History

Explore fascinating history books covering people, places, events and ideas that have shaped our world, from ancient times to the modern era.

80 items, in our booksellers' order
Machines - A Visual History
BookMachines - A Visual History

Filled with stunning illustrations and lively, engaging text, The Repair Shop's Dom Chinea guides readers through this celebration of the history and uses of over 100 machines, which have allowed artisans to create beautiful items for centuries The Repair...

$65.00
Edith Collier, Early New Zealand Modernist
BookEdith Collier, Early New Zealand Modernist

Published to coincide with the reopening of the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui, this substantial and handsome book examines the continuing impact of Whanganui-born and British-trained Edith Collier and her artistic legacy. In an era of growing international interest...

$70.00
Cycling Pioneers, The
BookCycling Pioneers, The

Cycle through time as Dr Michael Toohey uncovers the pioneers of New Zealand’s cycling history. Blacksmiths become bikers and circus hijinks ensue as the humble bicycle trundles from laufmaschine to the pedal-pushers we know today. From the first...

$25.00
Toi Te Mana,
BookToi Te Mana,

He toi whakairo, he mana tangata.Through artistic excellence, there is human dignity. Toi Te Mana is a landmark account of Maori art from the time of the tupuna (ancestors) to the present day. In 600 pages and over...

$99.99
Becoming Aotearoa
BookBecoming Aotearoa

In the first major national history of Aotearoa New Zealand to be published for 20 years, Professor Michael Belgrave advances the notion that New Zealand's two peoples - tangata whenua and subsequent migrants - have together built an...

$65.00
Unforgettable Gardens
BookUnforgettable Gardens

A glorious celebration, this landmark book is an exploration of the greatest gardens, parks and landscapes in Britain, with stunning photography accompanied by insightful text from leading garden historians and conservators. It is lovingly curated by The Gardens...

$65.00
Into the Ice, Reflections on Antarctica
BookInto the Ice, Reflections on Antarctica

Bestselling creators Alison Lester and Coral Tulloch share their fascination with Antarctica through a personally selected mix of their own and others' work, from the early age of exploration through to the present day. Go on an extraordinary...

$38.00
Rēwena and Rabbit Stew
BookRēwena and Rabbit Stew

Cookhouses and wharekai, hangi pits and coal ranges, boil-ups and mutton - this book tells the hearty story of sustenance and manaakitanga in rural New Zealand. The rhythms and routines of country life are at the heart of...

$49.99
Modern Women: Flight of Time
BookModern Women: Flight of Time

Modern Women: Flight of Time is a stunning new publication that cements a previously understudied history of modern art in Aotearoa New Zealand: that of modern women artists. Profiling 44 innovative artists, this book places women in the front...

$65.00
Hong Kong Diaries, The
BookHong Kong Diaries, The

The diaries of the last British Governor, five weeks on the Sunday Times best-seller list In June 1992 Chris Patten went to Hong Kong as the last British governor, to try to prepare it not - as other...

$38.00
Atlas of Shipwrecks and Fortunes of the Sea
BookAtlas of Shipwrecks and Fortunes of the Sea

This new title in this bestselling series relates 37 stories of shipwrecks, great discoveries, mysteries, and disappearances still thrilling adventure seekers. From the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, from the Baltic Sea to the Caribbean, the Antarctic, and...

$69.99
Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World
BookBrief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World

There is something beautiful and wild in the impossible architecture of lighthouses. They have been the homes and workplaces of men and women whose romantic guardianship has saved countless lives from cruel seas. Yet while that way of...

$49.99
Dear Colin, Dear Ron, The Selected Leters of Colin McCahon and Ron O'Reilly
BookDear Colin, Dear Ron, The Selected Leters of Colin McCahon and Ron O'Reilly

This substantial book of letters selected by esteemed Colin McCahon scholar Peter Simpson shines a light on one of the most remarkable relationships in New Zealand art. The painter Colin McCahon and the librarian Ron O'Reilly first met...

$65.00
Kiwis in Conflict (Updated 2024)
BookKiwis in Conflict (Updated 2024)

Kiwis in Conflict is the story of New Zealand and New Zealanders at war from the mid-19th century to the present day. Originally published as Scars of the Heart, this new revised and updated edition examines the impact...

$59.99
Braiding Sweetgrass
BookBraiding Sweetgrass

A graceful, illuminating study of the wisdom of the natural world, from a world-renowned indigenous scientist As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member...

$26.00Sold out
Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand
BookPenguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand

The definitive and bestselling history of Aotearoa New Zealand by one of our leading historians, continuously in print for 20 years. This bestselling book by the late Michael King is the unchallenged contemporary reference on the history of...

$38.00
Great Uncle Harry
BookGreat Uncle Harry

Michael Palin recreates the extraordinary life and tragic death of a First World War soldier - his great-uncle Harry. From the time, many years ago, when Michael Palin first heard that his grandfather had a brother, Harry, who...

$40.00
Don Binney - Flight Path
BookDon Binney - Flight Path

A richly illustrated account of the life and work of one of New Zealand’s most iconic artists. Painter, printmaker, teacher, writer and ornithologist, Don Binney (1940–2012) was a mercurial presence on the New Zealand cultural scene from the...

$89.99
Patu, The New Zealand Wars
BookPatu, The New Zealand Wars

A large-format, stunning visual history of the New Zealand Wars of the 1800s, suitable for children and adults, by the multiple-award-winning Gavin Bishop Discover the key people, perspectives and battles of the New Zealand Wars in this powerfully...

$40.00
Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
BookDiary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank

A deeply moving and unforgettable portrait of an ordinary and yet an extraordinary teenage girl. The Diary of a Young Girl is among the most enduring documents of the 20th century. Anne Frank kept a diary from 1942...

$26.00
Road To Gondwana
BookRoad To Gondwana

The Road to Gondwana traces the steps science took to find Gondwana, and the journey Gondwana itself took through 500 million years of Earth history. The road to Gondwana took western science many hundreds of years to travel....

$39.99
Footprints on the Land
BookFootprints on the Land

Less than a thousand years of human occupation have massively altered Aotearoa. In this fascinating work, cultural historian Richard Wolfe explores how and why settlers have impacted on nature and what this means for our future. Footprints on...

$45.00
Robin White, Something is Happening Here
BookRobin White, Something is Happening Here

Robin White: Something is happening Here is the first book to be devoted to Robin Whites art in 40 years. Its assessment of her remarkable 50 years as an artist includes fresh perspectives by 24 writers and interviewees...

$70.00
Little People, Big Dreams - Wilma Mankiller
BookLittle People, Big Dreams - Wilma Mankiller

In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to be elected as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.Growing up, little Wilma was surrounded...

$22.99
A Petronella's tradition

Blind date with a book

Take a chance on a mystery read, chosen by our book matchmakers and wrapped to keep the title a secret. Just follow the clues on the cover, unwrap, and discover your next favourite book.

Take the chance · $25
Blind date with a book