A critical biography of the popular 1920s novelist G. B. Lancaster (the pen name of Edith Lyttleton), this book tells the moving story of her life and work. Sturm paints a fascinating picture of the harsh experience of a woman writer in the first half of the 20th century whose economic circumstances shaped much of her output but who struggled nonetheless to move beyond the limits of potboilers toward more serious and original work.

This book explores imperial ideology through the narrative themes of popular texts.

Silent film director D.W. Griffith is the subject of this study. Only a small group of his more than 500 films are subject to analysis. The creative output of Griffiths from 'Professional Jealousy' (1907) to 'The Struggle' (1931) is explored.

This exploration of an unexpected aspect of New Zealand social history examines the human body at leisure in the years 1900&–1960. This book studies bodybuilding, especially the famous strongman Eugen Sandow; growing ideas about fitness, health, and exercise; the rise of beauty contests; the culture of the beach and the pool; nudism; and children's play and the appearance of playgrounds. The central aim is to explore how bodies—men's, women's and children's—were shaped and displayed through various leisure pursuits in 20th-century New Zealand.