A collection of articles on early and rare New Zealand books of the 19th C, posted from 2022 onwards,  has now been assembled into one document. Previously these have been posted as separate pieces covering ranges of years from the earliest book exclusively on New Zealand by John Savage, published in 1807, through to books of the late 1860s and 70s covering the last of the wars, the growth of Government, scientific exploration, rapid growth of the nascent colony, and Māori, the tangata whenua suppressed by recent conflicts and land confiscations. Just under 100 books are included.

Pamphlets and documents are largely excluded, and the books included are based on my own collection, with some add-ins. There are books missing, such as Trollope, Colenso, and others, and books published in the 1870s onwards such as by Rusden, Crawford and others that will be added in the future, or posted as separate items. The descriptions probably reveal my interests and susceptibilities, and likely involve mistakes and omissions. All can be corrected and revised.  The photos are mostly amateurish or taken from sources which have been acknowledged. A table of contents is included after the Introduction, based on the authors in mostly chronological order. An index at the moment is out of sight.

The document will be kept alive, just as there is the hope that the books themselves are still living documents that need to be read, with their acute observations, historical perspectives, empathies and prejudices. We still need to observe out history through contemporary eyes, as part of making sense of who we are today.