By Kerry Brown, Anthem Press (2007), 251 pages

China's British foreign correspondent corps have come out in force in support of Struggling Giant's release. Jonathan Fenby, a former editor of the South China Morning Post and the British paper The Observer, wrote the foreword. Other long-time correspondents, like China Shakes the World author James Kynge and former Guardian writers John Gittings and Jasper Becker weigh in with glowing reviews. Kynge calls it "fascinating in its detail, full of nuance and amusing anecdote"; Gittings says it offers "fresh and always readable insight"; and Becker pronounces it "a timely book for anyone struggling to understand what China is really like". No wonder these journalists are showing their support; Brown has had a long and varied career in China, first as a diplomat with the British Embassy in Beijing and now as a scholar with the think-tank Chatham House in London, with a spell as a lecturer at Inner Mongolia University. His book looks at the social, political and environmental ramifications of China's transition to a global giant.

The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair with Luxury

By Radha Chadha and Paul Husband, Nicholas Brealey International (2006), 314 page

The Cult of the Luxury Brand has been on shelves for some time, but it is still a pertinent look at Asia and China's emerging luxury consumer markets, particularly since the region only continues to grow wealthier. Radha Chadha is a marketing consultant who has worked on brands like HSBC and American Express in Asia. She works on the softer side of marketing - brand planning and strategy. Her co-author Paul Husband is a planner and faculty member of the International Council of Shopping Centres. The book looks at Asia's "luxeplosion", and China of course has a central role in this phenomenon. Expect company case studies and broad market overviews, broken into bite-sized chunks. These include a section on how men shop for Dunhill jackets together, often on the pretext of buying gifts for business associates, and many other salient examples. Such anecdotes have led the likes of Miles Young, Ogilvy and Mather's Asia Pacific chairman, to declare that the book is "fascinating".