NEW ZEALAND LITERATURE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1052, 15 February 1911, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND LITERATURE.

- , • ■ -i - ' '♦— —- -V , ' v'::* 1 '■■•'■'■'; A VALUABLE - A remarkable quantity of literatiife-has been written'about New. Zealand. 1 In the very earliest;'days,of, ; our:;history.>there , wero men who published .works relating to : the couritrj-. Most of- them ardfextreniely interesting, and- many •; of them , ! are •*oft'hy'' , of'''pTeservation'as /valuable: reEec'entiy a noteworthy V-Tq* these early records came into the.market"., •through ' the .'.death'of ."lah'.penthusiashp. , collector .of -New', Zealand, bopks, T. Mc-espn, formerly of Christchurch.'bfat for" a number of years past a; resident !ol England." With the exception; of some few works which have been obtained b.r'tlje Parliamentary Library,-the collection nas come into the hands ' of Mr .K. M'Nab. of Palmerston; North, vwto- is well-known" as an enthusiastic collector: ol ■New Zealand books. ■ Mr.'. Meeson^ Ü-bra,Ttr-;'«i«isted. of : to They range over newspapers snch as the nr.st four years ofthe "New 7yealani. Spectator,"' published AVellington m ISU, every copy bping intact; the .first seven years of the'"Lyttelton Times, -and.the . btst-knowh works -.on 'New- Zealand, such ■ as Angus's "New ■ Zealand," BullVs birds,', and other "standard" books: The bulk i'of the'Mllection has teen retained • by Mr.- M'Nab for bis,own library,- and the: remainder has been taken' by Mr. ' Ewen, Wellington, and Mr. Q..H. Turn- ! bull, : also of: Wellington, two.-crentlepien who• possess libraries of '■;New Zealand • works. : It 'is very '■ satisfactory that these < "valuable" papers referred -to •have come -baclc- to New- Zealand.-'One eitronily-rare- volume/ a woVk; that con- . taipsthV 'first' printed' rpfcreiceWer , : jnad-? to New Zealand. ,is "Harris's Toynefi?.,"- the date, of which isl74V." Both; tlio.print and the nusiint illu?tratioiis : :3Te full of interest. -This and all the. books are -inV excellent "rder. " Mr.' Meeson .'collected them' in ChrijtehuTch many ."years ni;o'. "• Mr. : M'Nab'i? now having a laree fii*p'robf 1 ibrary built' fir '■■ the: -.better Siifttybf his extensive^.library/ ■'■:"''•''<';■..