Agatha Christie
We have a great selection of Agatha Christie hardbacks with lovely dust jackets. These are published by Agatha Christie Ltd but faithfully reproduce the dustwrappers as they originally were when first published from the 1920s onwards.
The original dust jackets are extremely hard to come by and are incredibly expensive if you can find one. The last one Warwick sold went for $5000. This is probably the nearest most of us are going to get to one.
Come in and have a look. They are on our 'new arrivals' trolley in the Dunedin shop at the moment. There are lots of titles you might not have come across before.
And if you browse our online stock, you will find over 270 listings for all sorts of books by and/or about Agatha Christie.
Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is one of the most enduringly popular comics of all time. They were written by Herge, the pen name of Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi (very useful to remember if you are ever playing the well known game "Name 10 famous ......" (Belgians).
The series consists of 24 adventures which take place all over the world. They concern the exploits of Tintin and Snowy (his wire fox terrier), Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus and others.
There have been films, television series and documentaries of Tintin and there are even Tintin shops selling Tintin merchandise. There is an Herge museum too.
And someone called Frederic Tuten has written a novel about Tintin as an adult. I haven't read it but you could buy a copy, read it and write a review for us. That would be great.
Or you could just try and collect all 24 books in the series.
Trip to Rio for the Olympics?
Essential guide books and phrase books
Once you make it to Brazil, you'll need to know what to do, where to go and what sights to see. You'll also want to know how to order some delicious Brazilian food or ask for a drink in a beachside bar in Brazilian Portuguese. Make sure you try the famous caipirinha. Mmmm!
What better way to prepare than to read a few guidebooks to get the lowdown on the best places to go and then carry a phrase book to help you ask directions and get what you want.
We have a great selection of travel guides and phrase books at prices far below the cost of new books. Come in and have a look or browse through our online stock. We don't just cover Brazil. We have guides to all sorts of countries and phrase books for all sorts of languages.
You're bound to want to see a bit of the rest of South America, so pick up a Spanish phrase book as well. Happy travelling
Rio Olympics
Olympic Games - next month - Rio de Janeiro
Were I lucky enough to have flights booked to Rio and tickets for a couple of Olympic events then I would be rushing to read all about Brazil before leaving.We have a lovely selection of books on Brazil. You can learn about its history, its culture, the Amazon, the tribes, its landscape, its art, its architecture, its food and much more. You could start with Michael Palin's travelogue and go on from there. Whatever your area of interest we can probably find a book on it.
We can even do Billy Bunter in Brazil for your kids or Ira Levin's The Boys from Brazil if you fancy a thriller for the plane!
Continuing the sailing theme
The much loved series of sailing adventure books for children by Arthur Ransome
Set in the 1930s and 1940s, these stories centre around groups of children having great sailing adventures during their school holidays. The first book is Swallows and Amazons which takes its name from the Walker children's dinghy Swallow and the Blackett children's dinghy Amazon.
The books are perhaps a bit dated but still understandably popular and very enjoyable for kids who like the outdoors. There are 12 books in the series so if you can get your children interested, they'll be set for a good long while.
Rumour has it that there is a brand new film version of Swallows & Amazons due for release in cinemas fairly soon so for those of us who remember the 1960s tv series and the later 1974 film, this remake is bound to be worthwhile. Watch this space (as they say).
Common whipping, lashing, tying up and getting knotted
.......a fascinating little book called 'Stringlopedia' by Adam Hart-Davis.
It's a mixture of science, history, and trivia which takes you through every conceivable use of strands, strings, twine and rope, from common shoelaces to string theory.
Perhaps you were a fan of Swallows and Amazons and wanted to learn how to tie all the knots they mentioned: if so, this is the book for you. Learn to tie stoppers, reefs, bends, hitches, loops and whippings like a real pro.
Find out about rope & religion, rope in weaponry, string in sport, string and magic, loopy inventions and much, much more.
This is a fun, fascinating, frivolous but fact-filled little book. And if you haven't read any of the Arthur Ransome Swallows and Amazon books, then check out our catalogue now.
New Zealand Wildlife
The Reed Field Guide to New Zealand Wildlife
New Zealand is famous for the superb variety of its wildlife: its birds, animals, insects and marine creatures.
In this informative handbook, Geoff Moon describes and illustrates the fauna found in each habitat from seashore to mountain range and from desert to rainforest. As an experienced wildlife photographer, he provides magnificent pictures to aid identification: whales, takahe tuatara, kakapo, saddleback, kea, weta, fantails and much much more. This useful guide covers both native and introduced species, including pests, predators and game animals.
Whether you are an armchair browser or whether you need something for the glovebox, the backpack or the bicycle pannier, this fascinating guide is an invaluable reference and travel companion.
Have a look at the wide range of natural history / wildlife books available from our online catalogue. We have a huge selection to suit every interest and every pocket.
Roald Dahl
-Roald Dahl, The Twits
A little wisdom for you this afternoon from the much loved Roald Dahl. He has published over 30 books, including favourites such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, George's Marvellous Medicine, The Witches, and many more.
Disney has just released the film adaptation of The BFG, which, like most Disney films, looks fantastic and doesn't fail to enchant and entertain, but often the substance and underlying messages tend to get lost when put on screen. Nothing is quite the same as reading the book for yourself and letting your imagination run wild.
Roald Dahl's imaginative, humorous and eccentric tales for children, accompanied by Quentin Blake's charming illustrations, are a must for any child's bookshelf.
If you loved his children's books, you may want to try reading some of his adult fiction - perhaps a collection of his short stories.
