Orchid Press

Orchid Press was founded in Thailand in 1981, originally as White Orchid Press, and operated, until his untimely death, by Hallvard K. Kuløy, a former United Nations executive who had lived and worked for many years in Asia. Hal had a deep affection for literature and fine books, dating back to his childhood in rural Norway, which found expression in Orchid Press in his unerring taste for selecting and publishing books of great merit, both new works and reprints of classics. We are dedicated to continuing Hal’s legacy, providing readers with affordable high-quality editions of important works on the arts, cultures, languages and religions of Asia.

Orchid Press began direct online sales in 2002 and opened a retail shop (Orchid Books) in central Bangkok shortly thereafter. Orchid Books was the first bookshop in Thailand dedicated solely to books on the arts, cultures, religions, histories and personalities of the Asian world, offering both Orchid Press publications and a wide variety of books and related material from other sources, both new and antiquarian. Our shop soon became a ‘must visit’ for travellers and local residents seeking such material. Due to the closure of the complex in which it was housed, the Orchid Books ‘bricks and mortar’ operation was closed in 2012, and sales migrated to online only.

In 2022, we relocated all Orchid Press operations, both publishing and retail book sales, from its original home in Thailand to Canada, where we continue our focus on the provision of fine books on Asia to our customers worldwide.