SOLD! First Edition Friday: Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel García Márquez - 31st Jul 2020

"Crazy people are not crazy if one accepts their reasoning"

You may already be familiar with Gabriel García Márquez, the nobel prize winning Colombian powerhouse - he wrote 'Love in a Time of Cholera', 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' and 'Autumn of the Patriarch' to name a few. He is the father of magical realism, weaving the mystery of the unknown, the magic of myth, and the familiarity of real life. 
This is particularly true  of 'Of Love and Other Demons'. It tells the story of a young girl bitten by a rabies infected dog whom shows then shows no signs of illness. When strange occurances begin to happen around the town she is believed to be possessed. After being shipped off to convent to be exorcised, she meets a priest who adds love to her list of ailments.

We have first editions from both England and America available.
The American version (pictured first) is only $11.15 NZD
The English version (second with no dust jacket) is $12.00NZD
 

First Edition Friday Presents: The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God by Bernard Shaw. - 10th Jul 2020

I will be the first to admit that when this came across my lap I was concerned. A story from the 1930’s about a black woman... I felt this may be very.... problematic. 
So I did some research and what I found surprised me. 
This is a selection of short stories from Bernard Shaw (Best known for Pygmalion and it’s adaptation My Fair Lady) which follows an African woman in the wake of interacting with white Christian missionaries. Dissatisfied with their teachings, she embarks upon her own quest for God and Truth. Journeying through the forest, she encounters various religious figures, each one seeking to convert her to their own brand of faith. It is a sardonic fable which echoes Shaw’s unorthodox views on religion and also attacks the racist and sexist underpinnings of religious dogma and prophesies the emergence of feminism and multiracialism.
Definitely not what I was expecting! 
This is visually striking First Edition, Fourth impression and is available online or in store for $14.00NZD. 
(I know it is not a true first edition, but it was so gorgeous and interesting that I had to share) 

The Alchemy of Mirrormask by Dave McKean & Neil Gaiman - 5th Jul 2020

The Alchemy of Mirrormask by Dave McKean (with commentary by Neil Gaiman)
After the popularity of yesterday’s post, we thought it would be a good idea to showcase another book of the same ilk. Mirrormask is an incredibly quirky film from Dave McKean, Neil Gaiman and The Jim Henson Company.
This book is a look inside the creative process of this extraordinary film and is available online or in our Dunedin store

SOLD! This just in: Brian Froud’s The World of The Dark Crystal! - 4th Jul 2020

This visually striking book is a conceptual companion book to the original Dark Crystal movie and is filled with insights, sacred geometry, and some simply outstanding illustrations and photographs. We fell in love with it the second we saw it and knew you would too!
It will cost you $38.50NZD and is worth every cent!
THIS BOOK HAS BEEN SOLD

First Edition Friday: Anais Nin - 3rd Jul 2020

First Edition Friday Presents: Anais Nin

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

Anais Nin was a novelist, passionate eroticist, short story writer who rose to fame with the publication of her personal journals which covered over 40 years of her extraordinary life. She is regarded as one of the leading female writers of the 20th century and a source of inspiration for women challenging conventionally defined gender roles.
We have several first edition copies of her books:

Delta of Venus; Erotica - First Edition in excellent condition 1978: $65.00
In Favour of the Sensitive Man and Other Essays - First Edition 1978: $20.66
The Novel of the Future - First Commonwealth Edition 1969: $27.89
The Four Chambered Heart - First Edition 1959: $35.00

All these books are available online or at our Dunedin Store.

 

This Just In: Occult, Spiritualism, Freemason - 29th Jun 2020

This just in: We have just catalogued a bunch of occult, Freemason, and spiritualism books and they are all online! 
We have quite a large collection of this type of book - here are some of the highlights that where added last weekend. 

The Encyclopaedia of Death and Life in the Spirit World by J. R. Francis. 3 vol. set from 1906. $175.00 SOLD!

Commentaries on the Holy Books and Other Papers: The Equinox (Vol.4 No. 1) by Aleister Crowley, Madam Blavatsky and co.  $245.00

Glimpses of Masonic History by C. W. Leadbeater. 1926. $85.00

And that is just the beginning! 
All these books and more are available on our website www. hardtofind.co.nz or in our stores. 

First Edition Friday: Winnie the Pooh! - 26th Jun 2020

First Edition Friday Presents: ‘Winnie the Pooh’ by A.A Milne!
 
"So they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing."
 
A beautiful and well-loved first edition of the immortal Winnie the Pooh! I am not sure is there is a more sustained or beloved character in the history of children’s literature.
You can pick up this copy from our website or in store at 20 Dowling St, Dunedin Central.
It is NZ$950.00 and is a MUST for any A.A Milne collector, or devotee in general.

We also have several other early editions that won't break the bank as much, as well as other earky Milne classics. There is something about a first edition however that makes it worth the expense.
 

BOTH DUNEDIN & AUCKLAND STORES ARE OPEN! - 13th May 2020

Welcome back everyone.
We have thousands of new books (in store & on-line) and look forward to seeing your smiling faces again soon! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us in these unprecedented times.
Dunedin winter shop hours are Wed-Sat, 10.45am to 5.15pm.
Stay well, and read books!