Waimakariri An Illustrated History by Robert Logan. This classic work of Canterbury history is now republished for the first time since the original in 1987. The best and most comprehensive history of the river from its source to its mouth. Essential reading.
Hardback. 188 pages. NEW.
Coal Gorge and the Brunner Suspension Bridge by Brian Wood. A comprehensive and well illustrated history of the mining and industrial activity of this famous West Coast area.
Softback. 194 pages. NEW.
The Great 08 Blackball Coal Miners's Strike by Brian Wood. The Blackball strike of 1908 took place at the onset of a wave of industrial unrest in New Zealand associated with the formation of the "Red" Federation of Labour. This book addresses the local, national and international context of the eleven week strike.
Softback. 230 pages. NEW.
Dennstoun's Incline Coal From the Clouds, edited by Bill Prebble. A complete illustrated history of the remarkable tecnical achievement of winning coal from such an inhospitable landsape. Profusely illustrated with maps and photographs.
Softback. 96 pages. NEW.
Letters Fom Early New Zealand Charlotte Godley. The chatty and socially revealing letters home of Charlotte Godley the wife of John Robert Godley first Superintendant of the Canterbury Province. First published for private circulation only in 1936.
Kiwi Facsimile Reprint Edition with index. Hardback. 394 pages. NEW.
The Port Hills of Christchurch by Gordon Ogilvie. First published in 1978 and again in 1991 this classic of Christchurch local history has been fully revised and updated and published for the third time in a larger format than previously. It contains accounts of the history of all settlements and city suburbs of the Canterbury Port Hills and also includes the story of Harry Ell and the Summit Road.
Hardback. 344 pages. NEW.
Golden Prospects Chinese on the West Coast of New Zealand by Julia Bradshaw. The story of the Chinese who came to the West Coast during the gold rush of the 1860s and onwards. Greymouth, Shantytown (West Coast Historical & Mechanical Society Inc), 2009.
Softcovers, illustrated, 294 pages. NEW
History of Ashburton. Its Pioneers and its History 1853-1939 by John Brown. This superb work of local history by John Brown of Lowcliffe was published as a Centennial Memorial for the Ashburton County and Borough Councils 1940.
Hardback, no dustjacket. Very good condition. Secondhand.
The Story of Cheviot by Douglas Creswell. An interesting history of the Cheviot Hills district from the days of Robinson, the sale and then the founding of the borough and county. The first hundred years of the Cheviot district, published in an edition of 1000 copies by the Cheviot County Council in 1951.
Hardback with very fine dust jacket. 178 pages. Secondhand.
Rangiora by D.N. Hawkins. A comprehensive history of the town and district of Rangiora. Published by the Rangiora Borough Council in 1983. Signed by the author.
Hardback with a fine dustjacket. 479 pages. Secondhand.
Akaroa and Banks Peninsula 1840-1940 by William Jacobson. A book about the French colonising venture at Akaroa on Banks Peninsula and early whaling activities. A history of the first settlement in Canterbury. Published and printed by the Akaroa Mail Co., Ltd., 1940.
Hardback, no dustjacket. 396 pages. Slight wear to boards, very good condition. Secondhand.
The Amuri A County History by W.J. Gardener. This book is a history of the great pastoral district from the 1850s onwards. The first edition was in 1956 this is the second revised edition with added material, published in 1983.
Hardback with dustjacket. Fine condition. 492 pages with folding map. Secondhand.
Castle Hill by E.C. Richards. The history of the Castle Hill run together with the diaries of J.D. Enys and E.R. Chudleigh where they concern Castle Hill. Addition material concerning the geology and natural history of the region. This book was printed and published by Simpson and Williams of Christchurch in 1951.
Hardback with dustjacket, as new condition. 58 pages. Secondhand.
Brighton Its Boom and Bust by Les Wright. Even by the standards of West Coast gold rush towns, the rise and fall of Brighton was rapid. In late 1866 its beachfront site had buisnesses catering for 5000 gold seekers, including more than 50 hotels; less than three years later most buildings stood empty or were torn down. This is the story of Brighton.
Friends of Fox River and Bridge Inc. Softback. 144 pages. NEW.
Gold Days of Nelson Creek, Some History of Events in the Gold Days of Nelson Creek. Peaches Eaton describes the history of gold mining at Nelson Creek in Westland, the origins and fate of a once bustling gold rush town. Christchurch, Cadsonbury Publications, 2009 (1976).
Softcovers, illustrated, 99 pages. NEW
French Akaroa An Attempt to Colonise Southern New Zealand. Peter Tremewan describes the French Government's plans to annex the South Island in 1840, and what they did when they found the British had got there first. The lives of the French settlers in Akaroa is the major focus of the book. Canterbury University Press, 2nd, enlarged and updated edition, 2010.
Softcovers, illustrated, 381 pages. NEW
