Popular culture Books

We all know about jandals, jaffas and hokey pokey ice cream, but how many of us also remember the underarm bowling incident, the Topp Twins, Telethon and Thingee's eye popping out on TV? This is Kiwiana and pop culture for the younger generation, those who grew up with at least one channel of TV (an...

The inside story of Facebook, told with the full, exclusive cooperation of founder Mark Zuckerberg and the company’s other leaders. In August, 2008, Facebook signed up its 100 millionth user. Eight months later its 200 millionth user signed up. Today it is over 350 million users. This pheno...

Crikey Dick is an illustrated collection of Kiwiana, documenting the stories behind the objects, events and people that have defined and distinguished the popular culture of New Zealand. The book comprises of individual entries of household names, along with an introductory overview - 'What is Kiwia...

In the rest of the world they say that if you can remember the sixties you weren't really there - but what was it like in New Zealand? For us the decade began with conservative prosperity - the establishment knew best and most Kiwis knew their place. Doors were left unlocked in postwar 'golden weat...

 Visionary game designer Jane McGonigal reveals how we can harness the power of games to solve real-world problems and boost global happiness. More than 174 million Americans are gamers, and the average young person in the United States will spend ten thousand hours gaming by the age of twe...

"The Big Payback" takes us from the first $15 made by a "rapping DJ" in 1970s New York to the recent multi-million-dollar sales of the Phat Farm and Roc-a-Wear clothing companies in 2004 and 2007. On this four-decade-long journey from the studios where the first rap records were ...

New from the best selling author of WHYKICKAMOOCOW and RETURN TO WHYKICKAMOOCOW. Were Ches and Dale real people? Is a Swanndri named after a waterproof water bird? Why not Lemon & Thames? Does Speights really stand for Superb P*** Enjoyed In Great Hotels Throughout Southland? And what's so o...

A light-hearted roundup of robots in popular culture, fiction, films, TV, animation and toys. From the earliest robots through to the 21st Century's cutting-edge automatons, Simon Furman highlights the influential, the radical and the downright weird: from Robby to Gigolo Joe, from Asimov to Dou...

James May's Toy Stories is much more than just a TV tie-in. Inspired by James's exploits, the book covers both the stories behind a number of classic toys and the adventures in summer 2009 as James and his helpers, children and adults of all ages, build and recreate a range of toys in a series of To...

Every day around the world millions of people enter virtual worlds through video games. These games are now the fastest-growing form of entertainment - and being played by people of all ages. International communities are coming together to play, have fun and share ideas - without ever meeting. How ...

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi has a lifestyle most guidettes dream about. But can she help it if she was born to love fake tans and juiceheads? In this must-have guide to being a guidette, America's favorite pint-sized princess shares her secrets for ROCKING it, Jersey-style. Your mission, should you choo...

"[This book] contains contributions by a handful of my favorite writers, so even though I haven't yet got a galley-glimpse of the finished product, I can just about guarantee it's going to be a good one...should you make your way chronologically through its list, probably will indeed just about...

What could one man find if he embarked on a journey through fantasy world after fantasy world? In an enthralling blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir, forty-year-old former D&D addict Ethan Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston to New Zeal...

First the crisis, now The Reckoning - but funny. The authors of Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Shit?, the bestselling satire of the credit and consumerism culture that wondered when it would all go wrong, now wonder why the people picking up the pieces are rushing headlong to get back to business as...

A lot can be told about a country from its cuisine, and New Zealand is no exception. From traditional Maori cuisine, to immigrant influences to modern Kiwi tucker, this small but chocka book gives you the A to Z on New Zealand food. It contains not only the food Kiwis love (or have loved in the past...

Kiwiana is a name that identifies quirky objects and images that have endured changing fads and trends to become our icons, stored in the memories of generations of New Zealanders and recalled with amusement and affection. This book from the authors of the very first Kiwiana Book, New Zealand, New Z...

This beautiful art book features Shigenori Soejima's best work from the various Persona games, including other projects such as "Stella Deus" and "Momoiro Taisen Pairon", and an exclusive interview with the artist himself.

In "Extra Lives," acclaimed writer and life-long video game enthusiast Tom Bissell takes the reader on an insightful and entertaining tour of the art and meaning of video games. In just a few decades, video games have grown increasingly complex and sophisticated, and the companies that produce them ...

Publishing alongside the world premiere of Christopher Nolan's third Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises", Will Brooker's new book explores Batman's twenty-first century incarnations. Brooker's close analysis of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" offers a rigorous, accessible account of the comple...

This is an authorized visual history of one of the biggest bands in hard rock by photographer Ross Halfin, who has documented them from 1978 through to today.Author BiographyPhotographer Ross Halfin began his career working for Sounds magazine in the 1970s, shooting various artists on the punk scene...

 Everyone Loves You When You're Dead is a hilarious and revealing collection of celebrity interviews by Neil Strauss, the bestselling author of The Game and The Dirt. Strauss has been a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine and the New York Times, giving him access to a wide variety of major cel...

'He's been part of the Coldplay family since day one, we love him.' COLDPLAY Longtime Coldplay roadie Matt has taken almost every step with the band over a decade of world tours and 40 million (and counting) record sales. In this, his first book, he reveals what life is like behind the scenes at t...

Why do we talk as if we're rational, but act as if we're not? Why are some people such control freaks? What is the true role of religion? Why do we seek change, yet resist it? Why do we want more of the things that have already failed to satisfy us? Why are we so passionate about sport? Why do we ne...

This book looks at what makes New Zealanders uniquely Kiwi. Many items of popular culture, which we call Kiwiana, show our style, imagination, national character and sometimes bad taste. From Kiwifruit and L&P to jandals and swanndris; bungy jumping and marching girls to buzzy bees and the A&...

Written by bestselling author, William McInnes, with contributions from people right around the country, THE MAKING OF MODERN AUSTRALIA is an affectionate journey through the postwar years in Australia. Filled with stories from regular Australians about life since World War Two and woven throughout ...

This brilliant new book from the author of Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch explores the tyranny of positive thinking, and offers a history of how it came to be the dominant mode in the USA. Ehrenreich conceived of the book when she became ill with breast cancer, and found herself surrounded by ...

This is raw and unprotected--Just like celebrity sex! I'm back and bigger and better than ever! I'm taking on the top celebrity scandals that rocked the world and changed Hollywood forever. From Chris "Beat-Her-Down" Brown's beating of Rihanna to reality "stars" Jon and Kate's ...

In this title, the most memorable, quotable, cultish and favourite films of all time are given a new dimension. "Movie Charts" unleashes a caustic and comic eye on the best and worst lines, scenes, films and actors' filmographies from the movie world. Oscar winner or complete turkey, each ...

"You hold in your hands a book crammed with blind prejudices, foggy memories, rash declarations, unsubstantiated assertions and, quite probably, lies." So begins Soundtrack, Grant Smithies's marvellously passionate, insightful, hilarious and always entertaining paean to New Zealand music. ...

Jeff Howe coined the word 'Crowdsourcing' in a 2006 article for "Wired" magazine to describe the way in which the Internet has broken down traditional employer/employee relationships to create vibrant new enterprises that are 'staffed' by informal, often large gatherings of enthusiasts. A ...

Now for the first time, the complete history of the illustrated James Bond is chronicled by pop-culture historian Alan J. Porter in "James Bond: The History of the Illustrated 007". Before Bond became world famous with his movie series, the character was the subject of successful English n...

"Humorously subtitled 'The Wrath of Kant,' this book examines the relationship between Star Trek and various schools of philosophy, and enlists the help of 21 professional philosophers to show how the theories of philosophers such as Wittgenstein and Nietzsche made their way into the scripts of...

When people think of punk they often think of outrageous fashion and iconic bands like The Ramones and the Sex Pistols. But the reality of punk stretches over three decades and numerous countries, with a history as rich and varied as it is shocking and daring. With this lavishly illustrated and auth...

A SERIOUS EXPLORATION INTO THE CULTURE OF VIDEO GAMES AND THEIR IMPACT ON SOCIETY No longer just for kids and fanatics, video games have been growing in sophistication and popularity with each passing year. In GAMERS, noted writers, artists, scholars, poets and programmers talk about what gaming mea...

This is a parody of "The Vagina Monologues" - written for stoners by stoners. "The Marijuana-logues" started as an Off-Broadway show, consisting of three widely regarded comedians, Arj Barker, Doug Benson and Tony Camin, sitting on stools elucidating and illustrating the wisdom o...

""Apocalypse Culture" is compulsory reading for all those concerned with the crisis of our times. An extraordinary collection unlike anything I have ever encountered. These are the terminal documents of the twentieth century."-J.G. Ballard About the author: Since his influe...

'The definitive story of The Rolling Stones' Heat In 2003, The Rolling Stones Forty Licks Tour sold out at venues across the country, testimony to their legendary status. In this remarkable book, the Stones themselves reveal the story behind that legend, getting right to the heart of what makes the ...

This title features the character designs of Shigenori Soejima! Go behind the scenes of "Persona 3", one of the most unique and respected RPG's ever. Inside you'll find character designs, rough sketches, storyboards, backgrounds & settings, an exclusive interview with the game's creators, and more.

In Sengoku Basara, mighty samurai warlords and their armies battle all across feudal Japan, each hoping to enact their own personal vision for the future of the land. "Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes: Official Complete Works" collects the unique artwork behind the latest game in this landmark "Capcom"...

In Australia shacks have become our protest against the brick veneer, the place where we unwind on holiday, the workshop that feeds our soul. Photographer Simon Griffiths has travelled the countryside, from Jericho in Tasmania to the remote coast of Broome, to bring us images of shacks that are both...