Stone Bridge Press is an independent book publisher located in Berkeley, CA focused on producing quality books about Asia. They have been around since 1989 and have since expanded their range of themes to include everything from Zen gardens to Astro Boy. They are always looking for a way to connect with their readers and give them a new perspective through unique and intriguing texts. Why this interest in Asia? They're not tea-cult dilettantes or management gurus. They simply believe that Asia offers tremendous opportunities for re-examining Western values and for connecting with an emerging global culture increasingly centered on the Pacific Rim. What has fascinated so many people about Japan, and other Asian countries, is its extraordinarily rich coherency, how tenets of art and spirituality are reflected in work and daily life. For 1,500 years Japanese culture has been evolving in a more or less straight line, absorbing foreign influences but remaining identifiably "Japanese." It's a culture that breeds both beauty and arrogance. It demands patience and erudition. And it gives the publisher delicious editorial challenges and an alluring design vocabulary: asymmetry, surface decoration, white space, boldness, delicacy, a quick splash of color.