books as souvenir
 

On all my trips I like to purchase for myself a "coffee table book" of the city or country I visit. Any suggestions on where to purchase these large picture books while I am in HK, Beijing and Tokyo?

Here are some places to look in Hong Kong:

Kelly and Walsh
Shop 304 Pacific Place
Admiralty
Tel: 2522 5743.

This is like an art book shop with probably the nicest selection. They also have a shop at One Exchange Square, where the main bus terminal is located.

Dymock's
Prince's Building
Shops 115 - 116
10 Chater Road
Central
Hong Kong
Phone: + 852 2826 9248

This is a chain, they have shops in other places like the IFC Centre and the Star Ferry terminal, go to http://www.dymocks.com.au. They have a good selection of Hong Kong books.

Bookazine
Shop 309-313
Prince's Building
10 Chater Rd
Central
Tel: 2522 1785

This is a local chain with about 5 other shops including one in the Peak Galleria on the Peak, go to bookazine.com.hk for a list. The Dymocks noted above is also in the Princes Building so you could go to both shops to compare.

Hong Kong Book Centre
25 Des Voeux Rd
Central,
Tel: 2522 7064

An old-fashioned book store with an amazing amount of books crammed into a small basements space. Right in Central.

Sorry, the Kelly and Walsh shop in the Pacific Place Mall moved shop last year, the correct shop address is below (they are now on the second floor), plus I have given the address of their shop in Exchange Square:

Kelly and Walsh
Shop 236
Pacific Place Shopping Mall
88 Queensway
Admiralty
Tel 2522-5743

Kelly and Walsh
Shop 305-307
One Exchange Square
Central
Tel: 2810-5128

The Exchange Square shop is closed on Sundays (unusually for Hong Kong).

I'm more familiar with books in Hong Kong:

I enjoy going to Page One for the choice, new copies, friendly service and space.

At Cosmos, there's a growing China collection.

Winter Stars by Beatrice Lao is a fantastic coffee table book. It's not a large picture book but a small silk-bound book hand-made by the poetess herself. A collection of poems for collectors of rare books. It's available on the internet and in Hong Kong at selected 5-star hotels (eg Four Seasons).