Case 4
- Selling NZ
D.O.W. Hall. Portrait of New Zealand. Wellington: Reed, 1955.
First published in 1955, this is the third edition of David Hall’s Portrait of New Zealand, a broad survey of New Zealand life aimed chiefly at visitors from overseas. Hall was a well-known author and book reviewer with an interest in social history and literature and was Director of Adult Education at the University of Otago at the time of this publication.
It was one of several substantial Reed publications from this period that demonstrated the publisher’s awareness of the tourism industry becoming a significant part of the nation’s economy.
A.H. Reed. Walks in Maoriland byways. Wellington: Reed, 1958.
Published in 1958, when Alfred Reed was 83, Walks in Maoriland byways is an account of his journeys on foot to out-of-the-way parts of New Zealand, made between 1915 and 1958. Extracts from this and similar writings by Reed were broadcast over numerous radio stations and listened to by thousands of New Zealanders. The evergreen Reed considered walking not merely good exercise but an excellent way of seeing the country, exploring its history, and making friends. The striking jacket design is by Dennis Knight Turner.
A.H. Reed. The four corners of New Zealand. Wellington: Reed, 1954.
The four corners of New Zealand is a compilation of four previously published accounts of Reed’s walking expeditions, with jacket design by Leonard C. Mitchell.
Robin W. Winks. These New Zealanders. Christchurch: Whitcombe & Tombs, 1954.
These New Zealanders is a highly amusing account of the New Zealand national character written by a visiting American in the early 1950s. The jacket design by Geoffrey Nees is a fine example of the artist’s talent for capturing a book’s essence, in this instance with appropriate humour at the expense of the New Zealander’s obsession with horse racing and drinking.
M.H. Holcroft. Encircling seas. Christchurch: Caxton Press, 1946.
Encircling seas is the third of M.H. Holcroft’s critical essays on New Zealand, following The deepening stream (1940) and The waiting hills (1943). The jacket design by Leo Bensemann skillfully incorporates a sense of wordplay – a characteristic feature of his cover art.
Austin Mitchell. The half-gallon quarter-acre pavlova paradise. Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs, 1972.
A popular book in its time, this witty, satirical take on contemporary New Zealand life and Kiwi culture was written by a former English resident of New Zealand, Austin Mitchell (1934-2021). The book’s title soon became part of the New Zealand vernacular and appeared in the Dictionary of New Zealand English in 1997.
The barbed content is aptly matched by the witty illustrations of Les Gibbard (1945-2010), who also provided the jacket design.
Austin Mitchell. The half-gallon quarter-acre pavlova paradise. Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs, 1972.
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