Boats, Planes, Trains and Things

50 Years of Volkswagens in New Zealand by Philip Coyle. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0908876505. Recommended retail price $45.95.

The Volkswagen story begins in 1930s Germany, with the automotive genius of Ferdinand Porsche. The “people’s car” concept was adopted by the Third Reich, but its development was sidelined by World War II. After the war, development resumed under Allied supervision, and in the 1950s it became one of West Germany’s major export successes. Indeed, the classic VW Beetle is considered the world’s second most widely recognized product shape of the 20th century, exceeded only by the Coca-Cola bottle.

When introduced in New Zealand in 1954, Volkswagens took the motoring public by storm and it quickly became the country’s best selling non-British car brand. VWs have appealed to New Zealanders ever since, due to their quirkiness and engineering quality. For many, they also symbolize a fondly remembered less complicated era, and most people have a Volswagen story from their past.

This book documents the most successful of the Volkswagen models in New Zealand – the Beetle, Transporter (vans) and the Golf – which were all assembled at Otahuhu in Auckland by Jowett Motors, renamed VW Motors, and then Motor Holdings, and the models that are now imported by European Motor Distribuotrs. It also covers the dealers and some of the passionate owners with the vehicles they have restored, cared for and, in some cases, customized.

50 Years of Volkswagens in New Zealand includes over 300 photos (most in color), old and new advertisements, items of memorabilia, and 45,000 words – a big, beautiful book that should have a place on the bookshelf of everyone who enjoys cars!

Philip Coyle lives and works in Wellington where he is a secondary school mathematics teacher.

It was almost predetermined that he would have an interest in cars given that he grew up in West Auckland. His first vehicle was a 1967 Beetle and since then he has owned eleven more Beetles.

Through his interest in Volkswagens he joined the Auckland Owners club in 1994 and has also been a member of the Canterbury Enthusiasts and Wellington Kembined Volkswagen Clubs.

At present he owns a two “hobby cars’, a 1956 and a 1963 American specification Beetle. One of his favorite leisure activities is driving these cars around Wellington on a fine day. Hardcover, 177 pages. Published in 2004.

Alternative Drivestyles: New Zealand custom-built cars by Patrick Harlow. Published by IPL-Transpress. ISBN: 9781877418136. Recommended retail price $49.95.

A wide range of standard production cars is available, but their pre-packaged looks and specifications don’t meet the needs and tastes of many car enthusiasts who choose to build their own cars.

Alternative Drive Styles is an effective chronology of the cars that have been built by members of the Constructors Car Club in New Zealand.

Cars range from the simple and racey to the lavish and exotic; from a motorbike powered three-wheeler built from plywood and steel tubing to exotic fiberglass monocoque supercars, they are all here including the road tests of several of them.  Illustrated with color photos throughout, this book is a key addition to the history of the automobile.

Hardcover, 216 pages, published in 2009.

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Aircraft of Air New Zealand and Affiliates Since 1940, The by Paul Sheehan.   ISBN 0-908876-24-6. Published by IPL Transpress.  Recommended retail price $45.95.

On 17 December 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first sustained, controlled flights in a powered aircraft. So began a transport mode that steadily became fundamentally important to the people of the world.

A century after the Wright brothers' first pioneering initiatives, this book, for the first time, provides a complete record of all the aircraft that have been used by New Zealand's national carrier Air New Zealand, its predecessors - Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) and New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC) - and its subsidiaries and affiliates - Mount Cook Airline, Freedom Air, Air Nelson, Eagle Airways and Straits Air Freight Express (SAFE Air). The range of aircraft so covered is enormous - from basic early de Havillands through flying boats and DC3s to the latest jets from Boeing and Airbus.

But not only is the book concerned with aircraft, it also features early interior scenes, advertisements and memorabilia that will evoke nostalgia among all those who have traveled by air within New Zealand and to its neighbors since 1940.

Lavishly illustrated with over 300 beautiful photographs from both official archives and aviation enthusiasts, some two thirds of which are in full color, this book provides all the details to make it the definitive look-up reference work, including all registrations and construction numbers of the aircraft and their origin and disposal details. And every livery that the airlines have used is represented.

Everyone interested in the history of aviation should have this book on their shelves. Hard cover, 236 pages. Published in 2003.

(55k)

Bridges of New Zealand by Patrick Hudson. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0908876815. Recommended retail price $12.95.

Bridges are one of the oldest, if not the oldest form of engineering in the history of mankind. This book for the first time presents a history of the best-known bridges in New Zealand, structures that were intended to be functional but which also have their intrinsic beauty of design and form, harmonizing with their environments.

From huge railway viaducts to simple but picturesque footbridges, this book portrays in words and 63 excellent photos (9 in color) the architecture and engineering behind 120 years of bridge building in New Zealand. Patrick Hudson relates the stories behind the impressive, and at times intriguing, structures, including the reasons for their choice of design and materials, personalities involved and general anecdotes. Soft cover, 64 pages.

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Chariots For Fire: A Pictorial History of the New Zealand Fire Engine by Brian Denton. Published by IPL Transpress. Recommended retail price $34.95.

Post 9/11 firefighters the world over have become more important in the eyes of the public and finally receiving the respect they have been long due. They fight fires using specialized, sophisticated equipment that has evolved over the years

This is a unique look-up reference book to the fire trucks used in New Zealand from the 19th century to the present time. It is lavsihly illustrated with 360 captioned photos of which over 60 are in color. The book is divided into categories of each appliance with introductions to each. Hard cover, 200 pages.

Classic Fighters 2005 Souvenir Edition  ISBN: 978-0-473-10288-9. Published by Golden Micro Solutions. Recommended retail price $20.00.

Pictorial record of the third biennial Classic Fighters Marlborough airshow held at Omaka Aerodrome in Blenheim, during Easter 2007. Includes a brief history of Classic Fighters including the first two shows (2001 & 2003). 

A5 in format/size, Full colour throughout 
Bound, not stapled 
over 300 high quality photos 
 
Cover is gloss laminated on one side 250gsm gloss art paper 
Body is 130gsm gloss art paper 
PUR bound 

Classic Fighters 2007 Souvenir Edition ISBN: 978-0-473-12994-1. Published by Golden Micro Solutions. Recommended retail price $20.00. 

Pictorial record of the fourth biennial Classic Fighters Marlborough >airshow held at Omaka Aerodrome in Blenheim, during Easter 2007. Includes information about the various aircraft displayed at the show . 
 
A5 in format/size , Full colour throughout 
Bound, not stapled 
118 pages long 
over 360 high quality photos 

Cover is gloss laminated on one side 250gsm gloss art paper 
Body is 130gsm gloss art paper 
PUR bound 

(103k)

Era of Coastal Shipping in New Zealand, The: The Small Motor Ships by Murray Jennings.  ISBN 0-908876-22-X. Published by IPL Transpress. Recommended retail price $29.95.

For many years the transport of goods between New Zealand towns was done by ships which would voyage from one port to another. Gradually as roads improved this trade died. The introduction of the inter-island roll-on roll-off ferries in 1962 finally killed most coastal trade. Many small ports simply ceased to operate and with them went a whole era of New Zealand social and maritime history.

This book presents the stories of some of those who worked on ships and the history of the port of Raglan is presented as an illustrative example of a coastal port that no longer exists as such. The bulk of the book is a presentation of all the motor ships that operated between 100 and 1600 tons with illustrations, specifications and a brief history. Hard cover, 192 pages. Published in 2003.

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Danger Ahead: New Zealand railway accidents in the modern era by Geoffrey Churchman. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0-908876-74-2. Recommended retail price: $19.95.

An illustrated documentary of some 120 accidents that have occured on New Zealand railways from the 1940s to the 1990s, rounded out with a chapter on "near misses" and a chapter on why accidents occur and the lessons that have been learned from them. Soft cover, 160 pages.

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Featherston's Fell Locomotive Museum: Memories of New Zealand's only mountain railway by C.C. Lea. ISBN 0908616139. Recommended retail price $6.95.

A pictorial history of H 199, the only survivor of the six Fell locomotives that were used on the famous Rimutaka Incline between Cross Creek and Summit in the Wairarapa between 1878 and 1955, and Fell brakevan F210 - both of which are the sole survivors of their type in the world - and which are now housed in the special Fell engine museum in Featherston. Included is a brief pictorial history of the Incline. Soft cover, 48 pages.

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Last Great Air Race: London - Christchurch 1953, The by Robin Bromby. ISBN 0908616058. Recommended retail price $6.95.

A pictorial history of this event, and of the people and aircraft which took part in it, featuring excellent portrait photos of aircraft of the period. Soft cover, 47 pages.

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Leading Edge, The: A Life in Gliding by Dick Georgeson and Anna Wilson. Published by Shoal Bay Press. ISBN 1877251305. Recommended retail price $34.95.

One of the most famous figures in world gliding, S.H. (Dick) Georgeson spent the greater part of his childhood at Irishman Creek station, home of his uncle, the renowned engineer and inventor Bill Hamilton. Dick pursued his early dream of learning to fly, but an introduction to gliding in England in 1949 soon saw him become committed to ‘riding on the wind’: he was hooked.

By 1951, Dick had his first New Zealand gliding record and by 1960 his first world record. A succession of remarkable achievements followed over the next 25 years. A bold pioneer in long cross-wind wave flights, Dick pursued his addiction with courage and tenacity. In 1979 the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) awarded Dick the Gold Medal, their highest award for flying; this was followed in 1985 with a Lilienthal Medal, the highest award for gliding. In 1979 he received an MBE for serves to aviation in New Zealand.

His story is a vivid account of his experiences in gliding, with gripping descriptions of many of his record-breaking flights and other dramatic adventures in the sky. Imagine flying at 35,000 ft in a flimsy glider, air temperature -57oC – your breath crystallizing around you and ailerons and air brakes frozen solid – and looking down to see the plane from Australia a tiny dot 20,000 feet below! Dick pays tribute to other pioneers and stalwarts of the gliding scene, both here and overseas; describes the evolution of soaring planes from the fabric-covered, ‘wings and wires’, open-cockpit glider he first flew; and tells of some of the tragic accidents associated with the risks of throwing oneself at the mercy of weather and terrain.

The book is introduced with a foreword by Einar Enevoldson, former NASA test pilot and the mastermind of the Perlan Project, the attempt to reach the stratosphere in a glider by the American adventurer Steve Fossett.

Anyone with an interest in flying – or in high adventure of any kind – will find it utterly absorbing. I'm excited by this wonderful book, my Dad, a meteorologist, gets fulsome credit from Dick for helping to plan several of his record  attempts. Soft cover, 200 pages. Published in 2003.

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Midland Line, The: New Zealand's Trans-Alpine Railway by Geoffrey Churchman. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0908876866. Recommended retail price $24.95.

Acclaimed for years as one of the great railway journeys of the world, the Midland Line, linking Canterbury and Westland through the Southern Alps, is a story of perseverance and adventure. In New Zealand's sparsely populated colonial days the early settlers battled to have a railway between the two provinces, but after setback upon setback from politicians, decided to build the line themselves. Faced with the enormous costs and difficulties in forging through the alps, however, the New Zealand Midland Railway Company likewise failed. Another three decades followed before the line was completed, including the famous 8.6 km long Otira tunnel.

This book is a pictorial history of the line from the 1880s to the 1990s, and contains a large number of photographs - half in color - of trains in action amidst the spectacular scenery of the Southern Alps from the steam, electric and diesel eras. Soft cover, 112 pages.

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Morris Minor Story, The New Zealand by Reiner Schoenbrunn. ISBN 0908876114. Published by Transpress. Recommended retail price $36.95.

Many New Zealanders have a story to tell about the Morris Minor; either they used to own one themselves, or learnt to drive in one, or their uncle or aunty used to drive one on gravel roads all the way from .! Whatever their story might be, most people love talking about the Morris Minor which today still enjoys much nostalgic popularity in New Zealand as in its country of origin.

The New Zealand Morris Minor Story is a tribute to this wonderful little car, which helped to shape social history, and to those people who had a lifetime involvement with Morris vehicles here in New Zealand, be it as pioneer manufacturers, their engineers, assemblers, sales people or as loving private owners (then and today).

Beginning in 1919 with the formation of The Dominion Motors by Sir Charles Norwood the book traces the development of the motorcar assembly industry in New Zealand, with focus on The Dominion Motors Ltd, and not only Morris Minors but other members of the Morris vehicle range are covered.

The author, Reiner Schoenbrunn, spent four years researching, painstakingly piecing together the story by interviewing, correspondence and collecting data. The result is a comprehensive documentation of a major part of New Zealand's motoring history, richly illustrated with 278 photographs and original advertisements, 32 of them in color and mostly previously unpublished.

The New Zealand Morris Minor Story should have its place on every car enthusiast's bookshelf!

"This is no dull history lesson; the text hums along like a well-tuned Morrie; there are interviews with the old hands who used to assemble them, as well as stories about dedicated owners and there are heaps of super photographs. This book's a winner."
- Jim McLees, Wanganui Herald

"...a very useful and beautiful book. All car enthusiasts will enjoy reading and remembering the days when those old time cars were on New Zealand roads".
- John Rawle, Southland Times

Click here for reviews

Hard cover, 160 pages. Published in 2002.

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Nets, Lines and Pots: A history of New Zealand fishing vessels - Volume One by Emmanuel Makarios. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 090887698X. Recommended retail price $19.95.

The story of commercial fishing in New Zealand is one of hardy individuals who, in the face of often adverse weather and economic conditions, have sought to earn a living from the sea.

The author, the exhibitions officer at the Wellington Maritime Museum since 1986, set out to give these individuals their much deserved place in the nation's heritage. This first volume of the resulting trilogy of books, among other episodes from the story, recounts the early fishermen of Island Bay, blue cod and cray fishing in the Chatham Islands, fishing vessels at war, and the story of Ivan Tally, the founder of Tally's Fisheries. The text is complemented by over 100 photographs. Soft cover, 112 pages.

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Nets, Lines and Pots - Volume Two by Emmanuel Makarios. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0908876017. Recommended retail price $19.95.

The second volume, among other subjects, includes: the founder of Auckland's fishing industry, Albert Sanford; the pioneering fishermen of Napier; fishing at Makara Beach (Wellington); deep sea research in the 1960s; oyster fishing at Bluff; and accounts of notable vessels such as the
Baroona, the Thomas Bryan, the Duco, the Hautapu and the Manuka. Soft cover, 120 pages.

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Nets, Lines and Pots - Volume Three by Emmanuel Makarios. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0908876033. Recommended retail price $19.95.

The third and final volume in this trilogy contains, among other subjects: the mussels industry in Marlborough; Pam Williams of Wanganui Trawlers Ltd; paua diving off the Marlborough coast; marine engineer Edwin Kaminski; plus a complete index to all three volumes. The many illustrations include 15 photographs in color.

Press reviews say :

"Triptych means a set of three artistic works and Emmanuel Makarios has created just that with his third and final volume covering the history of the New Zealand fishing industry and fishing vessels.

"It is truly an art work with superb black and white and colored photographs on nearly every page."

"Makarios has gone beyond just collecting photos of various types of boats and depicting fishing methods. He has dug much deeper than that .....I couldn't put this book down. Every page was interesting. What a gift for the fishing family - recreational, armchair or still at sea."

- Val Bell, Nelson Evening Mail

Soft cover, 112 pages.

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New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas, The (fourth edition) by John Yonge. ISBN 0900609923. Recommended retail price $12.95.

A unique and extremely valuable reference to all New Zealand's railway and city tramlines, past and present. There is also an extensive coverage of bush tramways. The amount of detail included in the maps is extensive, and includes all lines, whether single or double track, whether electrified, all stations, their status, lineside features, viaducts with dimensions, tunnels with lengths, heights above sea level, and much, much more... Soft cover, 48 pages.

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New Zealand Railway Memories: Compiled from the J.D. Mahoney Collection. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN: 0908876769. Recommended retail price $29.95.

A journey back into the past is presented in this superb collection of images from the 1870s to the 1960s. The late J.D. (Jack) Mahoney was one of New Zealand's earliest railway enthusiasts and during his lifetime amassed a large collection of photographs and research information. This book includes over 200 of the best of these photos - featuring trains in landscape, railway workers, depots, stations, locomotives, as well as townships and cityscapes - and presents them with detailed extended captions. A must-have book for anyone interested in New Zealand railways and history. Hard cover, 120 pages.

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Pan American's Pacific Pioneers: The Rest of the Story, a Pictorial History of Pan Am's Pacific First Flights 1935-1946 by Jon E. Krupnick. Foreword by Jimmy Buffet. ISBN 1-57510-076-2. Published by Jon Krupnick. Recommended retail price $59.95.

Writes Jimmy Buffett of Pan Am's Pacific Pioneers - The Rest of the Story, it "gives us a wonderful glimpse into one of the great time periods in all of aviation. In an era of fast planes and high-tech theme parks, it is truly refreshing to be able to be taken back in time by the pages of a book." Buffet may well appreciate Jon Krupnick's exciting history of the individuals and flying boats that initiated Transpacific flight, being an adventurer and owner of a "big old romantic flying boat", a Grumman Albatross, himself.

Pan Am's Pacific Pioneers - The Rest of the Story will fly you "back in time" to those heady early days of aviation in the middle 1930s when audiences around the world marvelled at Pan Am's historic establishment of mail and passenger flights across the Pacific to the Philippine's and Hong Kong. Krupnick's pictorial history in the words and pictures of the men and women who built Pan Am presents new material never before published in an unforgettable and very human narrative.

Vintage photographs, souvenir flight covers, personal interviews come together in Krupnick's book to deliver a story of high drama and visual appeal. Krupnick synthesizes thorough research and his extensive personal collection of the flight covers and photographs, as well as colourful posters, brochures, timetables, and newly discovered logs of early Pan Am employees to recapture the history of those early flying days.

If you love the romantic aviation era of the giant flying boats, if you are a history buff who likes to know the rest of the story, and if you admire the accomplishments of Pan Am as it grew steadily in power and prestige, you will enjoy every page of Krupnick's history as it flies you "back in time". Hard cover, 696 pages. Published in 2000.

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Prices of Thames by Bob Stott. ISBN 0908616066. Recommended retail price $6.95.

An illustrated history of the famous engineering works of A. & G. Price, which among other things, until 1969 manufactured numerous steam and diesel locomotives for both NZR and private industry. In fact Price were New Zealand's largest and longest-lived private locomotive manufacturer. This gives comprehensive coverage of the locomotives with production lists. Soft cover, 64 pages.

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Railway Electrification in Australia and New Zealand by Geoffrey Churchman. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0908876793. Recommended retail price $29.95.

This book examines the development of electric traction from overhead catenerary on Australian and New Zealand railways from the 1910s to the 1990s. It describes the basics of electric traction, examines the routes that have been selected for electrification, the reasons behind the decisions, and looks at the locomotives and multiple units that have been developed for use over these routes. Over 100 photos in full color, 47 in black and white, plus several maps and scale drawings make this an essential reference work for anyone interested in Australian and New Zealand railways and their motive power.

"Hugely impressive" - New Zealand Herald

Soft cover,160 pages.

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Railways of New Zealand, The : A journey through history by Geoffrey B. Churchman & Tony Hurst. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0908876203. Recommended retail price $39.95.

Since the 1860s the phenomenon of the railway has dominated the attention of the public in New Zealand. In the nineteenth century there was no other form of land transportation except horses, and horse-drawn carts and stage-coaches. Every small settlement wanted a railway as a link to the outside world. Later as the network grew the railway was the prime means of getting from place to place. In later years as the network has been pruned and much equipment and infrastructure removed, a dedicated band of enthusiasts nostalgic about the old days has developed, the ranks of which quickly grew when steam was in its dying days.

The authors, Geoffrey Churchman and Tony Hurst, tell the story of the development of the railways of New Zealand from when a small crowd at Christchurch said farewell to a broad gauge steam locomotive with 4-wheel passenger cars to Ferrymead, 7 km away, in 1863, to today's hi-tech freight operations on 3900 km of track.

Documented are the broad vision and narrowmindedness of politicians, the trials and tribulations of different locomotive classes, the engineering brilliance that overcame many natural obstacles, the dogged perseverance of those responsible for the planning and building of 5,700 km of railway lines throughout New Zealand since 1863, the changing role of the railways in the twentieth century and the new era of private ownership and control.

Illustrated with over 300 photographs, more than half of which are in full color, this book recalls to life the changing face of the railways over 140 years. The good old days of steam receive rightful coverage, but the contribution of modern motive power is not neglected. This stunning tribute to the transportation form that has done so much to shape the nation's history should be on the bookshelf of everyone interested in trains.

Geoffrey Churchman was born in Wellington, New Zealand and grew up in the 1960s as steam was ending. His introduction to the fascination of railways came on family outings along the west coast where they would observe steam and electric locomotives being changed over at Paekakariki. He has nostalgic memories of the electric locomotives and multiple units in use in the Wellington region. Later his interest extended to railways in other parts of the world and he has traveled over the networks of several countries. He has contributed articles to Rails magazine and since 1988 has authored a number of books on the subject. Apart from railways and other forms of historic transportation he has a general interest in history, music and photography.

Tony Hurst was born in Christchurch, New Zealand and became interested in railways upon seeing KB locomotives storm up the last grade into Arthur's Pass. He has belonged to the New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society since 1968 and is a member of the Silverstream Railway Museum. Tony has contributed articles to Rails magazine and wrote the best selling book "The Otago Central Railway: A tribute" as well as co-authored "South Island Main Trunk." He is a geophysicist with the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences in Wellington, specializing in the research and monitoring of volcanoes, and is married with two adult daughters.

Hard cover, 224 pages. Published in 2001.

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South Island Main Trunk by Geoffrey Churchman & Tony Hurst. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0908876785. Recommended retail price: $24.95

Now representing a quarter of the present-day Tranz Rail network, the South Island Main Trunk stretches 1000 km from Picton in the Marlborough Sounds to Bluff at the bottom of the South Island, along the way passing through an impressive variety of terrains: mountains, coastline (for some 100 km both at the same time) hill country, plains, and of course, cities.

This book relates the history of the two sections of the railway, which were completed nearly seven decades apart, as well as features of engineering and scenic interest, the nature of rail operations, locomotives and trains through the decades.
Maps and an impressive collection of photos, many in full color, accompany the fascinating text. Soft cover, 128 pages.

Steam on 4 continents: Volume 3: Asia by David Wardale and Gunther Haslbeck. ISBN 3925314024. Recommended retail price $39.95.

The fascination of steam railways has in recent years produced globetrotters who search for the last remaining vestiges of steam operations in exotic lands. The authors present readers with the resullts of their world travels. They devote the third of their four-volume set to the countries of Asia and, as with the two previous volumes, have assembled a magnificent collection of evocative full color photographs, accompanied by informative text and captions. The result is a book to grace the bookshelves of all railway enthusiasts. Text in both English and German. Hard cover, 128 pages.

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Steam on 4 continents: Volume 4: China. ISBN 3925314032. Recommended retail price $39.95.

The final volume in this set contains truly magnificent color photographs of steam trains in action amid China's varied and often spectacular landscapes. This is a railway photography book that stands with the best. Text in both English and GermanHard cover, 128 pages.

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Tiger Moths & Butterflies: With the Airforce in War and Peace by Peter Norman. ISBN 187727043. Published by Hazard Press. Recommended retail price $24.95.

Tiger Moths and Butterflies: With the Airforce in War and Peace is the fascinating story of a schoolboy and his contemporaries during WWII. In 1942, Peter Norman and his friends were excited at the thought of escaping boyhood and getting into uniform to serve their country in the war. Desperate to take part in the action, they enlisted in the New Zealand Air Force, where unlike the Army, they would not need to wait until turning twenty-one before being sent overseas.

In this beautifully written account, the reader is given an insight into the feelings of trepidation of a first solo flight in a Tiger Moth and the thrill of accomplishment. The book covers the period of training, both in New Zealand and in Canada, voyages in US troop ships across the Pacific, the exciting conversion to modern fighter aircraft, the companionship of a squadron and the inevitable loss of friends.

Tiger Moths and Butterflies is a fully illustrated book with a wealth of photographs both private and official. It includes operating characteristics of four well-known wartime aircraft and how it felt to fly them.

Peter Norman was born in Christchurch in 1924. He was educated at Christ’s College. After the war he returned to New Zealand where he took up a position with Thos Borthwicks and Sons and in 1982 he retired as Managing Director of that company. Norman was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal in 1976. He lives at Drummond Cottage in Greytown and is married with a son and daughter. Tiger Moths and Butterflies is his third book. Soft cover, 136 pages. Published in 2003.

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Traincatcher: Adventures of a rail traveller by Colin Taylor. Published by IPL Transpress. ISBN 0908876947.Recommended retail price $19.95.

Many of those who board a train have as their purpose not the destination but the journey itself. From his 60 years plus of travelling of trains around the world, well-known rail commentator, Brisbane-based Colin Taylor, here recounts his most memorable experiences, rates the best and worst passenger trains he has traveled on, and takes an incisive look at the often idiosyncratic practices of the managements who are responsible for the operations of them.

This is a well-written, highly entertaining book that will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys travelling on trains!
Illustrated with maps, photos and timetable extracts.

"One of the best railway writers... I would never tire of his literary creations." - Roy Sinclair, Christchurch Press

Soft cover, 448 pages.

Nga Waka Maori: Maori canoes by Anne Nelson

Last modified on Sunday, September 30, 2007