McLeods Booksellers

Partisan: The Incredible True Story of a New Zealand Soldier Behind Enemy Lines by James Caffin

$25.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military | Reading Level: near fine

The gripping story of a New Zealand solider who escaped the clutches of a prisoner-of-war camp to join the Yugoslav freedom fighters during the Second World War After a daring escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in occupied Yugoslavia, John Denvir reached the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, where he join ed a partisan band as a machine-gunner. Believed shot and killed by New Zealand forces and his family in New Zealand, from January 1942 until the end of 1943, Denvir led brave and heroic attacks on German and Italian soldiers from behind enemy lines. He was wounded four times, received the Soviet Medal for Valour and was eventually appointed brigade commander. When 'Corporal Frank' was demobilised he returned to New Zealand and became a taxi driver in the small South Island town of Temuka. Originally published in 1945 and out of print for many years, this is his remarkable true story. ...Show more

Keepers of History - New Zealand Centenarians Tell Their Stories by Renée Hollis

$39.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

In 2017, Renee Hollis interviewed 120 people over the age of 100, living in every region of New Zealand. Along the way, she had the privilege of interviewing 23 World War II veterans. Her goal in compiling the book was to preserve New Zealand history by sharing the stories and memories of our eldest cit izens. She wants all people to value the elderly and to read and appreciate their stories and contribution to our society. Most importantly, she wants to ensure that that they are not forgotten and do not become invisible in our communities, but instead are honoured and celebrated. In this collection of interviews, we meet opera singers and farmers, a politician and a racing car driver, a nun and a freedom fighter with Gandhi, and even a member of Hip Operation - the oldest hip-hop group in the world! They have witnessed momentous global events and technological innovations that have changed our world. From the everyday to the extraordinary, these are the stories of people who have lived through history and whose message of resilience and making the best of things has so much to offer the generations that have followed them. ...Show more

Navigators and Naturalists - French Exploration of New Zealand and the Pacific 1769-1824 by Michael Lee

$69.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

As historian James Belich put it: `There is little doubt that Cook has been emphasised to the unfair exclusion of the massive French contribution to European knowledge of New Zealand.' This book seeks to redress this balance, drawing in the main on primary sources (both here and in France, and including primary research from original French documents never before translated into English) and scholarship from key researchers in this field. As well as fascinating descriptions of what the French saw when they travelled around New Zealand's coast, Lee focuses on the key characters of this age of French exploration (names such as de Surville, du Fresne, La Perouse, D'Entrecasteaux, Duperrey, Freycinet, D'Urville and Lesson), their relationships with Maori and the desire of France to complete with the British in the Pacific. ...Show more

Savaged to Suit: Maori and Cartooning in New Zealand by Paul Diamond; New Zealand Cartoon Archive Staff (Contribution by)

$39.50 NZD

Category: NZ History

Ocean: Tales of voyaging and encounter that defined New Zealand by Sarah Ell

$70.00 NZD

Category: NZ History

Lying in the middle of a vast ocean, Aotearoa New Zealand was the last habitable land mass in the world to be settled by humans. Our history represents the powerful coming-together of two great seafaring traditions, Polynesian and European.Oceantells the stories of pioneers and trail-blazers, from the b ig names who left their mark on our history to everyday folk whose fates were dictated by time and tide. There are chancers and entrepreneurs, exploiters and environmentalists, war-makers and lifesavers. From myth and migration to exploitation and industry; from the word of God and the pursuit of money to summer carnivals and the oldest sporting trophy in the world, these stories of ships, sailors and seekers show how our relationship with the sea has been pivotal throughout our history, while the contemporary stories of those whose lives are deeply connected to the ocean bring our maritime past into the now.Magnificently illustrated with diverse imagery, Oceanis a spirited collection of historical tales, a landmark book about how the ocean has shaped New Zealand and its people.Published with the assistance of Manatu Taonga - Ministry for Culture and Heritage ...Show more

The Camera in the Crowd: Filming New Zealand in Peace and War, 1895-1920 by Christopher Pugsley

$80.00 NZD

Category: NZ History

Filming and cinema quickly won the hearts of New Zealand from the mid-1890s, yet the story of the cameramen and the film they took here and in the First World War has never been fully captured. The Camera in the Crowd does that in style, bringing to fruition years of original research and archival work by esteemed historian Christopher Pugsley. This authoritative work, told with Pugsleys brilliant and engaging style, features over 350 photos and illustrations many of them precisely linked to early filming. It tells the fascinating story of early film and filmmakers, deploying links to websites where film can be seen, and featuring a still image on each page than can be flipping pages in the manner of old-style flip books. Beautifully written, designed and printed, this is a major publication. ...Show more

A History of New Zealand Women by Barbara L. Brookes

$69.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

What would a history of New Zealand look like that rejected Thomas Carlyle's definition of history as 'the biography of great men', and focused instead on the experiences of women? One that shifted the angle of vision and examined the stages of this country's development from the points of view of wives , daughters, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and aunts? That considered their lives as distinct from (though often unwillingly influenced by) those of history's 'great men'? In her ground-breaking History of New Zealand Women, Barbara Brookes provides just such a history. This is more than an account of women in New Zealand, from those who arrived on the first waka to the Grammy and Man Booker Prize-winning young women of the current decade. It is a comprehensive history of New Zealand seen through a female lens. Brookes argues that while European men erected the political scaffolding to create a small nation, women created the infrastructure necessary for colonial society to succeed. Concepts of home, marriage and family brought by settler women, and integral to the developing state, transformed the lives of Maori women. The small scale of New Zealand society facilitated rapid change so that, by the twenty-first century, women are no longer defined by family contexts. In her long-awaited book, Barbara Brookes traces the factors that drove that change. Her lively narrative draws on a wide variety of sources to map the importance in women's lives not just of legal and economic changes, but of smaller joys, such as the arrival of a piano from England, or the freedom of riding a bicycle. ...Show more

Trial of Strength - Adventures and Misadventures on the Wild and Remote Subantarctic Islands by Shona Riddell; Cara King (Illustrator)

$39.99 NZD

Category: NZ Non Fiction

The world's subantarctic islands circle the lower part of the globe below New Zealand, Australia, Africa and South America in the 'Roaring Forties' and 'Furious Fifties' latitudes. They are filled with unique plants and wildlife, constantly buffeted by lashing rain and furious gales, and surrounded by a vast, powerful ocean. New Zealand and Australian subantarctic islands in particular have a rich and fascinating human history, from the early 19th-century explorers and sealers through to modern-day conservation and adventure tourism. And yet, the subantarctic islands are often called our 'forgotten islands' because so few people know of their existence, despite their status since 1998 as World Heritage sites. Trial of Strength is a history book filled with compelling photos for a modern audience, and one that, for the first time, includes women's stories as more than just a footnote. Balanced and engaging, it features classic tales of infamous shipwrecks, lesser-known stories of intrepid pioneers, as well as more recent stories of adventure tourism, conservation wins, and dramatic helicopter rescues. Written by the descendant of two 19th-century British colonial settlers who attempted to create a home for their young family in this bleak environment, Trial of Strength will leave you with an appreciation for the tenacity of the human race and the forbidding forces of nature. ...Show more

The Voyages of Captain James Cook : The Illustrated Accounts of Three Epic Pacific Voyages by James Cook (Registrar, Llandough Hospital, Cardiff, UK)

$55.00 NZD

Category: NZ History

The first-ever illustrated account of Captain James Cook's epic eighteenth-century voyages, complete with excerpts from his vivid journals. This is history's greatest adventure story. In 1766, the Royal Society chose prodigal mapmaker and navigator James Cook to lead a South Pacific voyage. His orders w ere to chart the path of Venus across the sun. That task completed, his ship, the HMS Endeavour, continued to comb the southern hemisphere for the imagined continent Terra Australis. The voyage lasted from 1768 to 1771, and upon Cook's return to London, his journaled accounts of the expedition made him a celebrity. After that came two more voyages for Cook and his crew, followed by Cook's untimely murder by natives in Hawaii. The Voyages of Captain James Cook reveals Cook's fascinating story through excerpts from his journals, as well as illustrations, photography, and supplementary writings. During Cook's career, he logged more than 200,000 miles - nearly the distance to the moon. And along the way, scientists and artists traveling with him documented exotic flora and fauna, untouched landscapes, indigenous peoples, and much more. In addition to the South Pacific, Cook's voyages took him to South America, Antarctica, New Zealand, the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska, the Arctic Circle, Siberia, the East Indies, and the Indian Ocean. When he set out in 1768, more than one-third of the globe was unmapped. By the time Cook died in 1779, he had created charts so accurate that some were used into the 1990s. The Voyages of Captain James Cook is a handsome illustrated edition of Cook's selected writings spanning his Pacific voyages, ending in 1779 with the delivery of his salted scalp and hands to his surviving crewmembers. It's bound to enthrall anyone who appreciates history, science, art, and classic adventure. ...Show more

A Short History of New Zealand by Gordon McLauchlan

$29.99 NZD

Category: NZ History

A new edition of the bestselling short history on New Zealand, updated to include the Helen Clark years, the rise of John Key, the Christchurch earthquakes and the 2011 Rugby World Cup! A lively and accessible history written by one of our most well-known commentators on matters past and present. Succin ct and well referenced, this book is the most accessible introduction to New Zealand history currently in print. Originally published in 2004, this updated and redesigned new edition features new photographs, and now includes a selected further reading list. ...Show more

Making Peoples: A History of the New Zealanders from Polynesian Settlement to the End of the Nineteenth Century by James Belich

$47.00 NZD

Category: NZ History | Reading Level: Very Good

A new paperback reprint of this best-selling and ground-breaking history. When first published in 1996 Making Peoples was hailed as redefining New Zealand history. It was undoubtedly the most important work of New Zealand history since Keith Sinclair's classic A History of New Zealand. Making Peoples co vers the period from first settlement to the end of the nineteenth century. Part one covers Polynesian background, Maori settlement and pre-contact history. Part two looks at Maori-European relations to 1900. Part three discusses Pakeha colonisation and settlement. James Belich's Making Peoples is a major work which reshapes our understanding of New Zealand history, challenges traditional views and debunks many myths, while also recognising the value of myths as historical forces. Many of its assertions are new and controversial. ...Show more

When Forestry was Fun by Jim Spiers

$39.99 NZD

Category: NZ History