Is it a book? No, it’s a website!

Much more used to launching books, Victoria University Press is pleased to launch its new-look website. Its address remains the same: www.victoria.ac.nz/vup

“We’re delighted to offer readers the chance to rummage in our back catalogue” says VUP’s publisher Fergus Barrowman. “Our brand new search function means plenty of scope for browsers and also effortless searches for specific books or authors.”

This is the third version of VUP’s website and it certainly has the most bells and whistles. Secure on-line ordering is possible for both individuals and bookshops, backed by ANZ’s e-gate system.

The website also contains information about VUP’s writers and also offers submission guidelines and links to some useful websites, plus lots of additional information.

A team effort by Webstruxure Limited, VUW’s Communications and Marketing department and VUP’s own staff; all involved are thrilled to see their ‘baby’ live.

South Pacific Islands Communication: Regional Perspectives, Local Issues, edited by Evangelia Papoutsaki and Usha Sundar Harris.

Singapore, Suva and Auckland: AMIC, USP and Pacific Media Centre
Reviewed by JOSEPHINE LATU

Sadly, only a handful of books (and a few decent journals) deal specifically and in depth with communication and journalism practice in the Pacific Islands. With such a gap in the literature, South Pacific Islands Communication is a welcome addition for students and practitioners in the region.

This book is a spin-off from the first ever South Pacific Islands Communication forum hosted in Malaysia by the Asian Media Information and Communication (AMIC) Centre in 2006. With discourse about the “Asia-Pacific” region usually dominated by “Asian” giants like Japan, China and Malaysia, such a publication is a good – if long overdue – sign. Read more »

Media Release
The autobiography of Sir Miles Warren, one of New Zealand’s foremost architects, will be released by Canterbury University Press this month.

Miles Warren: An autobiography offers an insight into the life and career of the celebrated architect who designed such notable buildings as the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, the Christchurch Town Hall, the Civic Offices in Rotorua, the TVNZ building in Auckland and the New Zealand Chancery in Washington DC. Read more »

Poem of the Week: La Belle Dame Sans Merci

From: Harmonic by Stephen Olive

Interactive Publications, Brisbane, Australia. $A25 Read more »

John Baxter beneath a Bob Kerr portrait of Archibald Baxter. (The shadow belongs to publisher Roger Steele)

John Baxter told a gathering at Turnbull House in Wellington, last night, that he had never been able to finish his grandfather Archibald’s classic work We Shall Not Cease. He first attempted reading the harrowing account of life as a conscientious objector during the First World War as a 14-year-old but found it too upsetting. He attempted it again in his 30s but once again gave up – “it just made me too angry.” He said “hearing grandad’s” voice as he read the book was too much for him to take.

John gave the opening talk at the launch of Field Punishment No. 1: Archibald Baxter, Mark Briggs & New Zealand’s anti-militarist tradition by David Grant with paintings by Bob Kerr. Read more »

Natural Remedies that Really Work: A New Zealand Guide by Shaun Holt

Craig Potton Publishing, $40. Reviewed by :JR

There’s no doubt in my mind that chicken soup cures the common cold. And nothing beats royal jelly if you’re feeling rundown. Depressed? Try Vegemite.

You want evidence? Okay, I admit it, I don’t have any hard (or even soft) evidence but chicken soup isn’t called Jewish Penicillin for nothing – and I once read a brief in a newspaper that claimed scientists had confirmed its medicinal properties. As to royal jelly the doctors at the Harbin Medical School, where I taught English in 1989, swore by it. And the Vegemite? It’s got something to do with Vitamin B…

Read more »

Media Release
The New Zealand bike ride that breaks all the records – and now the book

It started in 1977 with a bunch of friends trying to raise money for charity. Thirty-one years on, the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge is not only New Zealand’s most popular bike ride but recognised by the UCI (International Cycling Union) as one of the top eight road-cycling events in the world.

On November 29, around 12,000 people – from family relay teams to élite cyclists – will don helmets, leap on their bikes, and set out to conquer the nearly 160-kilometre course Read more »

Che: a Graphic Biography by Spain Rodriguez (edited by Paul Buhle)

Verso Books. Reviewed by RON JACOBS

Like many of my contemporaries, I grew up on comic books. From the mainstream graphic fiction starring Billy Batson and Archie to the alternative realities of the Zap Comix universe and the Freak Brothers, those stories with pictures entertained me and enhanced my world. Nowadays, comic-styled tales and interpretations of classic novels claim a popular space in libraries and bookstores across much of the world. Many of the graphic novels are geared towards a youthful audience and deal with teen angst, vampires and such. Others are designed to convince the reader of a certain point of view and are often published by an organization or group with a particular point of view. Then there are those that stand alone. Read more »

Restless Souls: Rebels, refugees, medics and misfits on the Thai-Burma border, by Phil Thornton

Bangkok: Asia Books. Reviewed by David Robie

Phil Thornton specialises in documenting the lives of oppressed ordinary people . Eight years ago he was attached to the University of the South Pacific journalism programme during the George Speight ‘coup’ doing human rights stories that few other journalists were touching.

The Australian journalist travelled with the internal refugees from the Muaniweni valley on the ‘freedom bus’ to their temporary home at the Lautoka Girmit Centre. His stories were compelling tales of terror and tragedy. Read more »

Media Release

Son Completes Memoirs Of Father’s War-Time Exploits

The son of a New Zealander who played a crucial role in the 1940 Battle of Britain and 1942 Defence of Malta has published his father’s war-time exploits over 50 years after they were written.

Martin Woodhall’s father, Group Captain A B Woodhall, was the acclaimed RAF sector controller who guided Spitfire and Hurricane pilots by radio to successfully repel German and Italian air strikes. Read more »