The devil was in the definitions

Ambrose Bierce's dictionary was a work of wicked satire, writes Jane Sullivan.

Named at last, the candidates for the Booker prize for 1970

IT IS a publishing maxim that many novels have a shelf life of only a few months. But two much admired books by two of Australia's greatest writers are back in the spotlight 40 years after they first appeared in print.

Two €˜lost€™ Australian novels found

IT€™S a publishing maxim that many novels have a shelf-life of only a few months. But two much-admired books by two of Australia€™s greatest writers are back in the spotlight 40 years after they first appeared.

BBP CHANGES NAME TO ALINTA

BABCOCK & BROWN POWER has officially changed its name to Alinta Energy, in an attempt to sever links with its collapsed former parent.

Celebrity chefs still the publishers' bread and butter

EAT before you shop: this is the advice often served up to supermarket shoppers who tend to spend too much at the checkout because they are hungry. It could also be good advice for those headed to a bookshop.

Peeling away the facade

Dead Famous shows Melbourne's underworld war was far from glamorous, reports Paul Kalina.

Don't honour Silly Billy, says Chief Justice

THE Chief Justice of the NSW Supreme Court, James Spigelman, has objected to plans to rename the Sydney federal electorate of Lowe after "that most insipid of characters", Billy McMahon.

Missing the feel of steel

A once-over-lightly history of BHP dismays Gideon Haigh. The Big Fella: The Rise and Rise of BHP Billiton By Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin William Heinemann, $59.95

Insult to the men of steel

The Big Fella: The Rise and Rise of BHP Billiton By Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin Random House, 528pp, $59.95

Who did what to whom in the corridors of power

To The Bitter End: The Dramatic Story Behind The Fall Of John Howard And The Rise Of Kevin Rudd By Peter Hartcher Allen & Unwin, 292pp, $35