This best-selling, fascinating biography is a fitting and revealing tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary: family man; climber; explorer; humanitarian; and, legend of the twentieth century. Biographer and family friend, Alexa Johnston, follows Hillary's intrepid footsteps around the world, from his childhood in New Zealand to his humanitarian work with the Himalayan Sherpa people, from climbing to the summit of Everest, to his tractor expedition to the South Pole, and jet boat adventures on the Ganga. Drawing on Hillary's personal archives and including a selection of photographs, it is an intimate and inspiring portrait of a revered yet modest man who lived every second of his life to the full....

There is a good chance you can remember a time when the family cake tins were always full of biscuits, slices, fruit loaves and cakes baked by mothers, aunts and grandmothers. And, of course, home-made sponges, ginger loaves, lamingtons, custard squares were an integral part of all special occasions - whether it was a birthday, a christening, a wedding or a wake. In Ladies, A Plate, Alexa Johnston looks back to this gentler time and shares her favourite traditional New Zealand recipes. An avid collector of community cookbooks, Alexa also writes about the history of some New Zealand baking classics, showing how our favourite recipes evolved over time. This gorgeous book contains over ninety recipes and will be treasured by every kitchen enthusiast, whether in your twenties or your nineties....