Well, how excited are we about this? Today marks the return of Pak Mei Kung Fu White Eyebrow, a book so long gone that we cannot remember when we last had copies of this to sell. As a matter of fact, we may NEVER have had this collector’s item. All of HB Un’s books are […]
Dec
16
2022
16
2022
Nov
10
2022
10
2022
Tiger Claw’s Wooden Master
Just added to our collection an exciting new book, Tiger Claw’s Wooden Master, from Sifu Paul Koh, who is brilliantly carrying on the lineage from his teacher, Sifu Tak Wah Eng. This new title is, like all of Sifu Koh’s books, a labor of both love and color. He outlines Tiger Claw’s system of using […]
Oct
28
2022
28
2022
ChaQuan and Its TanTui
We at Plum freely admit that we are big fans of Andrea Falk, in her roles as martial artist, writer and translator. It is this last role that we celebrate today. When we started Plum, almost 30 years ago, there were so many important texts available in Chinese that we never thought we would see […]
Oct
12
2022
12
2022
Sep
15
2022
15
2022
Newest Excitements
Well, we won’t be able to use our “Summer of Stars” cliche much longer, so we have a mixed bag of new titles today. There is still a short but powerful stack of books yet to catalogue, so keep a close watch for those. Today’s batch mostly centers around Tai Chi, with a nod to […]
Aug
28
2022
28
2022
Jimmy Lee’s Poison Hand, and some Clean Staff Techniques from China
Continuing our Summer of Stars, we have two new offerings today. If your jaw drops on this first one you are not alone: Plum’s was on the floor when this book came to us: Jimmy Lee’s classic on Iron and Poison Hand Training, “Modern Kung-Fu Karate.” We have been in business for almost 30 years, […]
Aug
14
2022
14
2022
Ten Essential Techniques of the Tiger
Continuing our Summer of the Stars lineup of new material, we are happy to announce the arrival of a major book in the Fu Jow Pai system, Sifu Paul Koh’s Ten Essential Techniques of the Tiger. Sifu Koh, along with his teacher Sifu Tak Wah Eng, has set himself the difficult task of preserving the […]
Aug
5
2022
5
2022
Aug
5
2022
5
2022
Ark Yuey Wong
A fine video example of Sifu Ark Yuey Wong performing. Click here to read about and purchase his book, Secret of Kung-Fu.
Jul
13
2022
13
2022
Taijiquan, Martial Power and Andrew Townsend’s Fine Books
Some business problems are ones you want to have: too much good stuff coming in at one time; too many customers ordering; too much media attention. The six new books we have just added from Andrew Townsend present a different (good) problem: although he is essentially teaching and writing about Taijiquan, these volumes cross categories, […]
Jul
1
2022
1
2022
The Excitement That is Meihuaquan
You’ve probably noticed that we have a hard time containing our enthusiasm when we add special items to our catalogue. As many know, we hand-pick each title that we represent, so by the time we offer it to you we already have a good assessment. But face it: some books and DVDs are even MORE […]
Jun
5
2022
5
2022
Formation of a Wushu Student: Andrea Falk’s New Book
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, […]
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 […]
