Oh, to write like Alan Bennett. The consummate modulations of mood and structure. The utterly English urbanity and self-deprecation.

Martin Amis is a child of the 20th century, both literally and by literary preoccupation. He was born in the aftermath of World War II and grew up in the shadow of the unholy trinity of great ideologies — fascism, communism and capitalism.

There are two sides to the eReader debate - Shelley Bridgeman is pro paperbacks, while Joanna Hunkin has turned for the hi-tech device. Share your thoughts.

Roald Dahl was born in this month in 1916. As a tribute, here are 10 of my favourite quotes from his books.

An unseen chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory deemed too subversive for young British children has finally been released.

A bestselling author who sells books by the million, Jennifer Weiner is on an almighty mission to get ‘chick lit’ the serious attention she believes it is due.

When author Johnny Wray was a lad at school in the 1920s, his form master was most disparaging of his writing, describing it as: “Conglomerations of facts occasioned by heterogeneous concatenations of stupid irrelevancies.”

Nicky Hager, the investigative journalist, was in Auckland on Wednesday to give three talks and promote his latest book, Dirty Politics.

Children's classic removed from Australian supermarket chain after complaints it contained the word "slut".

Women who read 'Fifty Shades of Grey' are more likely to have abusive partners and eating disorders, according to academics worried about the novel's impact.

In her beloved Little House series of books, Laura Ingalls Wilder painted a wholesome picture of prairie life in which the most scandalous event was rival Nellie Olsen pulling her pigtails.

In keeping with the almost impermeable wall that prevents a healthy transtasman book trade, Helen Garner is relatively unknown in New Zealand.

I'd love to meet John Crace. The Guardian columnist is acerbic, focused, appallingly funny.

The hacker who took years of Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater's communications has reached out from behind the pages of 'Dirty Politics' and promised further revelations.

Some of the emails to and from Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater which investigative writer Nicky Hager based his Dirty Politics book on have been posted online.

Data release shows emails between Slater and an email account linked to former worker in the PM's office and it's just a fraction of the information the hacker has.

The revelation from Nicky Hager that politics is a dirty business comes tens of thousands of years late.

Ignore its uptight reputation. Mansfield Park, celebrating its 200th anniversary, seethes with sex and delves into England’s murkiest corners, writes Paula Byrne.

Amazon's pressuring of publishers and movie studios over income distribution from online sales has so far avoided the glare of US antitrust authorities.

Nicky Hager says his new book Dirty Politics will show Prime Minister John Key has questions to answer: "You will not believe what you read and how bloody awful it is."

The worldwide domination of a building blocks game is a triumph for the power of human imagination. John Naughton looks at how Minecraft has bewitched 40 million of us.

The publishing industry is using online tools to tailor its publications to what readers want — which means what’s hot on the web is what comes off the printing press.