Postcard featuring four portraits of A.H. Reed, aged 20, 40, 60, 80.
Alfred Hamish Reed (1875-1975) was a notable New Zealand bookseller, publisher, writer, and philanthropist, but is perhaps best remembered in his later years as a long-distance walker who became somewhat of a national folk icon.
Known as the founder of the publishing firm of A.H. & A.W. Reed, he also wrote popular histories and books chronicling his numerous walking expeditions. Reed was a very recognisable and well-known figure in Dunedin where he resided from 1897 until his death in 1975.
A.H. Reed, as he was widely known, was also one of the Dunedin Public Library’s major donors. In 1948, he gifted his valuable collection of rare books and manuscripts, which included Bibles, autograph letters, and the Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens collections.
In 2025, we commemorate Reed’s 150th birthday with this biographical exhibition. It includes numerous items from the Reed Archive, the personal papers bequeathed to the Library by Reed. A second exhibition focussing on his donated book collections, entitled A Living Memorial: Alfred Reed’s Legacy to Dunedin, follows on 14 November.
