ARD Fairburn, probably more than any other New Zealander, bridged literature, politics, commerce, medicine and art history. He moved from the worlds of architecture, broadcasting, painting and photography to the environment and outdoor pursuits and he was always intent on debating social and philosophical ideas. Rex Fairburn liked nothing better than to expound these notions and toss them around in the company of good friends, drink in one hand, pipe in the other. His friends, many of whom figure in this book, included many of those prominent in those same worlds from the 1920s through to the 1950s. According to acclaimed author and historian Michael King this book makes an important contribution to New Zealand's history. 'It will enlarge our understanding of how the literary and artistic community functioned in Auckland in the 1920s to 1950s with a degree of accomplishment and coherence that is surprising by today's standards'.