MAORI LIFE AND CUSTOM
W.J.Phillipps & John Huria
Raupo NZ$45

How wonderful it is to see this fine book back in print. It was first published in 1966 and reprinted many times over the years.
The cover seen here features a children’s kite, manu taratahi.

WJ.Phillipps was on the staff of the Dominion Museum, Wellington for almost 50 years. In 1944 he was appointed the official museum ethnologist and later became deputy director. He died the year after this book was originally published.
John Turia (Ngai Tahu, Muaupoko) has a background in research and Maori publishing and he has carried out a sensitive revision and update for modern readers. Illustrated with over 200 original line drawings the book is a truly valuable reference work.

Raupo is the new imprint employed by Penguin to denote books that have come from former Reed Publishers which company Penguin acquired in late 2007.
Let’s hope they see fit to republish more of that great Reed backlist.