N.Z. reprints and new editions

Press, 22 October 1983, Page 18

N.Z. reprints and new editions

Maori Myth and Legend. By A. W. Reed, illustrated by Roger Hall. Reed, 1983. 93pp.516.95. This handsomely produced book is a combination of two earlier titles, “Maori Legend” (1972) and “Maori Myth” (1977), in which A. W. Reed made what he admitted was a random and personal selection of some of the infinitely varied stories and traditions of the Maori tribes. This revised volume does not change his selection. It contains some of the most important and popular legends of the creation and the gods, as well as many of the lesser known stories of giants, ogres and heroes. Although they are retold in a style which may appear rather stilted, and which will probably appeal only to the more literate of young

readers, the book would be a valuable addition to any school libary for it gives an imaginative insight into the rich and powerful mythology of the Maori people. Roger Hall, a tutor at Wellington Polytechnic School of Design, illustrated the earlier books and his work is here collected to provide a series of paintings and drawings which capture the spirit of the legends and magnificently convey their mystery, force, and grotesque humour. It is good to see this artistic interpretation of the Maori tradition so well reproduced in this new publication. fifpg. By Maurice Gee. Penguin, 1983. 218 pp. $6.95. “Meg” is the second part of Gee’s trilogy that began with “Plumb” and was concluded this year with the publication

of “Sole Survivor.” Meg is the youngest daughter of the terrifying George Plumb of the first book. Her story covers the Depression years, the Second World War, and the post-war boom. Gee’s work has been accorded serious critical acclaim at home and abroad and his trilogy described as a rich tapestry of New Zealand life.

By a Person or Persons Unknown. By George Joseph. Methuen (HZ), 1983. 200 pp. $9.95. George Joseph, born in Scotland, and educated at Oxford, has been a lawyer and author in New Zealand for more than 40 years. Here he looks at 11 unsolved New Zealand murder cases. Some still strike a ready chord of memory, like the case of hitchhiker Jennifer Beard in 1970. Others are all but forgotten, such as the murder, of Salvation Army Brigadier Annie Smyth in Wairoa in 1942. The text is well illustrated and even the author’s rathet turgid style seems not to have dulled the book’s popularity.