Full of unforgettable figures and an unrelenting spirit of adventure, Strange Stones is a far-ranging, thought-provoking collection of Peter Hessler’s best reportage—a dazzling display of the powerful storytelling, shrewd cultural insight, and warm sense of humor that are the trademarks of his work.

Over the last decade, as a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of three books, Peter Hessler has lived in Asia and the United States, writing as both native and knowledgeable outsider in these two very different regions. This unusual perspective distinguishes Strange Stones, which showcases Hessler’s unmatched range as a storyteller. “Wild Flavor” invites readers along on a taste test between two rat restaurants in South China. One story profiles Yao Ming, basketball star and China’s most beloved export, another David Spindler, an obsessive and passionate historian of the Great Wall. In “Dr. Don,” Hessler writes movingly about a small-town pharmacist and his relationship with the people he serves.

While Hessler’s subjects and locations vary, subtle but deeply important thematic links bind these pieces—the strength of local traditions, the surprising overlap between apparently opposing cultures, and the powerful lessons drawn from individuals who straddle different worlds.

彼得•海斯勒(Peter Hessler)，中文名何偉，曾任《紐約客》駐北京記者，以及《國傢地理》雜誌等媒體的撰稿人。

他成長於美國密蘇裏州的哥倫比亞市，在普林斯頓主修英文和寫作，並取得牛津大學英語文學碩士學位。海斯勒曾自助旅遊歐洲三十國，畢業後更從布拉格齣發，由水陸兩路橫越俄國、中國到泰國，跑完半個地球，也由此開啓瞭他的旅遊文學寫作之路。

海斯勒散見於各大雜誌的旅遊文學作品，數度獲得美國最佳旅遊寫作奬。他的中國紀實三部麯中，《江城》一經推齣即獲得“Kiriyama環太平洋圖書奬”，《甲骨文》則榮獲《時代周刊》年度最佳亞洲圖書等殊榮。海斯勒本人亦被《華爾街日報》贊為“關注現代中國的最具思想性的西方作傢之一”。