A rare first edition of Cartier Bresson’s Decisive Moment, Edin Blyton first editions, rare books on railway and military history, will be among the treasures on booksellers’ stalls at Featherston Booktown Saturday and Sunday 12-13 May.
There will be thousands of books across the widest spectrum available, appealing to everyone from children to collectors. Prices will range from $10 to $1,500 for the rarest. Fourteen bookstalls will be set up in the ANZAC Hall including five of the Featherston Bookshops that will also have their doors open.
A “rarish fat book” of Mrs Beaton’s Cookery Book will be among a wide selection of cook books available from the Featherston Country Cooking School stall in the ANZAC Hall. Aside from The Beresson, The Featherston Ferret, will have issue #3 of “the acutely angled Geomentry Journal and other editions of quality and collectability.
Featherston’s historic connection with railways, inspires antiquarian and rare book seller G T Carter Transport, of Whanganui to list James Cowan’s The Romance of Rail # 1 The Main.
Described as “probably the definitive work on the topdressing industry” Janic Geelen’s The Topdressers inclusive of black & white and colour photos, drawings, cartoons and old adverts signed by author at $450.00 will appeal to the dedicated collector of New Zealand’s rural history.
Hedley’s Books of Masterton will be showcasing a strong Wairarapa written and published range of both new and second hand.
First editions of the Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War including a rare copy of the 28th Maori Battalion (Arty Bees Books) as well as Crete by Dan Davin (Messines books : Military History) are also packed on their way to the ANZAC Hall.
Mr Feather’s Den will be featuring a set of Seven Arts volumes covering the period from November 1959 to October 1961. Each “bi-monthly publication combines six separate magazines - Art and Artists, Books and Bookmen, Dance and Dancers, Films and Filming, Music and Musicians, Plays and Players, and Records and Recording.”
Also from Arty Bees, Hausch-Bruno-et-al’s Culinary Chronicles covering Hong Kong, Italy and California, New York and Paris, South East Asia and Spain will feature.
A first edition of the fascinating book Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women, by the wonderfully eccentric stage magician, actor and writer, Ricky Jay will be on Loco Coffee & Books stall as well as a 1977 edition of Alister Taylor’s C.F. Goldie: Famous Maori leaders of New Zealand. Bob Stevens, USA, flew almost every US fighter in the World War 2 but retiring from the Air Force he concentrated full time on cartooning. His book of aviation cartoons There I was….”25 years will also be on Loco’s table.
A.G. Bagnall’s rare Wairarapa book will be available from Tinakori Books along with several Darwin books, including some editions from the 19th century. Serious collectors will also be interested in a range of pre-1840 books on New Zealand, e.g. Craik’s The New Zealanders, Cruise’s Journal of a 10 Months Residence in New Zealand and books by Polack and Augustus Earle.
In Darkest Africa Or The Quest Rescue and Retreat Of Emin Governor Of Equatoria Vol IIby Henry M. Stanley 1890, available for $150 is one of a number of 1st edition books to be on the tables of Dave Adams Books. Hand-Coloured New Zealand (The Photographs of Whites Aviation) by Peter Alsop, The Autobiography of Joan Sutherland, signed by herself, will be among several first editions signed by the authors including, Salman Rushdie.
For the Love of Books will have the Enid Blyton first edition and other children’s books and an extensive range of quality general titles.
Last year, Spies Books “were in the very beginning of our journey and we only had one book at our stall. Weirdo was Ben's first book; he wrote when he was nine. We self-published it to reward and recognise his passion for writing. Ben never stops writing, so since then, we have launched The Magic Pencil, a story about a school boy who finds a magic pencil on his way to school - anything he draws comes to life.”
Further into books for children and young adults, will be a rare First edition Biggles from Bear Flag books from Masterton, plus 1960's Pan edition Bonds, fifties and sixties pulp fiction and first edition novels and a swag of “gorgeous” vintage children’s' books, plus a special children's edition of 'Blind Date with a Book'.
Internationally renowned antiquarian Wellington bookseller, John Quilter will be brining books and pamphlets on NZ politics and history, fine literary tombs and books on the lower North island.
The bookstalls will be open from 10am to 4pm Saturday 12 and Sunday 13, May.