Lovely old pubs
Pubs o' the South: A Collection of Paintings and Drawings of the Public Houses of Otago, Dunedin, Central Otago, Southland & Invercargill
by John Husband
I'm quite partial to pubs, particularly old ones. I not only like sitting in them with a drink but I also like looking at them. This book contains lovely pencil drawings of many of the famous old pubs around the South.
Among the extant, you'll find the Carey's Bay Hotel, the Cardrona Hotel, The Albion at Luggate, The Vulcan, Oturehua Tavern and many more. Among the sadly-no-more are Chicks Hotel, Lumsden's Royal Mail Hotel, The Railway Hotel at Ida Valley, The Empire and, again, many many more.
This is a lovely book to flick through and, as well as the drawings, there is a one-page history of each pub, and often the story of its sad demise. Apart from that, you could easily use it as a guide to the South of the South Island and plan your travel route to see as many of these as you can.
New arrival in our shop
This is what has just arrived in our shop today. A present for one of our staff from her lovely mum but viewing is generously to be shared with customers and staff who loiter around the counter. Come in and have a look at it.
It's called "Bibliophile with Cats" It was originally a jigsaw and has been tastefully framed to make it a joy to display. It is by Edward St John Gorey, an American artist, who was born in 1925 and died in 2000.
Do come and have a look!
Embarrassment
Walking in on Mum and Dad: Adventures in Embarrassment
by Brian King
Humiliation, shame, mortification, ignominy, chagrin or whatever you want to call it can be caused by a painfully wide array of circumstances. It lurks around every corner to catch you unawares. You can find embarrasment everywhere: in failure, in success, in stupidity, in carelessness, in mistakes, in slips of the tongue, in forgetfulness, in distraction and in snoring, farting, over-hasty emails, nudity, injury, accidents and so much more.
It can be extremely funny if you're not the committer of the faux pas but otherwise it can make you want to die. This book looks at embarrassment from both a scientific and psychological point of view and at the same time it recounts a hilarious line-up of Brian King's own and other people's mortifying misadventures.
This one isn't in the book, but to finish on a local note of embarrassment, who else remembers the butcher's shop on a corner in Princes Street, Dunedin with the bright flashing sign "You can't beat Tom's meat"?
The Backyard Bestiary
You don't need to battle into the jungle or clamber up the sides of great mountains or head off into the wilderness to find strange and beguiling little beasts, birds, and insects. Your garden is crammed with such creatures so just wander outside and get to know your closest neighbours. All you need for inspiration is a copy of this lovely book:
The Backyard Bestiary
by Ton de Joode & Anthoine Stolk and illustrated by Kees de Kiefte
This is a really appealing look at the world of nature which is all around us, in our backyards and in the nearby countryside. You will learn to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the habits and abilities of many of the common residents that we often know very little about. There is a great deal of interest and charm to be found in a closer look at the spiders, worms, slaters, ladybirds, wasps, snails, butterflies, bees and birds just outside the back door.
The beautiful paintings add to the pleasure of reading this book and as you dip into it, you'll be wanting winter over so you can get outside and marvel at the natural world on your doorstep.
Te Tohunga
Orally Collected and Pictured by Wilhelm Dittmer
This lovely volume is a 1970 facsimile reprint of the 1907 edition, which was published by George Routledge & Sons. It is a large quarto volume with 'puffed' green cloth boards. There is gilt lettering and a gilt woodcarving motif to the spine. It is beautifully illustrated and includes 28 full-page black&white illustrations. There is a matching slipcase.
You can find the legends of Hupene, Matapo, Tane, Maui, Hinemoa and many others along with the creation of Hawaiki, the creation of the stars and the creation of nature.
"Far up in the misty mountains dwell the Patu-paiarehe, the fairies of Maori Land. They are seldom seen; and, indeed, most mortals who have no gift of imagination and no mana-tapu cannot expect to behold the good people; and many who know no better deny their existence."
Dunedin today
Clearly, you need to slide down Dowling Street and into the shop to choose a book to take home with you so you can curl up on the sofa in front of the fire or the log burner and read to your heart's content. Whatever you're looking for we are sure to have something for a cold, wet, snowy, sleety Dunedin winter's day.
Calling all sailors
The Physics of Sailing Explained
by Bryon D Anderson
Why do sailors use a 'full' sail like a spinnaker for downwind sailing but not for upwind?
Why are some keels narrow and deep while others are long and shallow?
Why do some keels have wings?
Is it important to have a polished hull?
Why do you trim your sails in tighter for upwind sailing?
What determines the shape of sails and hulls?
Why can some boats sail faster upwind than downwind?
If you answered all those questions easily using fairly straightforward principles of physics, this book might not be for you. However, if you're a sailing enthusiast who wonders about these sorts of things, and other common questions, then this book may well be what you need. To enjoy the book, you just need an interest in sailing and a basic understanding of high school maths and physics. It helps you figure out what is 'going on' as the boat passes through the water. The science behind sailing is explained in a way anyone can understand.
These basic principles underlie all developments in sailing boat design so get reading now and you can show off your knowledge at the next America's Cup!!!!
Hans Christian Andersen
This gorgeous little volume is by Kathleen Fitzgerald and is beautifully and appealingly illustrated by Gilbert James. The text is in French (obviously) so Recueil de Contes d'Andersen would make a lovely present for anyone who likes Andersen's fairy tales, but especially for children learning French.
Brush up your own French by working out which fairy tales these are:
Une Soiree chez Ferme-l'oeil
La Grosse Aiguille
La Princesse sur un Pois
La Paquerette
La Petite Poucette
