A collaborative fishing expedition results in a full net!
27 October 2021
Te Kupenga – 101 stories of Aotearoa from the Turnbull has landed and pre-orders can be placed through the Turnbull Endowment Trust shop and will be delivered after the publication date of 11 November 2021.
A collaboration of nearly forty writers, two editors, five digital specialists, ten contributors and one tireless project manager; the result is a collection of favourite things from the Alexander Turnbull Library collection.
A hard covered book of 272 pages, it contains 101 stories selected from over 800 items proposed, which resonate with the librarians, curators and contributors within the library network.
Each writer gives a personal response to their chosen item from the collection and in approximately 400 words, delivers the essence of the item and their interpretation of it through a personal lens. A few of the range of items that feature in the book include:
- Selling a Farming Dream – a story of marketing and immigration by Suzanne Hardy
- Letter from Eruera – the story of a Māori scribe in the early 1800s by Paul Diamond
- Come on, Jack - Training diaries of Jack Lovelock by Audrey Waugh
- Divine illumination – Early copy of Qur’an by Anthony Tedeschi
- Visiting Footrot Flats – The romance of rural life by Indira Neville
- Hākari – A painting of celebratory feasting and entertainment by Oliver Stead
Editors Chris Szekely and Michael Keith have tirelessly honed these stories to maintain tone and present a true cross section of the collection. We thank them for their determination to get this across the line with the indefatigable support of Jessica Gray.
The introduction by Chris Szekely is cognisant of the significant bequest to the nation by Alexander Turnbull and link to his personal story of Sophia Hinerangi, or ‘Guide Sophia” at the Pink and White terraces.
The mammoth task of distributing the donated 530 books to secondary schools around New Zealand, has been enabled by Services to Schools at the National Library.
We do hope that you will enjoy many hours of experiencing the collection through the voices within the Library.
Te Kupenga is an initiative from the Turnbull Endowment Trust
supported by a Lottery Board Grant
Hākari B-030-00-7
Selling a Farming Dream A-237-004
