FROM THE AUTHOR SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE (1996) AND THE WHITBREAD PRIZE (2003) 'A national treasure . . . She has achieved that rarest of things for a writer' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Shena Mackay notices a London that passes most writers by . . . ' PAUL BAILEY, INDEPENDENT 'She writes like an angel wielding a scalpel' GUARDIAN New Zealand, 1909. After weeks at sea the new minister, Jack Mackenzie, arrives from Scotland with his unhappy wife and children in tow. A keen naturalist, he is more enthralled by the botanical - and carnal - delights of Dunedin than in the wellbeing of his flock. In London, eighty years later, Jack Mackenzie's descendants are middle-aged, searching for a way out of their loneliness. Olive, embittered with her loveless life, steals a baby from a crowded tube; William, distraught at the death of a pupil, abandons his job as headmaster and struggles to fill his empty days. Jay Pascal, a young New Zealand vagrant of mysterious parentage arrives in London, looking for a place where he might belong.

In 1878, when two Scottish merchants were granted a petition to open a post office in their small unincorporated Florida community, they were also given the privilege of officially naming the area. They called it Dunedin, the Gaelic word for Edinburgh, their Scottish home. Now, celebrating the 100th anniversary of its incorporation in 1999, Dunedin has experienced more than a century of progress, struggle, and success. From the early conflicts among residents about hogs roaming the streets and the resulting, though ineffective, "hog law," to the development of romantic "Honeymoon Island," now preserved as a state park, Dunedin's history is full of interesting stories, people, and images. The beautiful oak-lined streets, the yachting clubs and competitions, and the development of the citrus and fishing industries in Dunedin are all an integral part of the area's rich heritage.

Dunedin's remarkable literary heritage is founded on Charles Brasch, who presided over the nation's literature from his Dunedin home for many years as the editor of Landfall, on James K Baxter, arguably New Zealand's greatest poet; and on internationally celebrated novelist Janet Frame. It is an impressive record for a small city, and all three are represented in Christine Johnston's lively anthology of Dunedin writing. Also featured are works by well-known poets and memorists Brian Turner, Ruth Dallas and Alistair Campbell, and by a new generation of writers that includes Paula Boock and Emma Neale. This rich collection is a delight from beginning to end and will satisfy the most demanding reader. The 'Our City' series offers a new perspective on New Zealand's major cities. Each volume presents a selection of the literature inspired by one of New Zealand's four major cities. Chosen with care by a well-known editor from each city, the selections include short stories, poems, and extracts from novels and writers' memoirs. Each contributor, whether contemporary or historical, has a strong association with the city concerned, and every selection has something significant to say about the character of the city. Together they create a vivid picture of what makes the city unique.

The invention of digital maps has greatly increased the amount of information that a map can provide. This study looks at foot-tracks and cycle tracks on web-maps, a rapidly evolving subject. Title: Tracks on Web-maps of the Dunedin Area and the Expanding Role of Track-names Author: McDonald, Pete. Publisher: Pete McDonald, Dunedin, NZ (2013). Description: E-book (PDF), A4, colour illustrations. Pages: 92 About: Trails, New Zealand, Dunedin, Maps, History, Recreation.