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The stories told by spaces, Zachary Athfield

New Zealand’s Lost Heritage: The Stories Behind our Forgotten Landmarks
Richard Wolfe
New Holland, $50.00,
ISBN 9781869663872

New Zealand’s Lost Heritage: The Stories Behind our Forgotten Landmarks discusses 20 formerly intact New Zealand buildings, dating from the early 1800s to the early 1900s. From the outset and throughout, this book is a lament and a commentary on what a shame it is that these buildings are not now preserved and still with us. The introduction is philosophical to some degree and points out that buildings must, at times, perish, and also that developments may, in their turn, be thought worthy by future generations. But the pervasive tone is that these buildings are lost and that we should mourn and regret their passing, even be punished for permitting their demolition.

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Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review, Sociology

The stories pictures tell, Roger Blackley

New Zealand Portraits Richard Wolfe Penguin Books, $80.00, ISBN 9780670071777 The Power of Portraiture: Representing Leadership in New Zealand from 1840 to the Present  Erin Griffey (with contributions from Brad Jackson and Paul Tapsell) Gus Fisher Gallery and David Ling,

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Posted in Art, Non-fiction, Review

Boudicca does it for a jar of mead, David Hill

A Short History of Sheep in New Zealand Richard Wolfe Random House, $29.99, ISBN 1869418204 Instructions for New Zealanders Richard Wolfe Random House, $34.99, ISBN 1869418506 The Smell of Powder: A History of Duelling in New Zealand Donald Kerr Random

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Posted in History, Natural History, Non-fiction, Review, Sociology

Under cover, Jenny Nicholls

Fronting up: Classic New Zealand Magazine Covers Richard Wolfe David Ling Publishing in association with Auckland War Memorial Museum, $49.99, ISBN 1877378062 There are too many magazines. But I would say that. For a number of years (outside the timespan

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Posted in Media, Non-fiction, Review, Sociology

A magic lantern show, Stevan Eldred-Grigg

Hellhole of the Pacific Richard Wolfe Penguin, $35.00, ISBN 0143019872 Kororareka in the Bay of Islands in some ways resembles Akaroa on Banks Peninsula. The two tiny townships were settings for power plays by various groups for a few brief

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Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review

“An unknown struthious bird”, Kim Griggs

Moa: The Dramatic Story of the Discovery of a Giant Bird Richard Wolfe Penguin, $29.95, ISBN 0143018736 When in London, lovers of the footnotes to history construct unusual itineraries. Many head down to the Maritime Museum at Greenwich to marvel

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Posted in Natural History, Non-fiction, Review

Driven to grizzling, Dale Williams

The Cars We Loved John McCrystal Penguin, $36.95, ISBN 01401004517 Killing Us Softly: The Kiwi Culture of Complaint John Bluck Shoal Bay Press, $24.95, ISBN 1877251100 Kiwiana! The Sequel Richard Wolfe and Stephen Barnett Penguin, $49.95, ISBN 0140298770 We seek

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Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review, Sociology

Going into detail, Diane Hebley

The House that Jack Built Gavin Bishop Scholastic, $29.95, ISBN 1 86943 434 X Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack Lynley Dodd Mallinson Rendel, $22.95, ISBN 0 908783 42 6 Sydney and the Sea Monster David Elliot Random House, $19.95, ISBN

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Posted in Children, Literature, Review

Self-absorbed provincial, Gregory O’Brien

All Our Own Work: New Zealand’s Folk Art Richard Wolfe Penguin, $36.95, ISBN 0 670 87551 1 Charles Brasch wrote in Landfall in December 1950 that Colin McCahon, “hampered at every turn by an inadequate technique… was not well enough

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Posted in Art, Non-fiction, Review

Culturally inappropriate, Hamish Keith

Gauguin and Maori Art Bronwen Nicholson, with contributions by Roger Blackley, Jonathan Mane‑Wheoki, Roger Neich, Richard Wolfe Godwit (with Auckland City Art Gallery), $29.95, ISBN 0 908877692 This is a small book, 80 pages in all, which is entirely appropriate

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Posted in Art, Māori, Non-fiction, Review
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