Plum represents a LOT of books, among them some real treasures. Typically, when we talk about the best ones, they usually share certain qualities having to do with technical information: a teacher generous enough to reveal principles, methods, even “secrets.” Andrea Falk’s newest book, Beijing Bittersweet, certainly includes gems of instruction from her own teachers, […]
Jun
5
2022
5
2022
Apr
30
2022
30
2022
Going, Going, Gone
At least monthly, we discover that Kung Fu books and videos that were previously abundant and available are now out of print. Unfortunately, we rarely hear about these things BEFORE they disappear. Back in the day, Unique Publications was one of the two main American publishers of martial arts books, along with Ohara (Kodansha and […]
Dec
15
2021
15
2021
It’s Alive!
Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor covid has been able to stop our new book by Sifu Ted Mancuso, “Hawk Splits Sky: Jibengong Practice, Bagua Zhang Mastery,” from publication. But it’s not like the forces of nature haven’t tried really hard. Nonetheless, the boxes of books and the spindles of DVDs are now arrived, […]
Dec
13
2021
13
2021
Our (hopefully) Last Pre-Announcement of Plum’s New Bagua Project
It is storming today in Santa Cruz, California, where we live and work. Except for one small detail, the rain is welcome in our drought-starved area. That one small detail? The storm is delaying the arrival of the DVDs we await to complete our new Bagua Book/DVD package. In the meantime, here is a short […]
Nov
10
2021
10
2021
Sifu Paul Koh’s Tiger Crane Matching Set
So happy to see another volume in Paul Koh’s expanding series on Southern Shaolin Tiger Claw. This one is special, in that it is instruction and background for a matching set, in this case the famous Tiger Crane Two Person Routine. As with Sifu Koh’s other books, the set is traditional in its approach, while […]
Nov
4
2021
4
2021
Liu YunChiao’s Bagua Zhang
We received several requests for this book before we even saw it, so we are pleased to actually have it in hand. And what a book! We have seen other memorials to Liu YunChiao, all admirable, but this book, Essence of Baguazhang, honors him especially by including both written remembrances, by those who studied with […]
Sep
24
2021
24
2021
Paul Koh’s Butterfly Knives Flash!
Another great book just landed from Paul Koh: Southern Shaolin Tiger Claw Double (Butterfly) Knives. This beautifully presented text, with full-color, full-page photos, includes History and Origins, Fundamentals, Techniques, Maneuvers, a full routine developed for him by Master Tak Wah Eng, and a beautifully told story of a young man’s encounter with the knives. As […]
Sep
5
2021
5
2021
Hands and Swords
As promised, we have finally added the two latest great books to our catalogue: Adam Hsu’s San Cai Sword, and Zhao Da Yuan’s Practical Qin Na (translated by Tom Bisio). A recent customer mentioned that it is not just the books themselves, but the types of books that Plum represents that excite him. We’re prejudiced, […]
Aug
24
2021
24
2021
Forthcoming, and Then Some
A brief pause in our cataloguing work to tell you about a few items coming up that would be here sooner if we didn’t keep pausing to tell you about them…well, you get the picture. Anyway, a little while back we added a gorgeous new Chinese book from Sifu Adam Hsu on Tan Tui, this […]
Aug
10
2021
10
2021
Kent Howard’s Essentials of Bagua Zhang
Thrilled to announce Sifu Kent Howard’s newest book and companion DVD, Introduction to Baguazhang: From Circle Walking to Advanced Practice. Sifu Howard includes the essentials of any Bagua practice, generously teaching routines while also emphasizing Basics and other lesser addressed topics such as response time in stress situations. His clear instruction already makes him a […]
Jul
29
2021
29
2021
Coming Soon!
We are in our typical state of “too much coming all at once,” so we thought we’d offer an appetizer of what to expect in the next few weeks. We’re already getting questions about a couple of these, so consider this your official update. And, of course, as soon as we post this, more will […]
Jun
27
2021
27
2021
Southern Kung Fu Makes An Entrance
Fu Jow Pai Sifu Paul Koh has just released 4 new titles, and we are excited! These new books are beautifully done, and add English language instruction to the Southern Kung Fu canon, which is always in need of traditional material. The books, all found HERE, cover Tiger […]
Jun
21
2021
21
2021
Tid Sin Kuen, Almost HERE!
Tid Sin Kuen (Iron Wire Fist) is one of the hallmark ‘internal’ forms of the Hung Gar system, and we were excited when we first started representing Sifu Lam Chun Fai’s beautiful text on our site a few years back. Lam Sifu, son of Lam Cho, has produced three fine books in his lineage, Hung […]
Apr
1
2021
1
2021
Young Forest, Traditional Skill Northern Shaolin Vol. #2
Plum is experiencing a plentiful Spring this year, starting with the reappearance of Sifu Bow Sim Mark’s early works; then the masterful new edition on White Crane from GM Lee and Master Bernard; and now the long-awaited second volume of Shifu Wing Lam’s compendium on Northern Shaolin (Bak Sil Lum). Although there is much here […]
Mar
28
2021
28
2021
NEW! Authentic White Crane Kung Fu Book
In traditional Kung Fu, we often talk about the shape of an Art, although that shape cannot always be easily defined. It might include a short list of specific qualities, a couple of hard-won principles, certain approaches to its qigong, methods learned from its secret songs…It is elusive and typically closely-held. The experienced eye might […]
Mar
21
2021
21
2021
Sifu Bow Sim Mark
I believe that I first saw Sifu Bow Sim Mark perform at Brendan Lai’s 1984 All Master’s Kung Fu Demonstration in San Francisco. Those were the pre-pre-youtube days and, other than pictures of her in the Kung Fu magazines, I had never seen her movement. I—along with the friends who accompanied me that night to […]
Dec
28
2020
28
2020
Xiantian Bagua Zhang: Gao Style Bagua Zhang Circle Form
This may be one of the Bagua books you did not know you were waiting for. C.S. Tang has produced another excellent and comprehensive text, this time on Gao Style Bagua Zhang. Tang Sifu, known and respected for his martial scholarship, has produced a large fine volume, inclusive of everything from origin stories to advanced […]
Oct
31
2020
31
2020
Bagua Zhang’s Ji Ben Gongs—Plum’s New Project
Here is a short interview with Ted Mancuso, Plum’s director, on his upcoming book/DVD project. Covid slowed us down, but now we are back at work again, and hope to have this finished in the new year. Q: Your new book is on Bagua Zhang Gongs. What is a Gong? Ted: In […]
May
25
2020
25
2020
Taijiquan Books & DVD, Spiced with a Touch of Xingyiquan
At Plum, we are always seeking the best of the best and rejecting those that really don’t have all that much to offer. Sadly, there are more than a few from that batch. But today’s offerings are already classics in their field—solid, innovative, in some cases path-defining. Click each image for much more information about […]
Mar
21
2020
21
2020
Chen Style Taijiquan—A Tangled History
Happy to announce the arrival of a new book to our Plum catalogue, Mark Chen’s Chen Style Taijiquan: Collected Masterworks—The History of a Martial Art. Chen has done wide and deep research on the origins of Chen Taiji, not an easy matter. His main focus is Chen ZhaoPi, but he incorporates other voices in the […]
