About the ARB

The Asian Review of Books began in 2000, created by Peter Gordon with the vision of a dedicated pan-Asian book review publication. More than twenty-five years later, still edited by its creator, the ARB remains the only platform of its kind.

Widely quoted, referenced, republished by leading publications in Asia and beyond and with an archive of several thousand book reviews, articles, essays and excerpts, the ARB provides a forum of intellectual depth and breadth where leading thinkers can write on the books, arts and ideas of the day. ARB reviews have often been reprinted by such publications as the South China Morning Post and Scroll.in. A podcast was added in 2021, delivering weekly interviews with authors.

Since 2025, the ARB has been part of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, giving the ARB the organisational support that can secure and sustain its unique position over the long term. The RSAA was founded in 1901 with a commitment to advancing knowledge of Asia. The RSAA’s quarterly academic journal, Asian Affairs, has been published continuously since 1914.

Peter Gordon. in addition to editing the ARB, is also a publisher at Chameleon Press, a frequent commentator in regional Asian media and was a founder and former organizer of the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. He is co-author of The Silver Way: China, Spanish America and the birth of globalisation 1565-1815 (Penguin, 2017) and Painter and Patron: The Maritime Silk Road in the Códice Casanatense (Abbreviated Press, 2020).

Alison Fincher co-edits reviews of Japanese fiction and has published more than fifty reviews of her own since 2020. She is the founder of the website Read Japanese Literature. She has also been interviewed for articles in The Guardian and Nikkei Asia, and appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight.

Nicholas Gordon has hosted the ARB podcast from its inception. He is a writer, editor and occasional radio host based in Hong Kong. Previously he was a researcher and writer for a Hong Kong-based economic development think tank.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor may be sent by email with the word “LETTER” at the beginning of the subject line. All letters received will be assumed to be for publication and are subject to editing. We welcome substantive replies to ARB articles and reviews. Preference will be given to longer, reasoned letters which add to the discussion of the subject in question. The author of the original article may be invited to respond.

Using our content

ARB content is subject to copyright and may only be reproduced with explicit permission. But our aim, and that of our writers, is for our content to be as widely read as possible. So in most cases requests for reposting and reprinting ARB content will be granted without charge. If you would like to reprint or repost our content, please contact us using the form below, and include full details of the material concerned and the publication(s) or platform(s) and context in which it will be reproduced.

Many leading publications, including the South China Morning Post, Scroll.in, The Diplomat, Caixin and China Insight, frequently republish ARB reviews.