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's not at all easy to talk about Grace Jones - disco queen, new waver, Bond villain, diva, android, androgyne - as if she is a real person.

British crime writer M.J. Arlidge talks to Craig Sisterson about why he favours strong leading ladies in modern thrillers.

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.

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.

This is a cross-over novel of "stories within stories within stories". We're told at the start it's written by a supine, seriously-injured survivor of some major disaster.

Bestselling novelist Jojo Moyes on how her childhood shapes her popular novels.

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.

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.

Authenticity brings me to where I am today; back before the courts trying to justify the use of what they term as offensive language, writes Ted Dawe.

A sexually explicit book for teenagers has been picked up by an American publisher - thanks to being banned in New Zealand.

The library downloads colouring sheets from the many sources on the internet and provides mugs of pencils, but it is clear that there are some addicts

Drawing superheroes such as Superman or Spider-Man for DC and Marvel, is a dream come true for the Australian Nicola Scott.

The lobby group that sparked a firestorm over the banning of Ted Dawes' book Into the River says it will apply to have an R14 rating slapped on the novel.

Tim Winton's new 'meandering memoir' tells how a nature-obsessed kid grew up to become a fierce environmental activist. The famed Australian author talks to Linda Herrick.

It's the divorce strategy that launched a thousand headlines, and plenty of scorn besides. But is the woman behind the concept - famously adopted by Gwyneth Paltrow - proof that it can work asks Anna Maxted.