Welcome!
The world is looking at the Asia-Pacific region with new interest. Blacksmith Books publishes non-fiction about Hong Kong, China and the wider region – mostly in the fields of biography, business, culture, current affairs, food, history, photography and travel. And through bookshops in Asia, the US, Canada, Australia and the UK, we present the works of our local and expat authors to a worldwide readership.
From this website, we deliver books all over the world. Delivery within Hong Kong, Macao and other parts of China is free of charge.
Please use the links to explore. And thanks for reading.
Recent publications
What people are saying about our books
“Through Carter’s journey of self-discovery, we end up discovering a little more about ourselves — and a land so vast, so disparate, that 638 pages of photos barely manage to scratch the surface.”
“Tom Carter is an extraordinary photographer whose powerful work captures the heart and soul of the Chinese people.”
“The recipes are clear, with many dishes illustrated with mouth-watering pictures and, best of all, they work. This is a valuable contribution to the Chinese culinary scene.”
“It’s that sense of commonality that makes Street Life Hong Kong by its end a celebration of our city and the spirit of the people who inhabit it.”
“Hui’s story gives us glimpses of a Hong Kong – the opium dens, the pool halls, the nightclubs, the casinos and the girls, girls, girls – not adequately reflected in official histories of the city.”
“Year of Fire Dragons is not only a riveting coming of age story, but also a testament to the distance people will travel for love.”
“Jason Y. Ng is back with a new book of insights after casting his perceptive gaze over the good, bad and ugly side of city life.”
“Hong Kong for Kids is an invaluable resource for helping us design fun, wonderful learning activities for our students all over Hong Kong.”
Recent blog posts and news
Video: watch Bill Lascher’s FCC talk about wartime China
The Foreign Correspondents' Club's wall exhibition this month has featured the photography of Melville Jacoby -- an American freelance journalist, United Press stringer, and foreign correspondent for TIME and LIFE magazines who covered WWII in China, French Indochina (present-day Vietnam) and the Philippines. This photo collection of wartime Chungking (Chongqing) was inspired by the book [...]
Photo exhibition of wartime China: on show at the FCC this month
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) is a well-known gathering spot in Hong Kong. It has a surprisingly tumultuous history. Founded in Japanese-occupied China in 1941, the Club’s first base was in Chongqing (Chungking), a city controlled by Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek. As the Chinese civil war intensified, the club moved with the action, first to [...]
Paul French launches “Destination Macao” in Macao… Sunday March 30th
On Sunday March 30th (that's tomorrow!) at 3pm, Paul French will launch his new book Destination Macao in the city itself. The book is a collection of true stories about fascinating people who have visited or lived there — poets and pirates, rebels and writers, innkeepers and adventurers among them. Some you will have heard [...]
Book launch and signing with Paul French, 13th March
In 1924, Wallis Simpson — the American future wife of Britain's king — journeyed across China, witnessing a nation in turmoil. Join prolific old China author Paul French to learn about 'Her Lotus Year', his new essays in Destination Macao, and stories from his bestsellers Midnight in Peking and City of Devils. Date: Thursday, 13 [...]
Ian Gill tells his multigenerational family story at FCC Club Lunch in Hong Kong: Thursday March 6
Ian Gill’s first visit to Hong Kong in 1975 takes an unexpected turn when he meets his Chinese mother Billie’s friends, colleagues and fellow ex-prisoners of war, lifting the veil on a tumultuous past in Hong Kong and Shanghai. He moves to Asia and unravels her intriguing journey: from controversial adoption by an English postmaster [...]