NickR,
If you are really interested in reading about deflation start with Mike Shedlock (Mish).
Read everything he has written for the last 12 months.
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/
another very good read is Ambrose Evans-Pritchard from the Daily Telegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/08/18/ccview118.xml
Or Doug Noland from Safehaven.com
That should keep you going for awhile.
