Celebrate Otago Harbour!
Clearly, those who know the harbour best are the many sailors and fishermen and the dedicated pilots who work on the harbour every day in every conceivable condition.
David Balderston wrote a book called Come Wind Come Weather: Tales of an Otago Harbour Pilot recounting his years of experience with the Otago Harbour Board. His story covers most aspects of piloting from handling the smallest squid boats to directing the gigantic container ships; from narrow escapes to smooth berthings; in weather calm, clear, foggy or windlashed. A relevant book for all locals and for anyone with an interest in New Zealand ports or pilots.
Isaac Asimov
Asimov on Numbers
Everyone knows Isaac Asimov as one of the world's best writers of science fiction but in this book we see another side to him, which (unsurprisingly given the title) is the perfect reading for anyone with an interest in numbers. For example:
- the importance of zero
- why computers & people cannot use the same numbers
- the Asimov series of fractions
- what infinity really means
- the story of pi
- why imaginary numbers are real
- squaring the circle
- how to make a trillion seem small
Now you can make any would-be mathematician happy with this entertaining and accessible collection of essays.
Tees
Just delivered to us today from Steve at QSP (Quality Screen Prints) are these lovely t-shirts sporting the Hard to Find logo on the front.
They were no sooner through the door than Athol laid claim to one and selfishly donned it for a photo opportunity (as you can see in these images). The rest of the staff jealously followed suit.
What more could you want than a good quality t-shirt to remind you of your favourite bookshop? They would also make great gifts.
Architects
This is a lovely two-volume boxed set which is packed with some really inspiring buildings from some of the world's best architects.
100 Contemporary Architects (Vol.1 A-I, Vol.2 J-Z)
with text in English, German and French
By Philip Jodidio
You cannot fail to be impressed by the selection of contemporary architecture in this set, whether you are an architect, a student or an enthusiast. The photography is great and perfectly complements each entry.
You get a short biopic of the architect followed by a description of the building without an excess of jargon or technical terms, and a clear sketch of the design along with the photographs.
If you haven't got a passionate interest in contemporary architecture now, you will have once you immerse yourself in these books. As an added bonus, you can practise or improve your English/French/German while you're at it.
The Darwin Awards: Countdown to Extinction
'Only two things in the world are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former'
There is fantastic and valuable research being done every day by brilliant people to expand our knowledge of the universe, cure disease, and make everyday life more enjoyable. This book isn't about them.
This book is about the other, not so brilliant people. The winners of the Darwin awards. It seems since humans first developed the ability to question and experiment there have been people who will touch the element to see if it's hot, stick a fork in the toaster to see what happens, or go kite surfing in a hurricane.
The Darwin Awards 'honour those who help natural selection by taking a swan dive into the shallow end of the gene pool'. Filled with amusing stories of experiments and inventions gone wrong, this is a great book to read if you're feeling down about not being exceptional - you may not have discovered the cure for the common cold but at least you haven't died from trying to turn a bar stool into a means of transport or playing Russian roulette with a semi-automatic weapon!
Cakes galore
The Cake Decorator's Motif Bible
by Sheila Lampkin
This is a collection of 150+ foolproof designs, from simple to chic, elegant and elaborate.
Each entry has a template which can be scaled up or down, clear instructions, a list of materials & tools, and a photo of the finished design. There are also instructions on the basic techniques you need and suggestions on colour schemes.
Get a copy of this book and start making fabulous, fun, tempting, special, memorable, unique cakes which are well worth a photo!
Great Places to Stay
501 Great Places to Stay
The sun is shining. It's unexpectedly hot. The skies are blue. And summer appears to be here at last (although autumn is only a week away). Alternatively you're not in Dunedin and you're stuck in mid-winter in cold, wet, rainy, miserable weather. Either way, your thoughts naturally turn to holidays and travel.
Grab a copy of this book and flick through all the amazing places you can stay almost anywhere on the planet: an underwater bedroom, a treehouse, an old bull ring in Mexico, a riad in Morocco, a safari camp in the Galapagos, a mud hut in India, an ice hotel in the Arctic Circle, an eco-resort or an island paradise, whatever you fancy, you'll find it in this book. In fact, you'll undoubtedly find far more and varied options than you expect.
If you have already used up your holiday or have no money for travel, you can still dream away a fair few happy hours browsing through this selection of exotic and stimulating places to stay. The myriad fascinating possibilities are a feast for the eyes as well.
Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg / Juanita Lieberman Plimpton & Bill Morgan (Eds)
Allen Ginsberg kept a diary his entire life starting at the age of eleven. The most important and formative years of his life are covered in these early journals. Ginsberg insisted that they not be published during his lifetime because of their candour.
Some were written during the years he formed friendships with the likes of Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and William S Burroughs, widely known as the Beat Generation. They cover tragedies, murders, burglary, psychiatric hospital admission, broken hearts and his struggle to fit in a heterosexual world.
Get yourself a copy of these journals of Allen Ginsberg - you won't regret it. Also in the same volume are 50 previously unpublished poems and some rare photographs:
