An edited extract from High Country Stations of the Mackenzie, written by Mary Hobbs reveals the pioneers of the famed Mt Cook Station.

Google can continue to scan books without paying authors after a court rules it was 'fair use'.

The author's newest crime book emphasises the dark twist her career has taken, with her most gruesome plot to date and research which gave her "nightmares".

The Blink-182 rocker was one of only two survivors when a Learjet 60 carrying him and five others crashed in South Carolina in 2008.

The Porcelain Thief describes Hsu's search for it, which, of course, necessitated his taking a job with a wealthy uncle in Shanghai and learning the language and customs of his ancestral home.

It was the small screen that made him big. While many high-minded intellectuals disdained television, Vidal realised its power.

A biography detailing the life of Velvet Underground founder Lou Reed reveals a darker side to the rock legend.

The book, which features sexually explicit content, drug use and use of slang for female genitalia, is now classified as unrestricted.

They were the wholesome educational aids which taught generations of children the basics of everything from cake decorating to nuclear power.

The internet is braced for meltdown as the first official drawing of the world's most unlikely sex symbol is unveiled.

Friends teased her as a child, but Hamilton 22-year-old Yvette Willemse is now a proper author with a four-book contract with an American publisher.

From East Berlin to war-torn Africa, Frederick Forsyth's Bond-like past shows what made him a natural fit for MI6.

This is Hastings' first sortie into the secret world as he puts the codebreakers' achievements in context by measuring them against competing sources of secret intelligence.

Clive James has just spoken for many, wondering aloud why he is "wasting" so much time binge-watching box sets of television dramas such as Game of Thrones, writes Lucy Mangan. The multi-disc box set is increasingly our answer to the novel.

Kate Tempest is a woman of many talents, with a background as a poet, playwright and a novelist. When she's here in January, she'll be showcasing her skills as a rapper.

A new TV series based on beloved detective books Nancy Drew is getting the Grey's Anatomy treatment.

Harry Potter first fully illustrated version of the books is released worldwide today.

Think you like soft drinks all on your own? That desire is the product of decades worth of focused efforts on behalf of industry.

Children's author William Taylor has died. He wrote books including Possum Perkins and Agnes the Sheep.

Margaret Atwood takes a playful look at human failings.

George R. R. Martin has urged fans not to believe everything they read after he was reported to have confirmed plans for a movie spin-off to the cult TV series.

Salman Rushdie has written his funniest novel in years - but beneath the jokes lies an uncomfortable truth, discovers Gaby Wood.

The tone of Salman Rushdie's latest novel is like a chocolate with a nut centre, beguilingly sweet on the outside but with a hard core.

The typically demotic title introduces three world-soiled siblings, children of a dangerously attractive and totally untrustworthy refugee from Nazism who's credited with making New Zealand aware of real coffee and really modern buildings.

Author Bruce Ansley cherishes pointing his car along New Zealand's highways and roads.