A few weeks ago I wrote a column on romance novels in the library. This article drew a number of interesting responses including one that was reported to me of “When’s he going to do one on rugby?” Given that we are now in the middle of the Rugby World Cup this is probably as good a time as ever to look at what the library has relating to our national game. Love it or hate it, there is no getting away from the fact that rugby has played an important part in our nation’s heritage and therefore has a strong presence in our collection.
Biographies are a very big part of sports writing and rugby is no exception. We have numerous biographies of rugby players here at the library ranging from legends of yesterday such as George Nepia, Colin Meads and Wilson Whineray; players from the recent past including Buck Shelford, Sean Fitzpatrick, Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga; and the current players charged with securing the Webb Ellis Cup for New Zealand including Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina and Richie McCaw. To prove we’re not completely one-eyed, we also have biographies of some of the leading overseas players including Jonny Wilkinson and George Gregan.
Our rugby biographies are not just limited to the players however. We also have books about All Blacks coaches Laurie Mains, John Hart, Grizz Wylie, and Graham Henry, as well as Titch, the biography of the legendary coach of the NZ Sevens team, Gordon Tietjens. In addition we have books about people who have made their careers through rugby not by playing but by managing (Phil Kingsley Jones), commentating (Keith Quinn), and photography (Peter Bush).
We have many general histories of rugby in New Zealand including the four volume The History of New Zealand Rugby Football which covers the period from 1870 to 1991, and of course the unrivalled Men In Black, now in its 7th edition. There are also however histories of specific teams and eras. The Original All Blacks 1905-06 by Christopher Tobin tells the story of the New Zealand’s first international tour and the huge impact it had it establishing the All Blacks legend and a national obsession. Khaki All Blacks by Mike Whatman tells the uplifting story of another unique New Zealand side, the ‘Kiwis’, made up of men from the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force who at the end of hostilities in Europe in 1945 went on a hugely successful tour of the UK, Ireland, France and Germany.
Wairarapa itself has a proud rugby heritage and we hold copies of the centenary publications of the Featherston, Carterton and Red Star rugby clubs. The Wairarapa Archive also stores the match day programmes for the 1986 match between Wairarapa Bush and Australia, and 1965 match against South Africa. And of course we do have biographies of two of the region’s famous rugby sons, Grant Batty and Sir Brian Lochore. Sir Brian has an unsurpassed reputation as an All Black captain and later coach, and to date is the only All Black coach to win the Rugby World Cup.
The significant place of Māori in New Zealand rugby has also received specific attention in several books held here at Masterton Library. An older book kept in our reference collection is Arthur H. Carman’s Māori Rugby: 1884-1979. Against the Odds: Matt Te Pou and Māori Rugby traces the history of the NZ Māori team in the professional era under the care of one of its most successful coaches. Beneath the Māori Moon by Malcolm Mulholland is a comprehensive illustrated history covering 100 years of Māori rugby including notable players and some of the politics behind the team.
Of course rugby has not always been able to keep free of controversy, principally over the issue of sporting contact with South Africa while the apartheid regime was still in place, and culminating with the1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand. Storm out of Africa by Richard Shears and Counting the Cost: the 1981 Springbok Tour in Wellington edited by David McKay both look at the unprecedented social upheaval caused by the tour. The Red Squad Story by Ross Meurant relates events from the perspective of the leader of the police unit charged with allowing the tour to go ahead in the face of passionate opposition.
Given that it is our national game, it is interesting that very little NZ fiction relates to rugby. Howard Joseph’s Game Without End is the story about the influence of rugby on the lives of two very different families over several generations and their quest to have members become All Blacks.The Legend of Beau Baxter by Ivan Dunn is a humorous take on the 1924 tour by the Invincibles featuring the larger than life Beau Baxter. Perhaps the fictional book on NZ rugby to receive the best critical reception is Lloyd Jones’ The Book of Fame which imaginatively relates the story of the 1905 Originals.
Rugby remains an important part of the NZ psyche and the tours and matches of 1905, 1956, 1981, 1987 and 1996 give these dates a special significance for many New Zealanders. 2011 will probably become another date to remember, hopefully for good reasons, and the library has plenty of material to support rugby’s many fans. But for those of you who are totally uninterested in rugby and the World Cup, don’t forget that the library is also a very useful alternative, either for a bit of reading or a DVD or two for those times when there doesn’t seem to be anything else on TV.
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Monday, September 26, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Go Scotland!
As part of Masterton’s Rugby World Cup celebrations the CBD has been divided up into twenty blocks, each supporting one of the teams competing for rugby’s greatest prize, the Webb Ellis Cup. Here at Masterton Library we are very pleased to be within the group supporting Scotland. I decided then that this would be the ideal time to look at what the library has that might be relevant to anyone interested in this great nation.
Just received by the library are the latest Lonely Planet books on Scotland and Edinburgh, giving readers the most up to date information on visiting Scotland and its famous capital. The Aerofilms Book of Scotland from the Air by James Campbell is an older book but provides some wonderful views of the Scottish landscape including the stunning Highlands. Anyone contemplating a trip to Scotland should not be put off by the title of Bill Watkin’s highly entertaining Scotland in not for the Squeamish in which the author relates his adventures around Scotland with a collection of true and tall tales.
Scotland has experienced an often turbulent past, particularly in relation to the English, and we have a number of books on Scottish history. These range from the general such as Tom Steel’s Scotland’s Story and Scotland: a History edited by Jenny Wormald, to more specific titles such as The Battle of Bannockburn 1314 by Aryeh Nusbacher and Damn’ Rebel Bitches by Margaret Craig which tells the story of the many women caught up in the Jacobite Rising of 1745-46. Nigel Blundell’s Ancient Scotland is a lavishly illustrated book depicting the landscapes, castles, monuments and artefacts that tell Scotland’s history.
Partly in response to this turbulent history Scots have emigrated to a number of different countries including of course New Zealand. As a result many New Zealanders have Scottish ancestors as anyone looking through a phone book can attest, with the numerous McDonalds, McKenzies, McPhersons etc. We have a number of books available for people wanting to investigate their Scottish ancestry including the Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia and Tracing your Scottish Ancestry by Kathleen B. Cory. Local woman Elizabeth Waddington is one of many New Zealanders who have traced their Scottish ancestry and The Bairds of Winton, which she helped compile, tells the story of James and Elizabeth Baird who came to New Zealand from Scotland in 1870.
Intrinsically linked with the clans, and indeed Scotland, is tartan and The Complete Book of Tartan by Iain Zaczek and Charles Phillips is a comprehensive directory of 400 different tartans and their place in Scottish history. Perhaps the other most iconic association with Scotland is the bagpipes and although we don’t have any books on how to play the pipes, we do have two CDs Amazing Grace: Pipes & Drums of Scotland and The Pipes of Scotland which feature traditional Scottish music.
There are of course also many famous and popular Scottish authors of fiction. Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Walter Scott are well known names from Scottish literary history but there are also many well-known contemporary Scottish authors. Iain Banks, Quintin Jardine, Val McDermid, Manda Scott, Alexander McCall Smith and Ian Rankin are just some of the Scottish authors whose books can be found on our shelves. There are also many popular Scottish children’s authors including Debi Gliori, Theresa Breslin, and Julia Donaldson, and you don’t get much more well known than J.K. Rowling, who although born in England, has lived in Scotland since 1993 and wrote the first Harry Potter story in an Edinburgh cafe.
For a relatively small nation (even today the population is not much over five million) Scotland has made a very large impact on global history. Scots have been responsible for some of history’s most important inventions and famous Scottish inventors include James Watt (the steam engine), Alexander Graham Bell (the telephone), John Logie Baird (the television) and Alexander Fleming (penicillin). In I never knew that about Scotland Christopher Winn describes some of the less well known aspects of Scottish history such as in 1825, John Moir of Aberdeen producing the world’s first tinned salmon; the bicycle being invented in Keir Mill, Dumfriesshire in 1839 by Kirkpatrick Macmillan; and Prestwick, Ayrshire being the only place in Britain where Elvis Presley set foot, stopping there for refuelling on the way home from Germany after being discharged from the army.
Perhaps in part because of the wide global spread of its people and in part because of the tremendous achievements of many famous Scots, Scotland has a cultural influence far beyond her own borders. Sean Connery reflects on this in his book Being a Scott which looks at the unique Scottish character as well as his own personal history growing up in Edinburgh. As this brief review has shown there is much to be learnt about Scotland and the Scots from books held here in the Masterton Library and I hope this article may have sparked a bit of interest. And to the Scottish team and their supporters – welcome to New Zealand and good luck in the Cup – until you meet the All Blacks that is!
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
Just received by the library are the latest Lonely Planet books on Scotland and Edinburgh, giving readers the most up to date information on visiting Scotland and its famous capital. The Aerofilms Book of Scotland from the Air by James Campbell is an older book but provides some wonderful views of the Scottish landscape including the stunning Highlands. Anyone contemplating a trip to Scotland should not be put off by the title of Bill Watkin’s highly entertaining Scotland in not for the Squeamish in which the author relates his adventures around Scotland with a collection of true and tall tales.
Scotland has experienced an often turbulent past, particularly in relation to the English, and we have a number of books on Scottish history. These range from the general such as Tom Steel’s Scotland’s Story and Scotland: a History edited by Jenny Wormald, to more specific titles such as The Battle of Bannockburn 1314 by Aryeh Nusbacher and Damn’ Rebel Bitches by Margaret Craig which tells the story of the many women caught up in the Jacobite Rising of 1745-46. Nigel Blundell’s Ancient Scotland is a lavishly illustrated book depicting the landscapes, castles, monuments and artefacts that tell Scotland’s history.
Partly in response to this turbulent history Scots have emigrated to a number of different countries including of course New Zealand. As a result many New Zealanders have Scottish ancestors as anyone looking through a phone book can attest, with the numerous McDonalds, McKenzies, McPhersons etc. We have a number of books available for people wanting to investigate their Scottish ancestry including the Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia and Tracing your Scottish Ancestry by Kathleen B. Cory. Local woman Elizabeth Waddington is one of many New Zealanders who have traced their Scottish ancestry and The Bairds of Winton, which she helped compile, tells the story of James and Elizabeth Baird who came to New Zealand from Scotland in 1870.
Intrinsically linked with the clans, and indeed Scotland, is tartan and The Complete Book of Tartan by Iain Zaczek and Charles Phillips is a comprehensive directory of 400 different tartans and their place in Scottish history. Perhaps the other most iconic association with Scotland is the bagpipes and although we don’t have any books on how to play the pipes, we do have two CDs Amazing Grace: Pipes & Drums of Scotland and The Pipes of Scotland which feature traditional Scottish music.
There are of course also many famous and popular Scottish authors of fiction. Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Walter Scott are well known names from Scottish literary history but there are also many well-known contemporary Scottish authors. Iain Banks, Quintin Jardine, Val McDermid, Manda Scott, Alexander McCall Smith and Ian Rankin are just some of the Scottish authors whose books can be found on our shelves. There are also many popular Scottish children’s authors including Debi Gliori, Theresa Breslin, and Julia Donaldson, and you don’t get much more well known than J.K. Rowling, who although born in England, has lived in Scotland since 1993 and wrote the first Harry Potter story in an Edinburgh cafe.
For a relatively small nation (even today the population is not much over five million) Scotland has made a very large impact on global history. Scots have been responsible for some of history’s most important inventions and famous Scottish inventors include James Watt (the steam engine), Alexander Graham Bell (the telephone), John Logie Baird (the television) and Alexander Fleming (penicillin). In I never knew that about Scotland Christopher Winn describes some of the less well known aspects of Scottish history such as in 1825, John Moir of Aberdeen producing the world’s first tinned salmon; the bicycle being invented in Keir Mill, Dumfriesshire in 1839 by Kirkpatrick Macmillan; and Prestwick, Ayrshire being the only place in Britain where Elvis Presley set foot, stopping there for refuelling on the way home from Germany after being discharged from the army.
Perhaps in part because of the wide global spread of its people and in part because of the tremendous achievements of many famous Scots, Scotland has a cultural influence far beyond her own borders. Sean Connery reflects on this in his book Being a Scott which looks at the unique Scottish character as well as his own personal history growing up in Edinburgh. As this brief review has shown there is much to be learnt about Scotland and the Scots from books held here in the Masterton Library and I hope this article may have sparked a bit of interest. And to the Scottish team and their supporters – welcome to New Zealand and good luck in the Cup – until you meet the All Blacks that is!
Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library
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