon's Back
Fung shui tells us there is a dragon inhabiting every green valley, protective of the mountains and its route to the sea. Hiking into the hills of Hong Kong one weekend, Siu Ming and his parents suddenly find their path blocked by a forest fire. What should they do? Read on...

AUTHORS IN THE NEWS
Hong Kong On Air... on air
Click the play buttons to watch TV right here!

NEW FICTION
Hong Kong On Air
As the Hong Kong handover boom fizzles into the Asian economic bust, a young American couple's marriage and careers tumble into a maze of television news, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. TV news veteran Muhammad Cohen's hilarious novel captures the mood ahead of the July 1997 handover when the territory reigned as the centre of the universe, a multicultural melting pot bubbling with pure gold -- before mainland China emerged from the Asian crisis, eclipsing Hong Kong. Stay with us as we delve into the backstage secrets of TV news.

FILM ADAPTATION
Reel Life
Yeeshan Yang’s investigative book Whispers and Moans has been brought to the big screen as 性工作者十日談 by Hong Kong filmmaker Herman Yau. Starring Athena Chu Yan, the movie premiered at the 2007 Hong Kong International Film Festival, where Yau was honoured as Director in Focus.

MULTIMEDIA
Picture Preview
We've finally worked out how to use Youtube, so you can watch and hear an audio slideshow of the first few pages of My Rooftop, an illustrated story book, by clicking the Play button on this page!

AUTHOR EVENT
Signing in Stanley
Come and meet celebrated local artist Lorette Roberts as she signs copies of Sketches of Stanley in Dymocks bookshop. Sunday 25th March in Stanley. Details here.

AUTHORS EVENT
Books + Cha
Independent Publishers of Hong Kong presents BOOKS + CHA, an evening of great books and great tea, plus the launch of electronic book NOON TO MIDNIGHT, 12 HOURS OF HONG KONG. The event is in collaboration with Lock Cha Teahouse, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Mackie Study and Pumpernickel Cafe. The event draws on the long cultural connection between books and tea in Chinese culture: for centuries, the teahouse was a meeting place for writers and visual artists. 
6:30 – 8:30pm, Saturday 17th March 2007, at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Rd, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Free entry.

CITY FESTIVAL 2007
The Making of a Book in 12 Hours
Stop by the Fringe Club on Saturday 13th January and help us make a book in 12 hours. Click here for more details!

NEW BOOK
Bright Lights
My Rooftop tells the story of a boy who lives in a typical Asian city. Every day he visits his rooftop to watch the world around him. But one day, a new tower begins to block his view. How should he deal with this unwelcome change? This beautifully illustrated book comes with a CD featuring original music and narration.

PRESS NEWS
Independents' Day
Blacksmith Books has become a founder member of IPHK: the Independent Publishers of Hong Kong. The new body is exhibiting its diverse creations at various book fairs locally and overseas. Come and see us!

LITERARY EVENT
Readings at the Cathedral
Blacksmith Books author Sayed Gouda was amongst several writers reading on the theme of families at a special event at St. John's Cathedral, Central. This formed part of the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival. 

BOOK REVIEW 
Five stars 
for Soho
This beautiful title received top marks from HK Magazine's book review team. The book is figuring in the bestseller list at Bookazine, Dymocks and other local bookstores, and is already in its second printing. Join Lorette Roberts on a rainbow-hued journey of Hong Kong's bohemian Soho District: from the Mid-Levels Escalator to hidden temples, from the trendy restaurants of Staunton Street to the traditional rice and lantern shops, and all the markets, boutiques and people inbetween. Third in a series of bestselling books by this well-known artist, Sketches of SoHo is the perfect gift item for residents and visitors alike.

MEDIA WATCH
Press coverage
Author Sayed Gouda was interviewed for the South China Morning Post features section. This follows the success of a tour of Egypt by Hong Kong based writers, which he led in April. In addition, the author was interviewed by RTHK radio presenter Phil Whelan. Details here.

BOOK LAUNCH
Cairo Book Party
Please join us at Bookazine in Prince's Building as we celebrate the launch of local author Sayed Gouda's novel, Once Upon a Time in Cairo. Free entry, all welcome. Details here.

OUTDOOR BOOK FAIR
Literature in the Park
Blacksmith Books and IPHK will be exhibiting at the second phase of the Wan Chai Book Festival: an open-air event in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, on the weekends of 17-19 Nov and 24-26 Nov 2006. Free entry. Find us at booth P2B. More info at the official website.

AUTHORS EVENT
Press Party
Central's Club 71 was full to capacity for our third joint event. It was good to see so many people interested in the works of independent presses. Nine attendees won book prize giveaways from the nine publishers involved. Join our mailing list to hear about our next event.

BOOK PURCHASES
How to buy our publications
Our titles are available from all good Hong Kong and Macau booksellers, and also by mail -- all across the world -- directly from this website. All popular methods of payment are accepted. Go to this page for details.