Auckland City Libraries hold several fascinating collections of rare books. The books are looked after by our Special Collections team on the heritage floor (level 2) of the Central City Library. Most of the books in the printed collections have been listed on the Library's catalogue, but more information is available from the Special Collections team. The early printed Māori collections are not in the catalogue and access is through an index available in Special Collections.
Please the descriptions of the New Zealand and international collections we hold below.
Also please note that William Blake's America and Europe has recently been digitised and can be viewed on this site
New Zealand Collections
Grey Printed Māori Collection
Sir George Grey (1812-1898) collected books printed in the Māori language. His collection contains some very rare publications, including the first book printed in New Zealand - Ko te katekihama III, or The third catechism. This was printed at the Mission press in Kerikeri by Rev. William Yate in 1830.
Printed Māori Collection
This is a collection of books in Māori which were not donated by Grey. It contains a number of duplicates of books in Grey's collection, but also additional works from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Grey New Zealand Collection
Sir George Grey collected books written about New Zealand in his lifetime and these are kept together as a separate collection. They include rare books such as Walter Buller's A history of the birds of New Zealand (1873), George French Angas' The New Zealanders illustrated (1847) and F. R. Stack's Views in the Province of Auckland (1863).
New Zealand Collection
This collection consists of New Zealand books printed before 1920 and a selection of definitive works on New Zealand history and culture published after that date.
International Collections
Pre-1800 International Collection
This is a representative collection of books from the invention of printing in the mid 15th century to 1800, just before printing began to be mechanised. Books from the collections of Sir George Grey and Henry Shaw are included. There are early printed books from the 15th century (incunabula), Latin and English Bibles, early English printing, works of literature, travel books and examples of fine binding, typography and illustrations. Highlights include Richard Pynson's printing of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (1492), The Four Folios of Shakespeare, and William Blake's America and Europe.
Post-1800 International Collection
These are rare books from the 19th and 20th century, including those donated by Sir George Grey and Henry Shaw. The collection also contains editions of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam donated by John Kenderdine, the Hilda Wiseman Bookplate Collection, and Arthur Thomas' collection of Oscar Wilde. It is particularly strong in literary first editions, art, voyages and travel, natural history and Bibles in various languages.
Private Press Collection
Illustrated Book Collection
A collection of books from the 19th century onwards that contain different types of illustrations (such as wood engravings, aquatints, etchings, lithographs) and the works of well-known illustrators such as Heath Robinson, Arthur Rackham, and Rockwell Kent.
Childrens' Historical Collections
Reed Dumas Collection
Stacpoole Collection of Anthony Powell
Quaker Collection |
