As we find ourselves in a technological revolution and the computer screen takes over the printed page, the history of the book has become a subject of study throughout the world. This collection of 15 essays looks at at a wide variety of topics from the history of the printed word in New Zealand.

Music always mirrors and acts as a focal point for social paradigms and discourses surrounding political and national identity. The essays in this volume combine contributions on historical and present-day questions about the relationship between politics and musical creativity. The first part concentrates on musical identity and political reality, discussing ideological values in musical discourses.The second part deals with (musical) constructions, drawing on diverse national connections within our own and foreign identity.

Retired spy. Trained killing machine. Pacifist. Retired MI6 spy Mason Nash moved to a sleepy English town so he could leave his former violent life behind. Nash finds out how hard it is to adhere to non-violent ways when everyone is trying to kill you. Nash soon becomes embroiled in a globetrotting missions involving old friends, a new clandestine spy agency and a world-wide conspiracy where no one is quite who they seem. A barn burning series full of action and wit, the Mason Nash novels are definitely not your regular espionage thrillers.