Blog Archives
Short history reviews, Dale Williams
Waiheke Island. A History Paul Monin, Dunmore Press, $34.95 Aucklanders are in love with the romantic idea of a sizeable, liveable island just 20 kilometres from their urban sprawl. But Waiheke’s wide range of natural resources have always been desired…
Tagged with: Autumn 1993, Canterbury University Press, Dale Williams, Dunmore Press, Dunmore Publishing, Issue 8, John Goodliffe, Paul Monin
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review
Essay — Iain Sharp
Iain Sharp: Letter from Auckland: Son of Landfall At the time of writing, it’s in the midst of a closing-down sale, like much of Auckland, but for the last couple of years there has been a music shop on the…
A new frame of reference, Tony Simpson
Frontier New Zealand: The Search for Eldorado 1800-1920 Duncan Mackay, Harper Collins, $34.95 The besetting sin of historical writing is hindsightism. That is to say, the creation of the illusion that because we have arrived at today’s destination then…
Tagged with: Autumn 1993, Duncan Mackay, Harper Collins, Issue 8, Tony Simpson
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review
Near tears, Brian Easton
New Territory: the Transformation of New Zealand 1984-1992 Colin James, Bridget Williams Books, $29.95 The cognoscente will first turn to chapter 15’s footnote 25, one of the longest in the book, where the author claims that Bruce Jesson misrepresents his…
Tagged with: Autumn 1993, Brian Easton, Bridget Williams Books, Colin James, Issue 8
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Politics & Law, Review
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Politics & Law, Review
The strengths and pleasures of local history, Russell Stone
A Pastoral Kingdom Divided: Cheviot 1889-94, W J Gardner, Bridget Williams Books, $45 Without a doubt, the much-publicised success of the land policies of the great Liberal party of the 1890s, of which the very essence was the subdivision and…
Tagged with: Autumn 1993, Bridget Williams Books, Issue 8, Russell Stone, W J Gardner
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review
Letters — Issue 8
Tribute to Muriel Bradshaw Some years ago while collecting material for what became the Oxford History of New Zealand Music I visited Muriel Bradshaw in Christchurch. She was the widow of the formidable Dr J C Bradshaw, first Professor of…
One of our more adequate politicians? Jerry Mushin
Fighting for New Zealand: New Zealand in the 21st Century Mike Moore, MMSC Ltd, $19.95 Recent experience in New Zealand confirms that the first goal of all politicians in a democratic system is to win the next election, and here…
Tagged with: Autumn 1993, Issue 8, Jerry Mushin, Mike Moore, MMSC Ltd
Posted in Non-fiction, Politics & Law, Review
Posted in Non-fiction, Politics & Law, Review
Firmly anchored in the past, Tony Simpson
The Oxford History of New Zealand G W Rice (ed), (2nd Edition), Oxford University Press, $59.95 When, in 1973, Professor J G A Pocock delivered his J C Beaglehole Memorial Lecture on British History to the New Zealand Historical Association…
Tagged with: Autumn 1993, G W Rice, Issue 8, Oxford University Press, Tony Simpson
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review