Drake's Drum
Drake's Drum and Other Songs of the Sea
by Henry Newbolt with illustrations in colour by AD McCormick
This is a lovely quarto volume of light green cloth boards with gilt lettering to the spine & front board. There is a dark blue and gilt drum motif to the front board and a gilt nautical motif to the lower spine. An attractive decorative rule made up of cream & gilt sailing ships adorns the rest of the front board. The tipped-in colour plates are each protected by a tissue guard.
Gunner and guns may all be right,
Flags a-flying and armour tight,
But I am the fellow you've first to fight -
The giant that swings the seas.
PG Wodehouse
To make sure you are in the right mood for the show, you could try reading a few PG Wodehouse novels before you go along. We have a huge selection of Wodehouse books from hugely expensive first editions to cheap & cheerful paperbacks. You are bound to find something to amuse you and get you in the right frame of mind for hilarity.
Tarot
Nancy Garen's Tarot Made Easy
For those who have long been intrigued by the idea of reading tarot cards but have been confused about the how, this is the book for you. By following the very simple method presented in this book, you will immediately know how to predict events.
With this book, you can interpret the meaning of any card and apply it to particular circumstances in life. You don't have to memorise the meaning of cards or their significance. All you need is a pack of Tarot cards and a question. You choose one card and then consult one or more of the categories offered under each card.
Come in and get a copy and you'll soon be on the way to doing readings and discovering the cards' specific messages for you (or your clients). Travel, romance, work, finance, family, fortune, success, and disappointment are among the many different headings that are covered.
New Zealand Poetry
The Ballad of Fifty-One
by Bill Sewell
As the title suggests, these poems by Bill Sewell deal with the 1951 Waterfront Lockout, not as an account of the historical events but more in the way of a context and a wry commentary.
Here is the last verse of a poem called Pause:
Sometimes though
between the uniform and the placard,
the cologne and the calluses,
the credit and the debit:
sometimes though
decency breaks through.
When you come in to get a copy of this book, you could peruse our shelf of New Zealand poetry or ask to see some of the books from our huge on-line selection. It's good to read some of our great NZ poets.
Dreams
Unlock the secrets of your dreams. Get a copy of Theresa Cheung's
The Element Encyclopedia of 20,000 Dreams: The Ultimate A-Z of Your Dreams
If you are playing a team game in your dream, this reflects how well you feel you are performing in a group (lazy, fair, a good sport, a cheat, a team player or a limelight-hogger).
If you see a judge or a courtroom, you are dealing with some moral confusion in your life.
If you're eating cheese in your dream, you are in for potential profit or gain.
If you're wearing an overcoat, it suggests you're hiding vulnerability.
Everyone dreams. Use this encyclopaedia to explore the world of your dreams and dream interpretation. Surprise yourself with the symbolism and psychology of dreams.
The "Long Nose"
Focke Wulf Fw190 "Long Nose": An Illustrated History of the Fw 190D Series
by Dietmar Hermann
As the title suggests, this book covers the complete development history of Focke-Wulf Fw190, or at least those powered by inline engines. The first one had a Daimler Benz liquid-cooled engine and the next a Jumo 213. A couple of years later, the Fw 190 D-9 powered by a Jumo 213A took to the skies and was a huge success with the Luftwaffe. 1700 had been produced by the end of World War Two.
I have no idea what I'm talking about really. I have just paraphrased the blurb on the dust jacket to get that little paragraph. I know nothing about military aviation history (or anything to do with aeronautics come to that) but we have loads of excellent books on the subject so you could browse on the website or come in and have a look at what we have in the shop. It's not just the individual aircraft (such as the McDonnel Douglas F4 Phantom II) but also biographies of great airmen (such as Ernst Udet) and much much more.
David Foster Wallace
by David Foster Wallace
This book has received really great reviews ever since it appeared about 10 years ago. It is billed as extraordinary, astonishing, addictive, exuberant, ambitious, accomplished, humorous, brilliant, and witty by various reviewers from all around the world. It is meant to have a "rumbustious comic energy and a generosity of spirit". I didn't get far enough to find out whether it lives up to the hype.
I seldom fail to finish a book. This one got me long before I reaped the apparent rewards. it was labouring under the title "Infinite Jest at My Expense" when I admitted defeat and stopped. Come in, get a copy, whizz through it (all 1079 pages) and then pop back and explain to me how thick I am and how unable to appreciate good literature. I promise I will listen carefully and if your argument is good enough, I may try again.
Canals
by Charles Hadfield
I was putting the above book away on a shelf in the shop when I got sidetracked by the picture on the front. It made me think about my holiday last year. We booked a week on a narrowboat (the name gives you a clue that it's just a bit narrower than a barge) in the UK. It was a wonderful experience, hard to describe but very addictive. The boat moves at a snail's pace on full throttle, to the point where dog walkers, toddlers on tricycles, and even those on zimmer frames overtake you on the tow path without hurrying and disappear into the distance as you putter along. You enter another world with a very different pace of life and I really highly recommend it.
However, back to the subject at hand, the above book is about the use of rivers and canals for transport and pleasure. It tells the history of inland waterways and their carrying of freight and passengers over centuries. It will be a fascinating read either before or after your own barge or narrowboat holiday!
