New Zealand Books

Mansfield's work has never been out of print, but it's amazing to think that it's hard, at times, to find. Norton, obviously with an eye to the academic market, recently published this fine anthology. Vincent O'Sullivan has chosen carefully, and his footnotes and other editorial material is simply top shelf. The critical material is well chosen--that alone would be worth the price of admission. If you've read some KM, this is a good source for expanding your background; if you're new to her work, you're in good hands. If you're an astute collector of her first editions, here's a copy that you can feel free to underline, highlight, and just enjoy.

If you're new to Katherine Mansfield, this is a good book to start with. Smith opens some doors for the novice or scholar. You might want to buy Vincent O'Sullivan's recent anthology published by Norton to use as your reading copy of KM's works. It's easy to find Antony Alper's excellent full length biography. It's essential reading too. If you are serious about your reading, Alpers also edited her works (Oxford U Press), and it's worth tracking down a copy -- not just for the logical arrangement of the text, but for his excellent notes.

As a New Zealander, Krystyna's Story reminded me of thedifficulties all immigrants face when moving to a new country. Thisbook is an astonishing recount of the horrific passage many Polish people were forced to make, either to Germany, or to the Soviet Union, during the 2nd World War. Told through the eyes of an eight year old, some accounts were downright hilarious, but most were direct, heartwrenching and unbelievably sobering. This book gave both my husband and I a renewed respect for all victims of war, and a far better understanding of the little known tragedies that all Polish people experienced during that time. I would highly recommend this book - do yourself a favour and reach out into the understanding of the minority.

This magnum opus is the definitive work on the law of torts in Australia for students, academics and practioners. The authors draw heavily from both common law and statutes to provide intelligent, critical and thought-provoking commentary.

If you think that bodybuilding and muscularity happen only in gyms or in Southern California, then this book will set that misconception to rights.

Caroline Daley has told the story of body culture in New Zealand, and she proves that the remote South Pacific nation was in the sporting and bodybuilding loop just as much as any other country. This all began in 1902 when the first great physique star, Eugen Sandow came to Auckland. He was a revelation because of his physical beauty and his willingness to display his naked muscles to the public. It was Sandow who first set New Zealanders on a course that would pull them into the orbit of physicality like every other western nation in the world.

Sandow appeared in music halls in the evening and at public events during the day where he promoted both his theatrical appearances as well as his line of gymnastics products. But the book does more than just tell the story of Sandow's extraordinary tour of turn-of-the-century New Zealand. Daley shows how Sandow first encouraged the Kiwis to become conscious of their health and muscles, but they later were inspired by his example to become (variously) swimmers, nudists and athletes.

This book is extremely well written and richly illustrated; it deserves to be read by those who are interested in sport, health and the development of the body beautiful. I recommend it highly!

This book would be one of the only country editions where I would say it isn't vastly superior to it's Lonely Planet competitor. It is thinner than Lonely Planet which is great if you're backpacking as it's less weight. If one company's version is a lot cheaper I'd say buy it.

The main difference between this and Let's Go is that this Lonely Planet is written for a North American audience whereas Let's Go is more for your British, European, Australian, South African and the like markets. This means those not from North America may find a lot of the information contained in Lonely Planet as common knowledge, especially historic things and would prefer to have less weight by not having this common knowledge space and weight creating information. Assuming you already know the common stuff Let's Go actually gives you more information as it has stuff Lonely Planet has left out for their space reasons. Since the American education system doesn't teach the basics about the world, American audiences may prefer Lonely Planet but others I would think would get more out of Let's Go. Lonely Planet does have a few colour photographs which Let's Go doesn't but you're going to take your own anyway.

A fair amount of the hostels in New Zealand actually do appear in this book with around the same number in Lonely Planet. Be aware that there are other hostels out there though, so don't completely rely on the book and use the best method word of mouth from other backpackers as well. Of course the price information is out of date as usual.

Actually I'd say don't bother with either as you're just reliving someone else's experiences and it's better to explore for yourself but for hostel listings and background info if you don't know much about New Zealand then this is useful. There is heaps of information in every New Zealand hostel on every part of New Zealand so you don't really need it.

This extremely rare First Edition 2 Volume Set from Constable & Co. London (1928) marked a huge milestone in great literature via the genre of Belle Lettres. But these are not just any letters. Katherine Mansfield has been hailed as one of the greatest writers in the 20th century, and in her short life, she humbled the likes of Virginia Woolf and others world-wide with her resolve to write out her life in short stories, critical reviews, journals and these most personal letters while dying (literally) of consumption - mostly alone, abandoned, even by her own husband, J. Middleton Murry. These volumes are the ones the public at the time received from the publisher that made such a sensation and at long last made her name as one of the literary greats - never to be forgotten. Brave, tough, brilliant and yet so sensitive to the smallest speck of beauty in this world. No one has ever taken her place.

An excellent book on the great Twentieth-Century composer, being both a biography in the usual sense, but also providing definitive analyses of his major works. The detailed description of Bartok's six string quartets, leaves little more to be said of them -- unless you want to go to monographs like Prof. Leo Treitler's Ph.D dissertation on the Fourth Quartet alone. A must for any Bartok lover. [updated email address]

Perhaps I am like most people and just assumed that the Christian impact on Maori people was fairly straight forward and almost inevitable. Bronwyn Elsmore's "Like Them That Dream: The Maori and the Old Testament" goes a long way to dispel that myth and also put Maori response into a logical and almost unsurprising context.

Elsmore deals with the historical setting of Maori "Israelite" movements, suggesting that they were a reasonable and understandable response to the situation and culture of the Maori, (ironically supplied the tools to reach divergent conclusions to the ones the Missionaries hoped by the missionaries themselves). This historical setting covers a large range of aspects, from Maori culture and European culture, the misunderstandings of between them and a whole range of other issues. Of course, the issue of land is never far away.

The movements that arose througout the 19th century are many, though Elsmore chooses some of the more well known, as well as some that were less well known. The Parihaka Movement, the Ratana Church, (still going now), Pai Marire, Ringatu and a range of others are all covered in pretty basic detail. The lives of the respective prophets are aslo covered in a basic way, as well.

The book is exceptionally interesting and provides a good glossary of Maori terms for those not familiar with that language, along with a good bibliography for those wanting more detail.

The one point is that the binding was a bit rough on the copy I read, and that was a bit of a let down. However, the binding has held together. It was just a place where the glue had formed a large lump near the spine.

In terms of content, this is an excellent book that has fueled my own interest in early Maori church history and the movements that it spawned. A great read and very much reccommended!

The best book on the wildest of wild African game. This is a handsome book which takes the reader through perhaps the most densely populated big game reserve in Africa. The Chobe and Savuti are synonyms for wonderous African wildlife, and it's all here, in a text that is powerful and gripping in its expose of the lions' lordship over eveything (including hippo and elephants - this is a very good examination of the misunderstood and half-believed stories that some lions
routinely hunt the mega-game successfully)and the struggles of all to survive the caprices of the drought and unseasonal rains. There has not been a more intelligent and thorough description of the hunting techniques of lions. Be warned that the author's text and pictorial evidence of kills are unsentimental and make no attempt to play to the fantasies of lions efficiently killing with one sweep of a paw or expertly breaking the neck of prey. The buffalo and lion confrontations are very well documented. The Savuti lions customarily take on the belligerent bulls, unlike their cousins in other parts of Africa, and the writing spares no detail and respects the intelligence and curiosity of the reader.
All in all, the next best thing to a safari