Recently I came across the site for Blacksmith Books, who publish a lot of Hong Kong and SE Asian books.  I couldn’t resist this one:

And the ‘blurb’:

For more than a century, trams have plied their trade along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island. During that time, they have witnessed the transformation of the local economy from a colonial backwater to the massive financial centre that is the modern city. The post-war years, from the 1960s onward, have seen the radical redevelopment of much of the area along streets such as Hennessy Road and Des Voeux Road, while the reclamation of land along the seafront has seen the tramway, which once skirted the shore, pushed further and further inland.

Today, Hong Kong trams still provide a vital public service, carrying vast numbers of passengers daily to and from their work or shops, and Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world where it is still possible to ride on the top deck of a double-deck tram. This album explores the history of the tramways of Hong Kong Island through the 20th century. Drawing upon a fascinating selection of photographs, most of which have never been published before, it traces the evolution of the streetscape over that period – giving readers a vivid reminder of a city that has been radically altered over the past half-century.

Thumbing through the book, I was delighted to see that a significant number of photographs dated from October 1981, when I was visiting HK for work for the first time – and Maxine was about to join me for a holiday.  This really brought back memories – most of them good ones!

Here’s a typical page from the book:

And these photographs, from elsewhere on the internet, were also taken in autumn 1981.

The other book I bought was the “Confessions of a Hong Kong Naturalist”.  (Note: naturalist not naturist.)  This brings back memories of the HK countryside and flora and fauna….