Penguins of New Zealand, written by LSD with photographs by Rod Morris, is about to be launched by the publishers New Holland. Part guide book, part overview on penguins, it has been written with the wildlife enthusiast in mind.

LSD’s lecture on Darwin as part of the RSNZ’s Darwin Lecture Series, which is largely derived from the research and writing of his book Looking for Darwin, is available for download from the Radio New Zealand website.

Looking for Darwin was last night named the Runner Up in the Whitcoulls Travcom Travel Book of the Year Award – New Zealand's premier award for travel books. While the modest prize was welcome, LSD said he was most pleased that Looking for Darwin was getting recognition for what it really was in essence: a piece of travel writing.

Last night LSD was on the other side of the microphone as he launched Warwick Don's book, Ants of New Zealand, at a function held in the atrium of the Otago Museum. Surprinzingly, this is the first book ever published on New Zealand's representatives of this important animal group. LSD chided Warwick, a rugby fanatic, for seemingly making his collections at places around New Zealand that coincided with the locations of rugby grounds. He went on to describe the book as representing a lifetime's work and, with a nod to Grahame Sydney, Christian Barnard and Rudyard Kipling, LSD praised Warwick Don for his book – which he said could be regarded as a gift to the nation, a true "stepping stone".

The Business of Documentary Filmmaking by Claudia Babirat and LSD (Longacre Press, 2008) was launched in Dunedin last night before a group of about 400 well-wishers. The book was launched by Graeme Wilson (left), Chairman of the NZ Screen Council.

Graeme established the Natural History Unit of TVNZ in Dunedin in 1977 with Robert Brown (pictured in the blue shirt) and Neil Harraway (who was also at the launch). In many ways this book represents the great-great-grandchild of something he started over three decades ago.

He said he hoped the book would be adopted as a text by all filmmaking courses in New Zealand.