Bondi bound

Just as the appreciation of vinyl records has increased as a result of the digital music revolution, the value of rare and first-edition books is likely to rise now that electronic devices such as Kindle are catching on with readers.

Such books are likely to prove sound investments - and a selection can be found gracing the shelves of Bondi Books, a sleek, minimalist store that opened in Chai Wan Industrial City last month. Bondi Books is Hong Kong's only store specialising in first editions of photography and art books, and it carries an impressive range of first editions of 20th-century classics.

Australian Josh Carey first opened a Bondi Books in Tokyo, Japan, in 2003. It was a second-hand bookstore but he soon found the trade in rare first editions to be more rewarding. However, last year's earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster in Fukushima prompted Carey to join the expatriate exodus from Japan, and he brought Bondi Books to industrial Chai Wan's artistic hub.

Within Bondi's walls is to be found a range of large-format collections of the works of photographers Nobuyoshi Araki, Richard Avedon, Robert Mapplethorpe, Robert Frank and Terry Richardson - many of which have been signed by the luminaries themselves. Sitting alongside these books are handsome volumes focusing on the output of artists such as Andy Warhol, Joan Miro, Gilbert & George and Damien Hirst.

Highlights of the literature collection include works of Beat generation authors Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, as well as older titles such as Oscar Wilde's Salome (signed by the author) and James Joyce's Pomes Penyeach collection of poetry.

Bondi Books is at 13/F, Chai Wan Industrial City, Phase 1, 60 Wing Tai Road, Chai Wan. Viewing is by appointment only. For inquiries, call 2897 0066 or e-mail [email protected].