Well crafted and piercingly insightful, this collection of Steve Braunias's 2007 interviews of New Zealand's famous and infamous—both publicity-seekers and those desperate to hide from the spotlight—is a humorous and biting survey of the national psyche. Ranging from the disturbingly naïve to the gloriously vain, from food critics to politicians, these profiles are uniquely New Zealand focused.

Twelve extraordinary tales of crime and punishment: a collection of true crime writing by New Zealand's award-winning master of non-fiction. A court is a chamber of questions. Who, when, why, what happened and exactly how – these are issues of psychology and the soul, they're general to the human condition, with its infinite capacity to cause pain. The brutal murder of a wife and daughter ... A methamphetamine ring, a snitch and a hooker ... The hit-and-run banker ... The top cops and the historic rape allegations ... The Peter Falconio mystery ... Rolf Harris ... In the hands of award-winning journalist and author Steve Braunias these and other extraordinary cases become more than just courtroom dramas and sensational headlines - though they are certainly that, too. They become a window onto another world - the one where things go badly wrong, where once invisible lives become horrifyingly visible, where the strangeness just beneath the surface is revealed. Accutely...

Civilisation is Steve Braunias at his best, the scavenger of social lodestone, rich, fascinating and occasionally disturbing stories of settlements—from Kawakawa in the north, to Mosgiel in the south, and Samoa and Antarctica over the seas—and the people who live in them, their lives, loves, aspirations, and sometimes dark secrets.

A collection of New Zealand's most celebrated journalist's works, this lascivious selection of Steve Braunias's columns addresses a variety of topics, including the current state of New Zealand steak, the beauty of mangroves, the lunacy of film festivals, the attractions of small towns, the charms of Cambridge University, and the strange habits of the English. With a satirical voice and keenly astute observations on society, these best of columns shed light on the surprisingly vulnerable life of a writer and the love-struck nature of being a father.

Part geographical wandering, part New Zealand history, and part cultural study, this narrative recounts one man's personal journey into the world of birds and birdwatching. Written by an award-winning journalist and with black and white photographs taken by Major Geoffrey Buddle, it traces the fascinating history of people ensnared, captivated, and entranced by birds.