Delighted Taiwan Folktales by Fred Lobb is now available on Amazon for Kindle. A great read.

We can’t list everything, but want you to understand and enjoy Taiwan as much as possible. So here a few Taiwan-related books available from other places:

Best Guide Books:
2011 is a boom time for Taiwan travel guides. Several new entrants (such as the excellent Bradt Taiwan we offer), and updates of  existing books.

Lonely Planet Taiwan
New design, 2011 (8th) edition. From what I’ve seen it will continue to impress.

National Geographic Traveller: Taiwan
2011 (3rd) edition. Haven’t actually seen yet but the cover appeals to me.

Rough Guide to Taiwan.
2011 (2nd) edition. Expect many of the first edition’s mistakes will be sorted out.

Michelin Green Guide Taiwan
2011 - first edition. Many hope this will be a prelude to a Red Guide.

Other travel guides available have not impressed us - or are now out of date.

Taiwan History/Politics.
Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan. By Jonathan Manthorpe.

Government and Politics in Taiwan (Routledge Research on Taiwan Series). By Dafydd Fell

Chiang Kai Shek: China's Generalissimo and the Nation He Lost. By Johnathan Fenby.

The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China. By Jay Taylor.

The Last Empress: Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the Birth of Modern China. By Hannah Pakula.

The Generalissimo's Son: Chiang Ching-kuo and the Revolutions in China and Taiwan. By Jay Taylor.

Becoming Japanese: Colonial Taiwan and the Politics of Identity Formation By Leo T S Ching.

Have you used the search function on our main page? http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/ 

Best books for Taiwan nature.

I’m often asked, but unfortunately have to give the answer ‘No’, the question “Is there one book that covers all of Taiwan’s animals?”

For a good introduction I recommend the series of small pocket field guides published by the Wild Bird Society and the Butterfly society that cover Birds http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/100-common-birds-of-taiwan.html, Butterflies http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/common-taiwan-butterflies.html, Beetles http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/taiwan-beetles.html , Reptiles http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/taiwan-reptiles.html , Frogs http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/taiwan-frogs.html Dragonflies http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/taiwan-dragonflies.html, Crabs http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/taiwan-crabs-pocketguide.html , Trees http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/common-trees-of-taiwan.html , and flowers http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/taiwan-flowers.html . Only the bird one is English-only, the others are in Chinese but have very informative pictures and English/Scientific names.  For Mammals I like http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/a-field-guide-to-mammals-in-taiwan.html

Birders in Taipei may like the English-language Birdwatcher’s Guide to the the Taipei Region http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/birds/birdwatcher-s-guide-to-the-taipei-region.html region. See Amazon for the bulky but excellent Birds of East Asia.

If I had to choose one book for plants (of all sorts) commonly seen in Taiwan I would choose A Field Guide to Plants in Rural Community. http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/a-field-guide-to-plants-in-rural-community.html Many other more specialized guides.

If needing a guide to a good range of Taiwan insects it is hard to go wrong with these two volumes http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/butterflies/field-guide-to-taiwan-insects.html . Several good books for butterflies, the most comptrehensive coverage is in Butterflies of Taiwan. http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/butterflies/butterflies-of-taiwan.html

And lastly for an inspiring introduction to Taiwan natural world, it is a delight to watch the DVD Typhoon Island. http://www.booksfromtaiwan.com/index.php/mammals/typhoon-island-dvd.html

As the year of the Tiger draws to an end, and the Rabbit approaches, I would like to thank all of you for the kind advice and support over the last year.

Due to most businesses being closed, we will not be processing most orders from today until February 8th. Wishing you all a very peaceful and fruitful 2011/Year of the Rabbit.

Richard

Very pleased to now stock Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide by Steven Crook.

This is the best general guide to travel in Taiwan available right now. It is stuffed with 

excellent practical advice and in-depth backround reading. Steve writes for several other publications, his books

Dos and Don't in Taiwan and Keeping up with the War God are also available from BooksfromTaiwan.

Bradt is a UK-based company with a well-deserved reputation for its quality travel guides.

Merry Christmas

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone - especially to those friends of ours enduring (enjoying?) the unseasonable (seasonable?) weather in Europe.

Pleased to have in stock the latest book from an excellent series - Taiwan Coastal & Wetland Crabs.

Just published by the Wild Bird Society of Taipei, this is the latest in a set of pocket-sized guides to Birds, Butterflies, Frogs, Trees, Reptiles, Flowers, Dragonflies and Beetles.

We will have a selection of books, maps and postcards on display - and for purchase at Go Dutch Cafe, Tainan City,  from 1pm, Saturday December 18th.

In conjunction with this Steven Crook will be signing his recently published books 'Dos & Don'ts in Taiwan' and 'Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide'.

This will be an informal event, and a good chance to meet this author and long-term Tainan resident. In addition to his two new books, Steve has written 'Keeping Up With the War God.'  For details of his numerous newspaper and magazine articles, see http://crooksteven.blogspot.com and http://bradttaiwan.blogspot.com/.

Go Dutch Cafe is located on the east side of the railway line, less than 5 minutes walk south from Tainan train station. No visible sign (coming soon!), address: 18-1, WeiMin St. (06) 209-3432 (just south of the complicated-looking Minzu Road intersection on the Cheng Kung Uni side of the tracks, the coffee shop faces onto a basketball court). It's very near Boai Elementary School aka Tainan International English Village.

See you there!

We will be introducing a range of books in Kaohsiung this Saturday 23rd October.

Also present will be author Steven Crook who will be signing his latest book 'DOS AND DON'TS IN TAIWAN'.

Hope to be there 6pm onwards...hope to see you!

The Warehouse Art Gallery
67 Jyuguang Road, Yan-Chen District
倉庫藝術空間坊
高雄市鹽埕區莒光街67號,
07 521 7604
0970 575 414
093 202 8992

The new site is now live - but we are still sorting out a few rough edges. We are adding a wider range of books, and will have the full range of hiking maps/free stuff ready in a couple days.

If you discover something needing our immediate attention, email us at BooksfromTaiwan@gmail.com

Cheers Richard

This the first post of the blog for the new Books from Taiwan website. We hope you will like it and forgive us for any (sure there will be some) mistakes here.