Designed to focus and calm your baby, this book creates the perfect opportunity for bonding, cuddles and storytime Your baby will be captivated by these high contrast nz native bird faces, which will help them to develop a greater understanding of the world around them. Studies have shown newborns prefer to look at faces rather than objects as face recognition is important for our survival Newborns prefer to look at black and white geometric imagery, as it allows their minds to rest, lengthen their attention span, improve memory and develop their nervous system

Bind: hardback

Pages: 16

Dimensions: 160 x 160 x 17 mm

New Zealand Karst is a high-quality coffee-table book by geoscientist and photographer Max Wisshak and his wife Stefanie Wisshak. The book is aimed equally at a readership interested in natural science and at friends of skilful nature photography. Accompanied by a foreword contributed by renowned karst researcher Paul W. Williams, the lavishly designed 256-page work guides readers through the diverse aspects of New Zealand's karst landscapes and caves. The authors characterise this voyage as follows: „Karstified landscapes are among the most bizarre on our planet – both above and below ground. New Zealand Karst takes you on a visual journey across sublime karst scenery and into the subterranean wilderness of New Zealand caves. Accompanied by popular scientific texts, stunning images lead you from the sculptured limestone pavements of the alpine marble karst to the grassland and jungle karst of the foothills, onwards into the twilight zone and deeper into the caves. It explores the diversity of peculiar features and creatures of the underground, ventures back into the light of cave ruins, and concludes with karst-related Māori rock art. Learn about the life cycle of the endemic glowworm and the critically endangered Nelson cave spider. Explore the majesty of cave minerals forming speleothems of all types. Discover the many roles water plays in shaping karst and understand the vulnerability of these geotopes and biotopes. New Zealand Karst reveals how you can appreciate karst as a phenomenon where geological, biological, and archaeological beauty all come together in harmony.“

Bind: hardback

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 310 x 225 mm

Publication Date: 01-10-2020

Wallace Bain retired in early 2020 after 28 distinguished years as a Coroner, most recently in Rotorua. During these years Mr Bain developed a national reputation for his sensitivity and compassion in dealing with difficult cases such as those of Nia Glassie and Moko Rangitoheriri. That a child is killed in New Zealand as a result of abuse every five weeks he finds “unacceptable”. He has also developed a reputation for being “a Coroner on the warpath” for his forthright demands from time to time that New Zealand’s laws and regulations be changed to protect ordinary citizens. His work as a Coroner, says Wallace Bain, has been to speak for the dead to take care of the living. “After climbing the mountain I can finally enjoy the view.”

Bind: paperback

Pages: 269

Dimensions: 153 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 26-02-2021

"My life is like so much smoke drifting on the horizon. It shifts in the breeze, dissipates, and is gone. Was it caused by any glowing embers that once burned? I might well think so, but I might equally be misled by the terror of insignificance. I don’t pretend that my existence has altered the flow of human history, or even rippled the surface of events. It’s as small as any other life that hasn’t been boosted by fame or notoriety. But our small lives still have some meaning, even if only to those who love us. We owe it to them to whisper our words. Small lives have value. Our small ambitions, regrets, dishonesties, accomplishments, disappointments, friendships, jealousies, commitments – none of them are empty of meaning." Memoir of New Zealand author, filmmaker, playwright, and social activist Mike Riddell. Born in humble surroundings, Riddell recounts his adventures including becoming a minister of religion, a university lecturer, a social activist, and a full-time writer.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 349

Dimensions: 152 x 229 mm

Publication Date: 20-12-2020

Now for something completely different! How many of you have ever looked closely at the details of the seeds of weeds? Some, we admit, are rather boring but then again, some of them are absolutely stunning. A glance at the front cover of this book reveals some of huge variation in the size and shape of seeds. Most of the seeds described and pictured are of weedy species, and the pictures show clearly the adaptations that have evolved to ensure they thrive as weeds: hooks and spines to attach the seed to wool, fleece or socks to help spread; awns that twist with wetting and drying to help bury the seed and anchor it in the soil during germination; seeds so tiny they blow like dust in the wind, or larger ones with wings or parachutes so they float on air; corky seed coats that act as life jackets in streams and lakes. This book will be useful for all workers in ecological research, pest plant management or, indeed, for everybody involved in agriculture or horticultural production. It is also of importance to anyone with a general interest in plants and the incredibly different forms that evolution has wrought. The book covers native and introduced species, and also includes seeds of species that have not, as yet, established in New Zealand but which have been intercepted in imported seed or other agricultural products (like cocopeat). The pictures and their descriptions are often not of the seeds as such, but of the form in which they are usually seen, surrounded by remains of flower structures that help in their survival or dispersal. The Introduction, Identification aid and Glossary are followed by 116 pages with 696 superb photographs of 623 different species, all with a brief description and distribution information. The book is spiral bound, 144 pp, with full colour photographs. The authors are Trevor James of AgResearch, Ian Popay from Landcare Research and Paul Champion from NIWA, all weed wizards; Nik Grbavac, seed specialist from Agriquality, Lincoln; and Birgit Rhode of Landcare Research. To find out how Birgit took those amazing photographs you have to buy this book!

Bind: paperback

Pages: 126

Dimensions: 182 x 245 mm

When Adrian Hayter set out single-handed from Lymington, England on his thirty-two-foot Albert Strange-designed yawl Sheila II, local betting was seven to one that he would get no further than the English Channel. His destination was New Zealand, and the odds were definitely against him. In 1949 perhaps only eight people had sailed solo around the world, and single-handed long-distance sailing voyages were rare. Adrian, then thirty-four, was a soldier, not a sailor. In the previous decade he had been a close observer of the Partition of India and fought as a soldier in the Second World War and the Malayan Emergency. The latter, Britain's brutal reaction to the Communist uprising of 1948, had driven his decision to sail halfway around the world, single-handed. More than sixty years later, and in the thirtieth anniversary year of Adrian's death, Lodestar Books is republishing the story of that voyage, Sheila in the Wind, first published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1959. As a sailor, Adrian recounts his foray into celestial navigation, a back-street appendix operation in India, armed escort by Indonesian authorities at sea, and eating barnacles off the hull to avoid starvation. As a writer he is trying to make sense of the humanitarian disasters that brought him to this voyage. Sheila in the Wind is more than a report of a 13,000-mile adventure; it's a story of the human spirit.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 336

Dimensions: 156 x 216 mm

Publication Date: 16-12-2020

The transformation of China in the past three decades has been nothing short of spectacular. Now a cultural and economic player on the world stage, its rise has also given air to a new generation of architects and interior designers. China previously looked to the West for architectural references, today they are moulding a new design expression which fuses centuries of local tradition with idealistic design. House of the Dragon presents the homegrown talent shaping this new aesthetic that is bound by the surrounding environment. Adopting new methods and techniques, they are pushing design possibilities and influencing the watching world. From cultural institutions to cityscapes, explore the tantalizing world of Chinese architecture and get a window into the world of tomorrow.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 320

Dimensions: 240 x 300 mm

Publication Date: 30-03-2021

Explore the magic of independent bookstores in this beautiful photographic journey across the world. Bookstores are treasure troves of knowledge and ideas, invaluable for the imagination, and often reflect their owners’ personalities in ways internet behemoths could never recreate. In this book, photographer Horst A. Friedrichs opens the door to the world of bricks-and-mortar bookstores, showcasing their variety, quirkiness, and vitality with lavish photography. It celebrates the passion and commitment of the owners with interviews and anecdotes. Explore William Stout Books, a specialty store for architecture and art books in San Francisco, and Baldwin’s Book Barn in Pennsylvania, a 5-story bookstore housed in a dairy barn open since the mid-1940s. Discover Gay’s the Word, the UK’s first and only dedicated LGBTQI bookshop and Livraria Lello, whose art deco interior is a temple to reading in the middle of Porto, Portugal. Some of the featured bookstores specialize in a certain genre, some are massive with vaulted ceilings, some are tiny and filled to the brim with books, some are in historic buildings that evoke a different time and place, and some are brand new, hightech, architect-designed spaces. What all the bookstores have in common is that they are all dedicated to spreading the written word to their communities. This is an ideal book for anyone who loves to read, browse, or simply linger in the analog world of books and bookstores.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 240 x 280 mm

Publication Date: 02-03-2021

This book showcases inspirational small houses with unique character and style from all around the world. At the forefront of modern architecture, tiny houses exemplify today’s ideals of minimalism, personal freedom, and low-impact construction—not to mention impeccable style and comfort. In multi-page spreads this book features highly detailed, full-color interior and exterior shots, along with informative texts that explore the inspiration and context of each home. From off-thegrid woodland dwellings that take you away from it all to highdensity solutions to the urban housing crisis, these homes pack a lot of design ingenuity into their small spaces. While some of these structures feature state-of-the-art architectural flourishes and luxurious amenities, others are modest and environmentally sustainable retreats designed specifically for travel, creative pursuits, or affordable housing. Each of these homes offers endlessly innovative inspiration for building and living in your home, in spaces that fit your needs.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 170 x 170 mm

Publication Date: 15-03-2021

The azure-blue Mediterranean restores the body, mind and soul! Discover the most breathtaking destinations and places to dream of in this updated, lavishly illustrated book: from the cave-like suites at Perivolas, in a majestic position high above the Aegean on Santorini, to the Hôtel Le Corbusier in Marseille, a place of pilgrimage for lovers of architecture. Every hotel is presented with spectacular photos, a short text and essential information such as the address and directions for arriving, as well as tips for books to pack.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 360

Dimensions: 238 x 302 mm

Publication Date: 31-10-2020