Good Books Make Good Citizens: 100 years of Reed

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
30 July 2007

Good Books Make Good Citizens: 100 years of Reed Publishing
National Library Gallery
10 August – 10 November 2007

From Barry Crump’s A Good Keen Man, to Avis Acres’ Opo The Gay Dolphin and Witi Ihimaera’s Whale Rider, Reed have published many of Aotearoa’s best-loved books. A new exhibition opening at the National Library Gallery next week celebrates the centenary of the publishing house by inviting you to step into the world constructed through Reed books. This is a familiar and iconic world of good keen men, rugged high country adventures, colonial epics and mischievous Pohutukawa fairies.

Good Books Make Good Citizens focuses on Reed’s nationalistic and indigenous publishing programme of the 1950s and 1960s. It explores Reeds role as the unofficial and popular ‘publisher to the nation’, shaping our stories, dreams and identities for 100 years.

Those who have visited the National Library Gallery’s A Nest of Singing Birds: 100 years of the School Journal, will find many points of connection and crossover between the two centenary exhibitions.

The exhibition draws out the major personalities behind the House of Reed. One section charts firm founder AH Reed’s iconic long distance walks across the New Zealand landscape, which have passed into folklore and bestseller lists. Another section centres around the correspondence between Reed and his nephew and successor, AW (Clif) Reed, held in the Alexander Turnbull Library. These letters offer a series of intimate and fascinating takes on publishing in Aotearoa.

Exhibition co-curator Gavin McLean has recently published Whare Raupo: the Reed books story. The accompanying volume Whare Korero, an anthology of writing by Reed authors, will be launched alongside the exhibition.

A lively programme of related events will accompany the exhibition.

High-resolution images can be downloaded directly from the following link:
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/about-us/news/media-releases/good-books-make-good-citizens/

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Good Books Make Good Citizens: 100 years of Reed Publishing
National Library Gallery
10 August – 10 November 2007

EVENTS PROGRAMME

Guided tour of Good Books Make Good Citizens by co-curator Aaron Lister.
Thursday 16 August, Gallery, 12.10pm

Reed’s Pacific Writers Series
Andrew Campbell, former Reed managing editor, introduces writers Bill Manhire, John Cranna, and Peter Wells, who will read from their works.
Thursday 23 August, Auditorium, 12.10pm

Talk the walk
Geoff Chapple talks with Gavin McLean and Jeremy and Diana Pope about Reed’s touring and walking books and the real-life walking journeys of AH Reed.
Thursday 13 September, Auditorium, 12.10pm

Tuhinga Māori
Paul Diamond talks with Hirini Mead and Paul Tapsell about Reed’s Māori publications.
Tuesday 25 September, Auditorium, 12.10pm

Publishing sound
Tony Vercoe outlines, with music examples, the formation within AH and AW
Reed of the Kiwi Records Division and its subsequent development into a
major New Zealand recording venture. Introduced by Peter Downes, honorary curator, National Library Historic Sound Collections.
Thursday 11 October, Auditorlum, 12.10pm

Guided tour of Good Books Make Good Citizens by co-curator Aaron Lister.
Thursday 18 October, Gallery, 12.10pm

‘Away with the fairies’
Library staff dress up and enact some of the thrilling adventures of Hutu and Kawa, the famous pohutukawa babies from Avis Acres' children's books. You won't want to miss this one!
Thursday 1 November, Auditorium, 12.10pm

Down and dirty with low-brow books
David Elworthy talks with Gavin McLean, Dale Williams, and Matthew Wright about the role of popular publishing in New Zealand.
Thursday 8 November, Auditorium, 12.10pm

Free admission to all events. Please check The Dominion Post entertainment section each Wednesday for confirmation of events.

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www.natlib.govt.nz

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