Blog Archives

Once were mountaineers, Julia Millen

The Mantis
Philip Temple
$8.00, Vertebrate Publishing e-book,
ISBN 9781906148881

Among Secret Beauties: A Memoir of Mountaineering in New Zealand and the Himalayas
Brian Wilkins
Otago University Press, $45.00,
ISBN 9781877578489

Old climbers and bold climbers, but no old bold climbers: a common saying in alpine circles. Two works by no longer bold New Zealand mountaineers tell everything you ever wanted to know – or didn’t – about climbing expeditions. Despite their different careers – Philip Temple as an acclaimed writer, Brian Wilkins as a scientist, teacher and singer – both authors have accumulated life-long experiences on snow, rock and ice. Now, they have packed into these works every hazard and impasse, the boredom, the squalor, the magic and exhilaration, the excruciating physical and mental suffering.

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , , ,
Posted in Natural History, Non-fiction, Review, Sport

It’s a knockout, Spiro Zavos

Fighting Talk: Boxing and the Modern Lexicon Bob Jones Random House, $30.00, ISBN 9781775534389 Bob Jones – aka Sir Robert – has written an engrossing book on the fight game. It is satisfying intellectually and emotionally. It involves an original

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Non-fiction, Review, Sport

A taste of the salt, Anne French

How to Sail a Boat Matt Vance Awa Press, $26.00, ISBN 9781877551857 “We were about five hundred miles off the coast of California … .” That’s how Mid’s best stories start. I haven’t seen him for years now, but I still

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Non-fiction, Review, Sport

Becoming heroic, Garth Baker

The Open Side Richie McCaw (with Greg McGee) Hodder Moa, $50.00, ISBN 9781869712761 Valerie: The Autobiography Valerie Adams (with Phil Gifford) Hodder Moa, $50.00, ISBN 9781869712624 Let’s start with the numbers, all big. The initial 60,000 print run of Richie

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Biography, Non-fiction, Review, Sport

Magnificent obsession, Spiro Zavos

Graham Henry: Final Word Bob Howitt HarperCollins, $50.00, ISBN 9781869509736 Here is an heroic assertion. Graham Henry is the greatest coach in the history of rugby. His rivals for this title include Danie Craven, Carwyn James, Fred Allen and, possibly,

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , , ,
Posted in Biography, Non-fiction, Review, Sport

Getting fit for the Empire, Caroline Daley

Strong, Beautiful and Modern: National Fitness in Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, 1935–1960 Charlotte Macdonald Bridget Williams Books, $50.00, ISBN 978927131404 In July 1937 the Physical Training and Recreation Act was passed in Britain. A few months later the

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Health, History, Non-fiction, Review, Sport

How the ball will bounce, Garth Baker

How to Watch the Rugby World Cup 2011 Spiro Zavos Awa Press, $30.00, ISBN 9781877551093   How timely – a book to help desperate All Black fans get through that most harrowing of experiences, the Rugby World Cup. Despite being

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Non-fiction, Review, Sport

A magical innings, Harry Ricketts

The Last Everyday Hero: The Bert Sutcliffe Story Richard Boock Longacre, $39.99, ISBN 9781877460555   Cricket addicts like myself love games like “Who was the greatest New Zealand batsman?” Most shortlists usually boil down to Martin Donnelly, Bert Sutcliffe, Glenn

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , , ,
Posted in Biography, Non-fiction, Review, Sport

Playing the game, Garth Baker

  The Legend of Beau Baxter Ivan Dunn HarperCollins, $36.99, ISBN 9781869508234   A Perfect Gentleman: The Sir Wilson Whineray Story Bob Howitt HarperCollins, $49.99, ISBN 9781869508173   All Blacks Don’t Cry: A Story of Hope John Kirwan Penguin Books,

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Autobiography, Biography, Non-fiction, Review, Sport

On a lee shore, Anne French

Blue Water: Salt-encrusted Stories of a Life at Sea  Lindsay Wright HarperCollins, $35.00, ISBN 9781869509002   “ ‘Let’s sail to the Arctic next spring,’ I suggested to Sarah … She gave me a long, cool look …  ‘Okay, if you really

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Non-fiction, Review, Sport
Search the archive
Search by category