One of our most important investments has been the development of the Nature Clinical Practice stable of journals for practising clinicians which we launched in 2004. We undertook a great deal of market research and consulted literally hundreds of eminent physicians about their information needs. I don't think a single one would have identifed the cause of Napoleon's death as a very high priority but now Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatolgy has cracked it with the publication of the snappily titled and open-access available Napoleon Bonaparte's Gastric Cancer: a clinicopathologic approach to staging, pathogenesis, and etiology. A pithier description will be found here and in any number of tabloid newspapers around the world.

And while on journals from Nature Publishing Group I couldn't resist this extract from Michael Crichton's genetic bestseller, Next:

'Good,good. Make those changes, shoot it back to me, and I'll submit it to Nature. I think this deserves a better platform than Science, which is a little down at heels these days. I'll call over to Nature and make sure the editor understands the importance of this paper, and see that we get immediate publication.'

What greater praise could we receive?

Continuing our round-the-world review of Macmillan bestsellers we reach Macmillan Publishers New Zealand.

1. The Lovely Bones

2. The Collectors

3. Triumph of the Sun

4. Cat o'Nine Tails

5. Science World 9

6. Camel Club

7. Macmillan New Zealand World Atlas

8. My Story: Schappelle Corby

9. Science World 10

10. The Gruffalo whom I couldn't resist showing:

And Chris Baty, who runs Pan Macmillan NZ, sent me these words to accompany the list - thanks Chris:

Kiwis could be regarded as an ornery bunch. Despite being at the bottom of the world and there not being many of them, they have a habit of determinedly doing things their own way.  And this was the way of  New Zealand in 2006. Many retailers would say it was the worst year in a very long time.

As with many parts of the world, 2006 launched to rapidly and frequently rising petrol prices, which continued until the last quarter. With little in the way of public transport - even in the bigger cities, freight being road based, and NZ being a long way from all markets, it meant the impact on the country was sharp. The extra money ordinary folk spent on fuelling their cars to get to work, was the equivalent of the cost of at least one or two books.

Combine this with the Reserve Bank raising the rates of interest each quarter in their efforts to take the steam out of the housing market, which has seen unprecedented growth in the past 2 years to the point where a very average house in Auckland, NZ’s largest city in the north, is going up at the rate of $540 per day! Part of the New Zealand dream is that one owns one’s own home, so a high percentage of the population does just that. Despite their best efforts, the Bank has failed miserably to shatter this dream. Kiwis continue to buy and sell property unabated taking bigger and bigger mortgages at increasing interest rates (floating mortgage rates are 9.55%). The government wails at the amount of money invested in the non-productive housing sector, but for individuals, it is the only reliable investment return they have found. Most ordinary people invest for their old age, of course, but when there is no national superannuation scheme offering tax incentives or employer contributions, why would a madly individual Kiwi not go for something more reliable which they can manage themselves.

Furthermore, when the country’s annual surplus comes in at $40 billion and way more than the government planned in their wildest dreams; when there is a huge skills shortage and record employment levels (unemployment is below 4%), business confidence is on a real high, one could be forgiven for thinking these individual Kiwis would have stopped believing their government who steadfastly claim an overheated economy. And certainly they would not do anything the government exhorted them to, in regards to economic wellbeing.

And mostly this is true – with one exception! The Reserve Bank has cajoled, begged, bullied and threatened New Zealanders to stop spending money, particularly on the ‘plastic fantastic’ (credit cards).  And of all the things they chose to be obedient on, it was shopping at Christmas – especially for books. They indulged minimally!

And so Kiwis maintain their proud tradition of being perverse! Internationally they are best known for it in the sports arena, but they are like it at home too.

Talking of sports arenas – just watch them this year at the Rugby World Cup, the America’s Cup, the Netball World Cup, the Bledisloe Cup (rugby), the Tri-Nations (rugby), and the Softball World Cup. They assure us that local perversity was, of course, proven yet again when they let England win the cricket a few days ago! Anyway they invite you all over to see for yourselves – there will be plenty of cups for everyone this year; there just may not be enough chairs!