Martin Heijdra studied sinology and japanology at Leiden, Beijing, and Kyoto before receiving a Ph.D. in Ming history at Princeton University. Since then, he has published in Ming socio-economic history, and more recently, on the history of the East Asian book and non-Western typography. He currently is the treasurer of the Society for Ming Studies, book review editor for the journal "East Asian Publishing and Society," and a member of the advisory board for the Bibliography of Asian Studies.