This new edition of Pat Barrett's popular guide to walking excursions in the greater Canterbury region adds Lewis Pass National Reserve and Western Arthur's Pass National Park to the areas included in the first edition, and also covers additional areas of Te Kahui Kaupeka and Hakatere Conservation Parks that are now accessible to the public.

The book has a comprehensive introduction, with advice for planning your trip, and provides some background on landscape and climate, flora and fauna, and a brief history of the Canterbury foothills. Pat's personal accounts of some of his favourite walks and climbs will inspire even 'armchair trampers' to get out and enjoy the natural splendour of this magnificent region.

Canterbury Foothills & Forests includes walks and tramps suitable for a range of fitness levels; families with children and the moderately fit will enjoy the many short walks along well-marked tracks, and there are harder trips for those who aspire to the challenge of a climb and the views gained from the tops of some of the higher summits.

The walks and climbs are organised by region: Rangitata region, Ashburton Lakes and Rakaia Valley, Waimakariri Plains region, Waimakariri Basin and Arthur's Pass National Park, and the Lewis Pass region.

The handy-sized guide is illustrated with Pat's inspiring photographs and includes 17 new full-colour maps.

Useful features include:

Walk Times

Walk Grades (from Easy to Hard+)

Standard access information, including phone numbers for landowners where applicable

Details for the best route available

The particular natural attractions of a track/peak

Notes on the weather, terrain and equipment you should carry

Bind: paperback

Pages: 296

Dimensions: 148 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 20-11-2014

These fascinating 'tales and reminiscences of the Golden Coast direct from Westland's earliest pioneers' were originally compiled by Carl Pfaff for The Diggers' Story, first published in 1914 to mark the 50th anniversary of the gold rushes that transformed this remote part of New Zealand. Long out of print, the book has been thoughtfully edited and expanded for today's readers by Hokitika Museum director Julia Bradshaw.

This new edition of The Diggers' Story features additional stories and information, and is enlivened by more than 160 black and white images and 32 pages of exquisite colour illustrations, many of them previously unpublished. This compelling , richly illustrated record of teh gold rushes will be essential reading for anyone interested in the West Coast's explosive and romantic history.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 215 x 250 mm

Publication Date: 20-11-2014

#Glamourpusses

Everyone is snapping selfies and cats are no exception! From the sublime to the ridiculous, this book collects the best photos of felines who have taken the selfie craze into their own paws. These cute and candid snaps give us a glimpse of our kitties as they see themselves.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 96

Dimensions: 146 x 146 mm

Publication Date: 30-09-2014

#Hotdogs



Everyone is snapping selfies and dogs are no exception! From the sublime to the ridiculous, this book collects the best photos of mutts who have taken the selfie craze into their own paws. These cute and candid snaps give us a glimpse of our canines as they see themselves.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 96

Dimensions: 146 x 146 mm

Publication Date: 30-09-2014

Everyone’s favourite hound is up to more canine capers in another annual collection



from the popular Fred Basset strip.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 112

Dimensions: 210 x 140 mm

Publication Date: 11-09-2014

Edward Quinn’s debut as a professional photojournalist was at an equestrian show jumping competition in Nice, France. This initiation established two constants of the Irish photographer’s (1920–1997) work: the Côte d’Azur as a setting and animals as a subject. The French Riviera of the 1950s and 60s was a veritable El Dorado. Quinn’s wife, Gret, once said of this golden age, “In the fifties, looking around on the Riviera, you thought everyone was beautiful and happy.” Edward Quinn captured the shining stars of the day—everyone from Grace Kelly to Salvador Dalí—on film, preserving the magic of those boom years for future generations. Equipped with his Leica and an excellent eye, “Edward Quinn brought artistry to celebrity photos,” as People Magazine once wrote about him. Celebrities, both now and in the glamorous 1950s and 60s, tend to look shy, stilted, and intent on keeping their guard up when photographed. But not with Quinn. How did he get such impressively authentic portraits of his subjects? His discreet and gentle manner certainly helped, as did his trick of shooting stars with their pets. Celebrity Pets proves this tactic was a huge success. In the presence of their beloved pets, the stars are incredibly approachable and natural, whether it is Picasso romping with his dogs Kabul and Lump, or writer Somerset Maugham on all fours playing with his Pekingese Chin. We see Prince Rainer using a tiger as an icebreaker with Grace Kelly, and mixed-breed dog Guapa where every man dreamed of being: in bed with Brigitte Bardot.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 160

Dimensions: 275 x 340 mm

Publication Date: 30-09-2014

A beautifully tragic and thought-provoking tale, The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman perfectly reflects the elegance and style of Murakami and the skill and plotting of Julian Barnes. Bilodo lives a solitary daily life, routinely completing his post round every day and returning to his empty Montreal apartment. But he has found a way to break the cycle - Bilodo has taken to stealing people's mail, steaming open the envelopes and reading the letters inside. And so it is he comes across Segolene's letters. She is corresponding with Gaston, a master poet, and their letters are each composed of only three lines. They are writing each other haikus. The simplicity and elegance of their poems move Bilado and he begins to fall in love with her. But one day, out on his round, he witnesses a terrible and tragic accident. Just as Gaston is walking up to the post-box to mail his next haiku to Segolene, he is hit by a car and dies on the side of the road. And so Bilodo makes an extraordinary decision - he will impersonate Gaston and continue to write to Segolene under this guise. But how long can the deception continue for? Denis Theriault weaves a passionate and elegant tale, comic and tragic with a love story at its heart. Philosophical, rich in description and detail, it cannot fail to move.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 128

Publication Date: 22-09-2014

A fantastic, provocative and playful tale of medieval dynastic and sexual politics, The Castle of Otranto is regarded as the first ever published gothic novel and has inspired authors from Edgar Allan Poe to J.K. Rowling. Abounding with unfulfilled prophecies, supernatural occurrences, adventure, suspense and destiny it follows the fortunes of the royal family of Sicily in the thirteenth century. Prince Conrad is crushed to death on the day of his wedding to the beautiful Princess Isabella. Heirless - and terrified of an ancient prophecy that foretells the downfall of his dynasty - his father, King Manfred, divorces his wife and resolves to marry the princess himself. Far from enamoured with her new fiance, Isabella flees the royal castle and makes for the sanctuary of a nearby church with the help of the humble Theodore. When the pair are captured their respective fates seem inescapable; but at the moment of Theodore's death, delivery comes from the most unexpected of places.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 176

Publication Date: 25-09-2014

Much adapted for television and film, Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost tells the story of the Otises, a modern American family, who are looking to buy a house in the English countryside. 'Canterville Chase' possesses all of the trappings of a standard haunted country house - including large suits of armour and Gothic panelled library walls. However, it soon becomes difficult to ignore the spooky signs that 'Sir Simon' is haunting the house - the usual Halloween fare of rattling chains and bloodstains. Surprisingly, and hilariously, the Otises refuse to be scared; despite all of Sir Simon's best flamboyant efforts and costume changes: stain remover is deployed to clean bloodstains and oil is applied to clanking chains. Instead, the poor revenant is faced with practical jokes from the two young twins in the family - and seeks solace by befriending fifteen-year-old Virginia instead, perhaps she holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of his being marooned on earth. Told from the unusual point of view of the ghost rather than the haunted party, it still bears the trademark Wildean moral message but the message is carried lightly in this entertaining, amusing and heart-warming Christmas story. With a new animated film featuring the voices of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie (working together for the first time in thirteen years) hitting cinemas at Christmas, interest in this classic story is sure to be huge.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 144

Publication Date: 29-09-2014

Meet Mapp and Lucia - two of the most unpleasant, disgraceful women you're ever likely to encounter, in E.F. Bensons carefully observed tale of 1930s village life and social ranking. Emmeline Lucas (known as Lucia to her friends) is emerging from mourning following the death of her husband. Pretentious, snobbish and down-right devious, she feels her home town of Riseholme offers no longer challenges and decides to holiday in the town of Tilling. She rents 'Mallards' from Miss Mapp. The two women clash immediately. Miss Mapp is used to being top of the social ranking in Tilling and there is no way she is going to let a vulgar outsider claim her position. So begins a battle of one-upmanship, peppered with queenly airs, ghastly tea parties and unnerving bridge evenings as the two combatants attempt to out-do each other to win social supermacy. The pompous Lucia and malignant Mapp are characters you will love to hate, wonderfully penned by E.F. Benson. Darkly comic and witty, it is soon to be a new BBC series written by Steve Pemberton.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 420

Publication Date: 29-09-2014