[{"_1":2,"_1331":-5,"_1332":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_731":732},"root",{"_5":6,"_33":34,"_38":39,"_43":44,"_110":111,"_729":730},"menuLinks",[7,19,24,29],{"_8":9,"_10":11,"_12":13,"_14":15,"_16":-5,"_17":18},"_key","07171416491c","_type","linkInternal","documentType","locationPortal","slug","/stores","style","title","Our Stores",{"_8":20,"_10":11,"_12":21,"_14":22,"_16":-5,"_17":23},"6b665663ec71","page","/pages/about","About",{"_8":25,"_10":11,"_12":26,"_14":27,"_16":-5,"_17":28},"c1d4d5559585","newsAndEventsPortal","/news-and-events","News & Events",{"_8":30,"_10":11,"_12":31,"_14":31,"_16":-5,"_17":32},"96d6df6d8d70","contact","Contact","announcementBanner",{"_35":36,"_37":-5},"isVisible",false,"text","seo",{"_40":41,"_17":42},"description","PLEASE NOTE ONLY BOOKS LISTED AS 'IN STOCK' WILL BE GUARANTEED TO ARRIVE BEFORE XMAS","Unity Books","footer",{"_45":46,"_37":60},"links",[47,52,56],{"_8":48,"_10":11,"_12":49,"_14":50,"_16":-5,"_17":51},"e627ac9518c4","simplePage","faqs","FAQs",{"_8":53,"_10":11,"_12":49,"_14":54,"_16":-5,"_17":55},"985c42e50f70","privacy-policy","Privacy Policy",{"_8":57,"_10":11,"_12":49,"_14":58,"_16":-5,"_17":59},"775547883565","terms-and-conditions","Terms & Conditions",[61,75,84,93],{"_8":62,"_10":63,"_64":65,"_72":73,"_16":74},"9e13cb51afa4","block","children",[66],{"_8":67,"_10":68,"_69":70,"_37":71},"0e63f51d907e0","span","marks",[],"Unity Books is New Zealand’s leading independent book shop with stores in the heart of Wellington and Auckland.","markDefs",[],"t3",{"_8":76,"_10":63,"_64":77,"_72":82,"_16":83},"a83f1a018f09",[78],{"_8":79,"_10":68,"_69":80,"_37":81},"6fd5ca58001e0",[],"Both shops hold literary events. We specialise in New Zealand and international literature, poetry, history, and nonfiction as well as stocking the best new releases by award winning authors of both fiction and non-fiction in all genres.",[],"h5",{"_8":85,"_10":63,"_64":86,"_72":91,"_16":92},"94042bd8da11",[87],{"_8":88,"_10":68,"_69":89,"_37":90},"e828253cdabb",[]," ",[],"normal",{"_8":94,"_10":63,"_64":95,"_72":101,"_16":92},"0a1b701ffa43",[96],{"_8":97,"_10":68,"_69":98,"_37":100},"34f4531affd6",[99],"c53783d79443","About Unity Books",[102],{"_8":99,"_10":103,"_12":21,"_104":105,"_14":22,"_16":-5,"_17":-5},"annotationLinkInternal","reference",{"_106":107,"_10":104,"_108":109},"_ref","a9e30548-122c-4cd2-bbd8-df22c66de1f8","_weak",true,"locations",[112,351,505],{"_113":114,"_115":116,"_117":118,"_119":120,"_10":126,"_127":128,"_129":130,"_40":133,"_149":150,"_177":178,"_179":180,"_181":182,"_201":202,"_207":208,"_209":210,"_334":335,"_38":336,"_14":342,"_17":341,"_345":346},"_createdAt","2022-10-04T02:32:46Z","_id","18cbd9d5-b81f-4d55-8a26-bca8fdd0f776","_rev","BRry36AZI9nUfevEVzVSzU","_system",{"_121":122},"base",{"_123":116,"_124":125},"id","rev","iWxwPHILvhOLU6h6p0uF62","location","_updatedAt","2025-12-23T23:01:03Z","address",[131,132],"19 High Street","Auckland 1010",[134,152,161,169],{"_8":135,"_10":63,"_64":136,"_72":146,"_16":151},"581a9c7d7430",[137,141],{"_8":138,"_10":68,"_69":139,"_37":140},"ce0cd6ca15620",[],"19 High Street\nAuckland 1010\nPh. 09 307 0731\n",{"_8":142,"_10":68,"_69":143,"_37":145},"5cca9d434ac2",[144],"d7cc46773208","shop@unitybooksauckland.co.nz ",[147],{"_8":144,"_10":148,"_149":150},"annotationLinkEmail","email","shop@unitybooksauckland.co.nz","h3",{"_8":153,"_10":63,"_64":154,"_72":159,"_16":160},"efa7c0164e58",[155],{"_8":156,"_10":68,"_69":157,"_37":158},"d64537a784800",[],"\nOpening hours:",[],"h4",{"_8":162,"_10":63,"_64":163,"_72":168,"_16":160},"1123466806c1",[164],{"_8":165,"_10":68,"_69":166,"_37":167},"6a4ef74e2d5d0",[],"Mon-Fri 9am –6pm\nSat 9am – 6pm\nSun 10am – 6pm",[],{"_8":170,"_10":63,"_64":171,"_72":176,"_16":160},"f310b14d8a85",[172],{"_8":173,"_10":68,"_69":174,"_37":175},"66a52ab94ccd0",[],"*Public Holidays may differ – please call",[],"featuredMedia","https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/775952487/rendition/360p/file.mp4?loc=external&signature=512a8d4592f9559e1d121cff8a6331ea1877e5028ba35c34d1f9d16e556a3a97","featuredMediaDark","https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/775952453/rendition/360p/file.mp4?loc=external&signature=defd7768b2764bac761a8533d3640accf94dbbc5ba0534929687c60786115b28","hours",[183,190,194,197],{"_8":184,"_10":185,"_186":187,"_188":189},"68fb31f228ee","hour","days","Mon - Thurs","time","9am - 6pm",{"_8":191,"_10":185,"_186":192,"_188":193},"57cd2eadfc34","Fri","9am - 7pm",{"_8":195,"_10":185,"_186":196,"_188":189},"98e2491dbdab","Sat",{"_8":198,"_10":185,"_186":199,"_188":200},"1d513242a768","Sun","10am - 6pm","icon",{"_10":203,"_204":205},"image","asset",{"_106":206,"_10":104},"image-91ff929843d537484c4fb79c56beabd3c85817e5-28x28-svg","mapsLink","https://goo.gl/maps/ZsY6BdzkD4SqYLw8A","modules",[211,229,259,283,299,322],{"_8":212,"_10":213,"_214":215,"_219":220,"_126":228},"ca32b6599858","module.upcomingEvents","config",{"_10":216,"_217":218},"moduleSettings","paddingTop","medium","heading",{"_10":221,"_219":222,"_201":223,"_226":227},"blockHeading","Upcoming Events",{"_10":203,"_204":224},{"_106":225,"_10":104},"image-e91ebbefeff0de3578f848d58452fa20d1a3713f-80x80-svg","subheading","Experience Unity Books by discovering our exciting lineup of events – there's something for everyone!",{"_106":116,"_10":104},{"_8":230,"_10":231,"_232":233,"_214":234,"_203":239,"_37":242},"0c5d96e1c7a6","module.imageText","alignment","top",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_237":238,"_217":218},"bgColor","background","layout","left",{"_10":203,"_204":240},{"_106":241,"_10":104},"image-a127bd6657b559a45ffdee0a1edcc641c1381747-1440x1440-jpg",[243,251],{"_8":244,"_10":63,"_64":245,"_72":250,"_16":151},"5a8ed8b10457",[246],{"_8":247,"_10":68,"_69":248,"_37":249},"bbde161607160",[],"Unity’s sister shop could not have found a more perfect location in Auckland. On the 20th of February 1989 it fitted into High Street like a comma in Ulysses. The little street was full of surprising retail options with a pick and mix of shops selling everything in style and fashion to bowl lattēs and local wines. Auckland was lit and Unity offered the best guides to being in the world of books.",[],{"_8":252,"_10":63,"_64":253,"_72":258,"_16":151},"4beb0cc11efe",[254],{"_8":255,"_10":68,"_69":256,"_37":257},"e3ba5edabf350",[],"The shop's co-managers Nigel Cox and Jo McColl,were fresh from Wellington and ready for business. Nigel agitated for change in outdated importing laws and they went about stocking the shelves with the most covetable selection of hardbacks and paperbacks available. For a short time a ‘reading room’ with percolated coffee was created in the Bunker; an underground space below the shop accessed by steep and treacherous stairs. It wasn’t long before the shop established itself as a hub, a place to exchange ideas and debate the merits of different writers. Conversations carried over from the bar across the road, Nigel waved the flag of New Zealand literature and Jo McColl made sure cowboy novels got premium counter space.",[],{"_8":260,"_10":231,"_232":233,"_214":261,"_203":263,"_37":266},"7d14059cdcf1",{"_10":216,"_237":262,"_217":218},"right",{"_10":203,"_204":264},{"_106":265,"_10":104},"image-a6dc76321f343d8d9c2a7b5202e2f38b3a9b545c-1080x1064-jpg",[267,275],{"_8":268,"_10":63,"_64":269,"_72":274,"_16":151},"3a36c7922e1e",[270],{"_8":271,"_10":68,"_69":272,"_37":273},"e2687ebe79050",[],"When Nigel Cox left the shop in 1993 to pursue a writing career, Carolyn Alexander was hired. If it had been anyone else this story might have ended here. Only Caro had the skills and knowledge to run a bookshop in the pre internet era with the same dedication and passion and drive that her predecessor had.",[],{"_8":276,"_10":63,"_64":277,"_72":282,"_16":151},"2660f8a5108f",[278],{"_8":279,"_10":68,"_69":280,"_37":281},"e50479a5d9a70",[],"For years the minds of Jo and Caro were the harddrive to the shop’s inventory and the staff were trained to know just where a title might be found on its many shelves and tables. Books stacked on the floor waiting to be put away defied disorderliness. In 2018 the shop switched to an electronic method for cataloging stock. The following year the lease in the space next door became available and Unity expanded to create a dedicated children’s bookstore under the management of Children’s Buyer, Ange Travers. In 2020 Unity Books Auckland was crowned “Best Bookstore in the World’ at The London Book Fair, recognising this sanctuary of ideas nestled in the CBD.",[],{"_8":284,"_10":285,"_286":109,"_214":287,"_37":289},"f4df362eadf4","module.singleColText","centerText",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_237":288,"_217":218},"center",[290],{"_8":291,"_10":63,"_64":292,"_72":297,"_16":298},"2e0b2965bc91",[293],{"_8":294,"_10":68,"_69":295,"_37":296},"e874b89324970",[],"Auckland was lit and Unity offered the best guides to being in the world of books.",[],"f0",{"_8":300,"_10":231,"_232":233,"_214":301,"_203":302,"_37":305},"69ebc545e15ac6dc3861ccd12e4d185b",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_237":238,"_217":218},{"_10":203,"_204":303},{"_106":304,"_10":104},"image-8aac296c774a191aaf19d9b0f25b7c839890d7f9-1080x720-jpg",[306,314],{"_8":307,"_10":63,"_64":308,"_72":313,"_16":151},"ee7f30747393",[309],{"_8":310,"_10":68,"_69":311,"_37":312},"d8ad423b7f340",[],"Following Auckland’s snap lockdown in 2021 Unity was only able to partially reopen and books were sold at arm's length. At a time when using a courier meant a delivery delay of weeks, staff used their own means of transport, pedalling books to hotels and driving across the city.",[],{"_8":315,"_10":63,"_64":316,"_72":321,"_16":151},"ca9f0f69fdd9",[317],{"_8":318,"_10":68,"_69":319,"_37":320},"d642e936bbe10",[],"Jo McColl took ownership of the business in 2001. From shop girl to boss girl over the years she has hired dozens and fired none..Unity has overseen romances and lifelong friendships have flourished. In a city of constant change it is still a meeting place, a refuge, an oasis on a busy street where a chance encounter with a page can still change your life.",[],{"_8":323,"_10":324,"_214":325,"_219":328},"fe0ade035d20","module.instagram",{"_10":216,"_326":327,"_217":218},"paddingBottom","small",{"_10":221,"_219":329,"_201":330,"_226":333},"Socials",{"_10":203,"_204":331},{"_106":332,"_10":104},"image-851097f797a994d8fc3888b7c96455b2925bf518-80x80-svg","Stay up-to-date with Unity Books' latest news and happenings by exploring our feed.","phone","09 307 0731",{"_10":337,"_40":338,"_203":339,"_17":341},"seo.page","Unity’s sister shop could not have found a more perfect location in Auckland.",{"_10":203,"_204":340},{"_106":241,"_10":104},"Auckland",{"_10":14,"_343":344},"current","auckland","vaultHeading",{"_10":221,"_219":347,"_201":348,"_226":350},"Auckland Vaults",{"_10":203,"_204":349},{"_106":225,"_10":104},"Explore Unity Bookstores like never before with the Vault - your go-to archive for captivating articles, events, reviews, and more!",{"_113":352,"_115":353,"_117":354,"_119":355,"_10":126,"_127":358,"_129":359,"_40":361,"_149":373,"_177":408,"_179":409,"_181":410,"_201":416,"_207":419,"_209":420,"_334":335,"_38":493,"_14":498,"_17":497,"_345":500},"2022-10-04T02:19:47Z","3539a23a-80d9-4966-9235-63e4db7c6b44","AT5O438QAeI8hCiNKSFXlS",{"_121":356},{"_123":353,"_124":357},"TgLZSHQrRrb1z6e00bCsA2","2025-08-04T01:38:07Z",[360,132],"31 Vulcan Lane",[362,376,384,393,401],{"_8":363,"_10":63,"_64":364,"_72":374,"_16":151},"2b10e7ae78da",[365,369],{"_8":366,"_10":68,"_69":367,"_37":368},"bb009cc3ee2a0",[],"Vulcan Lane, Auckland 1010\nPh. 09 307 0731\n",{"_8":370,"_10":68,"_69":371,"_37":373},"aca1d4afecc5",[372],"d7c7ccfcdbfa","kids@unitybooksauckland.co.nz",[375],{"_8":372,"_10":148,"_149":373},{"_8":377,"_10":63,"_64":378,"_72":383,"_16":92},"2d9c9853bc62",[379],{"_8":380,"_10":68,"_69":381,"_37":382},"5da11141c72f0",[],"",[],{"_8":385,"_10":63,"_64":386,"_72":392,"_16":160},"dc5422b5b6bd",[387],{"_8":388,"_10":68,"_69":389,"_37":391},"a73c5e00dced",[390],"strong","Opening hours:",[],{"_8":394,"_10":63,"_64":395,"_72":400,"_16":160},"99e2ba6c4b4e",[396],{"_8":397,"_10":68,"_69":398,"_37":399},"3c03b110965e",[],"Mon-Fri 9am – 6pm\nSat-Sun 10am – 6pm",[],{"_8":402,"_10":63,"_64":403,"_72":407,"_16":160},"9160e3d47097",[404],{"_8":405,"_10":68,"_69":406,"_37":175},"d76757e385a4",[],[],"https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/775952417/rendition/360p/file.mp4?loc=external&signature=b0d15301367082d985f7902c27c6eb7742855495e0d8dc2379ae40f657044482","https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/814115913/rendition/720p/file.mp4?loc=external&signature=ee7089c83137b63ae3a16dba0592d6e7c5e3e63882b53aaee975e2bf663e7606",[411,414],{"_8":184,"_10":185,"_186":412,"_188":413},"Mon - Fri","9am - 5pm",{"_8":191,"_10":185,"_186":415,"_188":200},"Sat - Sun",{"_10":203,"_204":417},{"_106":418,"_10":104},"image-a13b03e5496dbdcd04a54c11c1bdb109fce205fc-28x28-svg","https://goo.gl/maps/gPZn7mErH5Mcczkd8",[421,428,460,472,487],{"_8":422,"_10":213,"_214":423,"_219":424,"_126":427},"4145a45317eb",{"_10":216,"_217":218},{"_10":221,"_219":222,"_201":425,"_226":227},{"_10":203,"_204":426},{"_106":225,"_10":104},{"_106":353,"_10":104},{"_8":429,"_10":231,"_232":233,"_214":430,"_203":431,"_37":434},"7321e169b888",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_237":238,"_217":218},{"_10":203,"_204":432},{"_106":433,"_10":104},"image-d6f94d1769478a058cba109863963c9eda8b61d0-1520x1129-jpg",[435,444,452],{"_8":436,"_10":63,"_64":437,"_72":442,"_16":443},"17b67edd9c4f",[438],{"_8":439,"_10":68,"_69":440,"_37":441},"5316e6c543d90",[],"A little History of little Unity",[],"t2",{"_8":445,"_10":63,"_64":446,"_72":451,"_16":151},"ab2a5bc3c605",[447],{"_8":448,"_10":68,"_69":449,"_37":450},"7e535295a5ae0",[],"Nestled next door to Unity Books Auckland is the small but perfectly formed little Unity, a curated treasure trove of books for children and young adults (and the child in all adults).",[],{"_8":453,"_10":63,"_64":454,"_72":459,"_16":151},"37efcc45ae8b",[455],{"_8":456,"_10":68,"_69":457,"_37":458},"16667ab6ce030",[],"Born out of a persistent pressure to grow and overflow it’s allotted space in the ‘big shop’, when the lease on the adjacent shop in High St came up, Jo saw the opportunity and not only signed the lease, but in a true show of faith in the growing children’s market, she commissioned 2 young architectural designers to do some magic. Sophie Edwards (a previous part time employee for stock takes and holiday work) and Tom Dobinson were given the task of fitting a world of children's books into a tricky corner site of only 27 sqms, 2 full walls of window, and only one wall for shelving. \n\nWhat they came up with was described perfectly on opening day by a 9 year old customer:",[],{"_8":461,"_10":285,"_286":109,"_214":462,"_37":463},"dfc7987e747d",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_237":288,"_217":218},[464],{"_8":465,"_10":63,"_64":466,"_72":471,"_16":298},"af7b69691c86",[467],{"_8":468,"_10":68,"_69":469,"_37":470},"b7e61a50b35b0",[],"“ It's like a Tardis! It looks so small from the outside but then you walk in and you’re in another land! ”",[],{"_8":473,"_10":231,"_232":233,"_214":474,"_203":475,"_37":478},"b4d2db50a62d56abf9ee1df32c2f7c4f",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_237":262,"_217":218},{"_10":203,"_204":476},{"_106":477,"_10":104},"image-4bdcf44542750a326a44a78937f892a3af1e08de-3469x2083-jpg",[479],{"_8":480,"_10":63,"_64":481,"_72":486,"_16":151},"b451771234f1",[482],{"_8":483,"_10":68,"_69":484,"_37":485},"79079d467dc80",[],"Into the double sided window displays went all the beautiful hardbacks that Children’s Buyer Ange Travers had been hankering after and sourcing from overseas as well as locally but had never had room to do justice. With a guiding mantra of having books that won’t be found everywhere else, and a belief that our customers want to feel the magic of those books, it wasn’t hard to make little Unity the gem that it is now known to be.",[],{"_8":488,"_10":324,"_214":489,"_219":490},"a29c0a9c45d6",{"_10":216,"_326":327,"_217":218},{"_10":221,"_219":329,"_201":491,"_226":333},{"_10":203,"_204":492},{"_106":332,"_10":104},{"_10":337,"_40":494,"_203":495,"_17":497},"Nestled next door to Unity Books Auckland is the small but perfectly formed Little Unity, a curated treasure trove of books for children and young adults.",{"_10":203,"_204":496},{"_106":433,"_10":104},"little Unity",{"_10":14,"_343":499},"little-unity",{"_10":221,"_219":501,"_201":502,"_226":504},"little Unity Vault",{"_10":203,"_204":503},{"_106":225,"_10":104},"....",{"_113":506,"_115":507,"_117":508,"_119":509,"_10":126,"_127":512,"_129":513,"_40":516,"_149":531,"_177":562,"_179":563,"_181":564,"_201":571,"_207":574,"_209":575,"_334":717,"_38":718,"_14":723,"_17":722,"_345":725},"2022-10-04T02:32:42Z","ddef34a8-2e15-4376-9a4b-04fae7ecf90d","8IdNb8jhS5j0w05Nl9xb7s",{"_121":510},{"_123":507,"_124":511},"V5dtyI87NMtAISfO5CElwU","2026-01-26T04:30:49Z",[514,515,382],"57 Willis Street","Wellington 6011",[517,532,539,547,555],{"_8":518,"_10":63,"_64":519,"_72":529,"_16":151},"b1cc1de416ac",[520,524],{"_8":521,"_10":68,"_69":522,"_37":523},"88f2ae0db3800",[],"57 Willis Street\nWellington 6011\nPh. 04 499 4245\n",{"_8":525,"_10":68,"_69":526,"_37":528},"a0e3a89106f5",[527],"edd2d1191773","wellington@unitybooks.co.nz ",[530],{"_8":527,"_10":148,"_149":531},"wellington@unitybooks.co.nz",{"_8":533,"_10":63,"_64":534,"_72":538,"_16":92},"d66128446dd1",[535],{"_8":536,"_10":68,"_69":537,"_37":382},"73bcab7b74790",[],[],{"_8":540,"_10":63,"_64":541,"_72":546,"_16":160},"f6a828b70fef",[542],{"_8":543,"_10":68,"_69":544,"_37":545},"546bc27445e8",[390],"Opening hours",[],{"_8":548,"_10":63,"_64":549,"_72":554,"_16":160},"f1ff1846e68e",[550],{"_8":551,"_10":68,"_69":552,"_37":553},"7dfb1d8f4f0e",[],"Mon-Thurs 9am-6pm\nFri 9am-7pm\nSat 10am-6pm\nSun 10am-5pm",[],{"_8":556,"_10":63,"_64":557,"_72":561,"_16":160},"2ba56086c2f7",[558],{"_8":559,"_10":68,"_69":560,"_37":175},"436fecf81eb0",[],[],"https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/775952564/rendition/360p/file.mp4?loc=external&signature=cbdad0e14f2ff55a3cea358b3176f77892738bf9ca1ebf73dbf53331f8ec8160","https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/775952532/rendition/360p/file.mp4?loc=external&signature=a252975b3a130d04a27f243a87f0e5d6d981ee7750257cf5110012210ac874ed",[565,566,568,569],{"_8":184,"_10":185,"_186":187,"_188":189},{"_8":567,"_10":185,"_186":192,"_188":193},"dcc97cb739f8",{"_8":191,"_10":185,"_186":196,"_188":200},{"_8":195,"_10":185,"_186":199,"_188":570},"10am - 5pm",{"_10":203,"_204":572},{"_106":573,"_10":104},"image-40d5f99e37451db8cc027847a02dc0251ea9ceac-28x28-svg","https://goo.gl/maps/sQmMnp3uBuCbUHLaA",[576,583,614,637,649,704,710],{"_8":577,"_10":213,"_214":578,"_219":579,"_126":582},"ca960281fc15",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_217":218},{"_10":221,"_219":222,"_201":580,"_226":227},{"_10":203,"_204":581},{"_106":225,"_10":104},{"_106":507,"_10":104},{"_8":584,"_10":231,"_232":233,"_214":585,"_203":586,"_37":589},"d569448d1e08",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_237":238,"_217":218},{"_10":203,"_204":587},{"_106":588,"_10":104},"image-f307b534a5eb05d2ff1fd73a03cac5b514d584ed-1080x1080-jpg",[590,598,606],{"_8":591,"_10":63,"_64":592,"_72":597,"_16":151},"89c9a23a7ed4",[593],{"_8":594,"_10":68,"_69":595,"_37":596},"3bb816d17a260",[],"The Unity Books story – the start-up that aged happily – kicked off with book-loving, debate-hunger, and a strong will. Founder Alan Preston was a New Zealand rep sportsman, as well as a Philosophy, History and Accounts student who became the accounts manager at South’s Books.",[],{"_8":599,"_10":63,"_64":600,"_72":605,"_16":151},"247e0c51c789",[601],{"_8":602,"_10":68,"_69":603,"_37":604},"a0ef94cba177",[],"With the support of his father Cyril he decided to open his own shop. He placed a small ad (in keeping with the smallness of the shop within the Oxford Uni Press showrooms) in the Dominion and Evening Post announcing a new bookshop opening on Willis St.\n\nOn 6 September 1967 while giving the books another tutu on the first day, the staff - Alan and his Dad and their friend Bob Dempsey - suddenly realised they were low on classics. Grabbing a trolley, Bob raced across the Wellington CBD to a warehouse supplier and came back laden and triumphant.",[],{"_8":607,"_10":63,"_64":608,"_72":613,"_16":151},"d4c919679d58",[609],{"_8":610,"_10":68,"_69":611,"_37":612},"cc8e1167c70e0",[],"Then Unity Books grew. In the ‘70s, having made enough people happy and having moved enough books (of both the sober and radical persuasion) past the till, Unity Books moved to a bigger site on Willis St, next to Colin Morris Music.\n\nThe vibe was perfect. At the helm was Prue de Villiers, Jo Harris (now McColl) and author Nigel Cox. Alan was an accounts manager again, but with a busier floor to talk on. When that 12 year lease came up, a fatter and more radical Unity moved even further along Willis St to our 3rd site, Perrett’s corner, to the mega-glazed pink banana-shaped shop.",[],{"_8":615,"_10":231,"_232":233,"_214":616,"_203":617,"_37":620},"8f38b04058d213212c2683dcf2657a02",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_237":262,"_217":218},{"_10":203,"_204":618},{"_106":619,"_10":104},"image-d2b5f297c0fc571868666f3b9db59f5090c8e449-1080x810-jpg",[621,629],{"_8":622,"_10":63,"_64":623,"_72":628,"_16":151},"897d5c5e505c",[624],{"_8":625,"_10":68,"_69":626,"_37":627},"d04fb6e7c2b80",[],"Meanwhile Jo and Nigel opened Unity Books Auckland. Lead vocals in Wellington were Louise Wrightson (now a poet), Marion Castree (NZ buyer still!) and Tilly Lloyd (a recovering Penguin rep). Backing vocals were (this is incomplete of course) a wide variety of authors, reviewers, academics, postmen and late hippies. There we began regular events with local and international authors and publishers and somehow kept morale during the long years of the long tail of the ’86 NZ stock-market crash.",[],{"_8":630,"_10":63,"_64":631,"_72":636,"_16":151},"701b17df038a",[632],{"_8":633,"_10":68,"_69":634,"_37":635},"f7a941ccae5e0",[],"In 1998, with several Writers and Readers festivals behind us, and notwithstanding that the staff and stock had morphed into even more radicalness, Alan agreed with then buyer Heather McKenzie to get closer to the ‘fire’ of Lambton Quay, so Unity Books moved back down Willis Street to our current site. 500 square metres seemed wildly ambitious but of course Wellington people flocked in and we did daily Olympic Gold in stock buying, reshelving, and the new frantic levels of nearly-always happy dialogue of bookselling.\n\nSo it was and so it is now, regardless of the WFC or the ebook or online imperialism (amazon in lower case please) or the shop flood. The street is withstanding. The city changes and recasts and rumbles the way beautiful cities do. And Unity’s stock and staff and public interface stayed gutsy and pleasing.",[],{"_8":638,"_10":285,"_286":109,"_214":639,"_37":640},"32c0025b06bc",{"_10":216,"_237":288,"_217":218},[641],{"_8":642,"_10":63,"_64":643,"_72":648,"_16":298},"f408e52442c6",[644],{"_8":645,"_10":68,"_69":646,"_37":647},"5c8f1759aad10",[],"\"Warm and knowledgeable bookselling service is the biggest thing; \nlaughter and community are crucial; a welcome atmosphere is everything.\"",[],{"_8":650,"_10":231,"_232":233,"_214":651,"_203":652,"_37":655},"ae9d9cf48345131e43d239cd8d6f65b7",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_237":238,"_217":218},{"_10":203,"_204":653},{"_106":654,"_10":104},"image-05267dbf931a4c5ed003b88b1c81f02bd890dbf4-1080x1080-jpg",[656,664,672,680,688,696],{"_8":657,"_10":63,"_64":658,"_72":663,"_16":151},"9f66bbf5356c",[659],{"_8":660,"_10":68,"_69":661,"_37":662},"3fb2421b7cd60",[],"As all booksellers attest, it’s only the daily traffic of enquiring people (well OK, also some of their dogs) which produces the thrum. The events calendar is running amok, the awards arrived, the flowers are artful, the speeches are short, and the wine from the publishers is plentiful (though rarely gold medal).",[],{"_8":665,"_10":63,"_64":666,"_72":671,"_16":151},"1ff94c0770c5",[667],{"_8":668,"_10":68,"_69":669,"_37":670},"7c0fc4cd07630",[],"And the Unity armchairs are still the only armchairs in the CBD where any person can just sit and think in public without feeling any pressure that they must be industrious or buy a book. Even now with constant streaming and numbers, plenty of others are covering that for them. And deep down we all know that sooner or later the welcome sloucher will feel the call of a (for instance) tempting iwi history or Ottolenghi or Metallica bio.",[],{"_8":673,"_10":63,"_64":674,"_72":679,"_16":151},"f4289e802afb",[675],{"_8":676,"_10":68,"_69":677,"_37":678},"ff32055aa54e0",[],"Alan died in 2004 and Jo and Lawrie McColl and Tilly Lloyd took Unity on, merging Alan’s idiosyncratic mentorship with our own and the staff’s heart and bookaholism, and between us all we’ve kept Alan’s precepts alive and well: responsiveness is the thing; talking about books is a bigger thing; having galvanising stock is even bigger; warm and knowledgeable bookselling service is the biggest thing; laughter and community are crucial; a welcome atmosphere is everything.",[],{"_8":681,"_10":63,"_64":682,"_72":687,"_16":151},"75a5451c12d2",[683],{"_8":684,"_10":68,"_69":685,"_37":686},"538b6b3c14910",[],"Enjoy our space, it’s yours.",[],{"_8":689,"_10":63,"_64":690,"_72":695,"_16":151},"911005d0be43",[691],{"_8":692,"_10":68,"_69":693,"_37":694},"b4507354beb20",[],"All the best as always",[],{"_8":697,"_10":63,"_64":698,"_72":703,"_16":151},"65d3a262586d",[699],{"_8":700,"_10":68,"_69":701,"_37":702},"6c3f9a17cc010",[],"Tilly Lloyd",[],{"_8":705,"_10":324,"_214":706,"_219":707},"cec42dbd4aa2",{"_10":216,"_235":236,"_326":327,"_217":218},{"_10":221,"_219":329,"_201":708,"_226":333},{"_10":203,"_204":709},{"_106":332,"_10":104},{"_8":711,"_10":712,"_219":713,"_126":716},"106520822878","module.vaultMarquee",{"_10":221,"_219":714,"_226":715},"Unity Books Wellington Articles","Uncover a vast collection of articles at Unity Books Wellington, offering a diverse array of topics that unveil fascinating insights and boundless possibilities. Come on in and explore!",{"_106":507,"_10":104},"04 499 4245",{"_10":337,"_40":719,"_203":720,"_17":722},"The Unity Books story – the start-up that aged happily – kicked off with book-loving, debate-hunger, and a strong will.",{"_10":203,"_204":721},{"_106":654,"_10":104},"Wellington",{"_10":14,"_343":724},"wellington",{"_10":221,"_219":726,"_201":727,"_226":350},"Wellington Vault",{"_10":203,"_204":728},{"_106":225,"_10":104},"cartTotalQuantity",0,"routes/products.$handle",{"_733":734,"_897":-5,"_898":899,"_981":982,"_1326":1327,"_1328":881,"_1329":1330},"storefrontProduct",{"_735":736,"_123":737,"_738":739,"_741":742,"_17":748,"_749":42,"_750":382,"_751":752,"_40":752,"_753":754,"_757":758,"_797":798,"_806":807},"handle","last-sweet-bite-when-war-changes-the-menu","gid://shopify/Product/8554563797189","tags",[740],"FOOWRI","options",[743],{"_744":745,"_746":747},"name","Title","values",[748],"Last Sweet Bite : When War Changes the Menu","vendor","productType","descriptionHtml","A powerful and heartwarming exploration of cuisine in conflict zones, highlighting the heroic persistence of people struggling to protect their food culture in the face of war, genocide, and violence.","featuredImage",{"_755":756},"url","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-1-80444-279-1.jpg?v=1767831693","variants",{"_759":760},"nodes",[761],{"_762":109,"_763":-5,"_123":764,"_203":765,"_773":774,"_779":780,"_17":748,"_783":784,"_785":786},"availableForSale","compareAtPrice","gid://shopify/ProductVariant/45601392263365",{"_766":767,"_768":769,"_123":770,"_755":756,"_771":772},"altText","The Last Sweet Bite Cover Image","height",2048,"gid://shopify/ProductImage/40657815240901","width",1326,"price",{"_775":776,"_777":778},"currencyCode","NZD","amount","40.0","selectedOptions",[781],{"_744":745,"_782":748},"value","barcode","9781804442791","storeAvailability",{"_787":788},"edges",[789,794],{"_790":791},"node",{"_792":109,"_126":793},"available",{"_744":341},{"_790":795},{"_792":36,"_126":796},{"_744":722},"media",{"_759":799},[800],{"_123":801,"_203":802,"_804":805},"gid://shopify/MediaImage/31646333403333",{"_766":767,"_768":769,"_123":803,"_755":756,"_771":772},"gid://shopify/ImageSource/31646333403333","mediaContentType","IMAGE","metafields",[808,812,815,818,821,-5,824,828,830,833,835,-5,837,840,842,845,-5,-5,848,851,-5,854,-5,857,-5,860,862,-5,865,-5,867,-5,870,874,-5,875,877,-5,879,882,-5,884,887,-5,889,-5,-5,892,895,-5],{"_809":810,"_811":17,"_782":748},"namespace","bookinfo_ebility","key",{"_809":810,"_811":813,"_782":814},"author","SHAIKH MICHAEL",{"_809":810,"_811":816,"_782":817},"binding","TP",{"_809":810,"_811":819,"_782":820},"imprint","FOOTNO",{"_809":810,"_811":822,"_782":823},"supplier_auckland","UBD",{"_809":825,"_811":826,"_782":827},"bookinfo_thorpe","supplemented","true",{"_809":825,"_811":17,"_782":829},"The Last Sweet Bite",{"_809":825,"_811":831,"_782":832},"subtitle","When War Changes the Menu",{"_809":825,"_811":813,"_782":834},"Michael Shaikh",{"_809":825,"_811":836,"_782":752},"annotation",{"_809":825,"_811":838,"_782":839},"publisher","Footnote Press Ltd",{"_809":825,"_811":816,"_782":841},"Trade Paper",{"_809":825,"_811":843,"_782":844},"onix_binding","Paperback",{"_809":825,"_811":846,"_782":847},"language","English",{"_809":825,"_811":849,"_782":850},"publish_date","2025-10-21",{"_809":825,"_811":852,"_782":853},"page_count","320",{"_809":855,"_811":344,"_782":856},"status","ACT",{"_809":855,"_811":858,"_782":859},"onorder_auckland","false",{"_809":855,"_811":861,"_782":859},"on_preorder",{"_809":855,"_811":863,"_782":864},"last_received_auckland","10/02/2026",{"_809":855,"_811":866,"_782":778},"price_auckland",{"_809":855,"_811":868,"_782":869},"stock_auckland","1",{"_809":871,"_811":872,"_782":873},"categories","merged","Food Writing",{"_809":871,"_811":344,"_782":873},{"_809":871,"_811":876,"_782":740},"codes_merged",{"_809":871,"_811":878,"_782":740},"codes_auckland",{"_809":871,"_811":880,"_782":881},"sub_merged","FOOD WRITING",{"_809":871,"_811":883,"_782":881},"sub_auckland",{"_809":871,"_811":885,"_782":886},"main_merged","FOOD & DRINK",{"_809":871,"_811":888,"_782":886},"main_auckland",{"_809":871,"_811":890,"_782":891},"web_departments_merged","NON FICTION",{"_809":871,"_811":893,"_782":894},"departments_merged","FOO",{"_809":871,"_811":896,"_782":894},"department_auckland","staffPick","settings",{"_900":901},"productFaq",[902],{"_8":903,"_10":904,"_905":906,"_916":917},"18de7f0938a4","module.dropdowns","copy",[907],{"_8":908,"_10":63,"_64":909,"_72":914,"_16":915},"34b5b6104e86",[910],{"_8":911,"_10":68,"_69":912,"_37":913},"fbdf4c153ea30",[390],"Conditions of purchase, deliveries & returns",[],"h1","items",[918,939,961],{"_8":919,"_10":920,"_905":921,"_219":938},"e11b9ac0a3c9","headingText",[922,930],{"_8":923,"_10":63,"_64":924,"_72":929,"_16":160},"90175698f930",[925],{"_8":926,"_10":68,"_69":927,"_37":928},"2f02508da8840",[],"If there is a fault with the publishing of the book you purchased then we can replace the book for you at no extra cost. We may need to send away for a replacement copy from the publishers, so there could be a wee wait.",[],{"_8":931,"_10":63,"_64":932,"_72":937,"_16":160},"0e887394e709",[933],{"_8":934,"_10":68,"_69":935,"_37":936},"d3a03d3cd16e0",[],"For any other return question, please email online@unitybooks.co.nz\n",[],"What is your refund policy?",{"_8":940,"_10":920,"_905":941,"_219":960},"cfe391969264",[942],{"_8":943,"_10":63,"_64":944,"_72":958,"_16":160},"203f1575c2b4",[945,949,954],{"_8":946,"_10":68,"_69":947,"_37":948},"2a857a8a1677",[],"Please contact us directly by emailing ",{"_8":950,"_10":68,"_69":951,"_37":953},"f8c6077b8006",[952],"d8624759306b","online@unitybooks.co.nz",{"_8":955,"_10":68,"_69":956,"_37":957},"e982d795c281",[],". Or you can call your closest Unity Books store: \nWellington 04 499 4245\nAuckland 09 307 0731",[959],{"_8":952,"_10":148,"_149":953},"I have faulty products, who should I contact?",{"_8":962,"_10":920,"_905":963,"_219":980},"70ac585fe889",[964,972],{"_8":965,"_10":63,"_64":966,"_72":971,"_16":160},"aee5732c0b84",[967],{"_8":968,"_10":68,"_69":969,"_37":970},"999161abc3530",[],"We offer a range of shipping options covering delivery within New Zealand and internationally. Plus pick-up in store. Shipping is calculated at checkout. \n\nFor estimated delivery times please contact the store. Store details can be found on the contact page.",[],{"_8":973,"_10":63,"_64":974,"_72":979,"_16":160},"9f372851ad8a",[975],{"_8":976,"_10":68,"_69":977,"_37":978},"e6578f2654410",[],"Thanks!",[],"What are my different shipping options?","relatedProducts",[983,1080,1155,1254],{"_123":984,"_17":985,"_735":986,"_753":987,"_806":989,"_757":1063},"gid://shopify/Product/8366902411461","Strong Roots A Ukrainian Family Story of War, Exile & Hope","strong-roots-a-ukrainian-family-story-of-war-exile-hope",{"_755":988},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-1-5266-6292-7.jpg?v=1751609586",[990,991,993,995,-5,997,1000,1001,1003,1005,1007,1009,1012,1014,1016,1018,-5,-5,1019,1021,-5,-5,1023,-5,1024,1026,-5,1027,-5,1030,-5,1033,1036,-5,1038,1040,-5,1042,1045,-5,1047,1050,-5,1052,1055,-5,1056,1059,-5,1061],{"_809":810,"_811":17,"_782":985},{"_809":810,"_811":813,"_782":992},"HERCULES OLIA",{"_809":810,"_811":816,"_782":994},"HB",{"_809":810,"_811":819,"_782":996},"BLOOMS",{"_809":810,"_811":998,"_782":999},"supplier_wellington","PRH",{"_809":825,"_811":826,"_782":827},{"_809":825,"_811":17,"_782":1002},"Strong Roots",{"_809":825,"_811":831,"_782":1004},"A Ukrainian Family Story of War, Exile and Hope",{"_809":825,"_811":813,"_782":1006},"Olia Hercules",{"_809":825,"_811":836,"_782":1008},"

'An instant classic' NIGELLA LAWSON

'Sweeping, intimate, defiant and brimming with love' LOUISE KENNEDY

'It is the roots that keep the trees from falling during a storm. Olia Hercules tells us that the same is true for people and nations' SERHII PLOKHY

I am writing this story without knowing its end: it begins long before I was born and will continue long after I die. I am writing this story to help myself heal and to make you understand.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules decided it was finally time to tell her story.

Strong Roots is the story of a century in Ukraine told through four generations of one extraordinary family. It takes us from years of Russification, to Olia's grandmother's deportation to snowy wastelands under Stalin, to her Aunt Zhenia's school protest, to her own parents' flight from Ukraine when their town was occupied in 2022.

This is an ode to the land, to ideas of home and belonging, and to family stories and recipes passed down the generations - the tang of sour cherries, the best way to make borsch. It is an account of resilience in the hardest of circumstances.

Strong Roots brims with hope and grief. It lays bare the compromises and betrayals of generations struggling and surviving through war, peace, invasion and exile. It is an uplifting reminder of how much the human spirit can endure when born from a land rich with strong roots.

",{"_809":825,"_811":1010,"_782":1011},"audience","Trade",{"_809":825,"_811":838,"_782":1013},"Bloomsbury Publishing Plc",{"_809":825,"_811":816,"_782":1015},"Trade Cloth",{"_809":825,"_811":843,"_782":1017},"Hardback",{"_809":825,"_811":846,"_782":847},{"_809":825,"_811":849,"_782":1020},"2025-06-19",{"_809":825,"_811":852,"_782":1022},"288",{"_809":855,"_811":724,"_782":856},{"_809":855,"_811":1025,"_782":859},"onorder_wellington",{"_809":855,"_811":861,"_782":859},{"_809":855,"_811":1028,"_782":1029},"last_received_wellington","28/10/2025",{"_809":855,"_811":1031,"_782":1032},"price_wellington","45.0",{"_809":855,"_811":1034,"_782":1035},"stock_wellington","8",{"_809":871,"_811":872,"_782":1037},"Memoirs,Food Writing",{"_809":871,"_811":724,"_782":1039},"Memoirs;Food Writing",{"_809":871,"_811":876,"_782":1041},"MEMOIR,FOOWRI",{"_809":871,"_811":1043,"_782":1044},"codes_wellington","MEMOIR;FOOWRI",{"_809":871,"_811":880,"_782":1046},"BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR,FOOD WRITING",{"_809":871,"_811":1048,"_782":1049},"sub_wellington","BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR;FOOD WRITING",{"_809":871,"_811":885,"_782":1051},"BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR,FOOD & DRINK",{"_809":871,"_811":1053,"_782":1054},"main_wellington","BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR;FOOD & DRINK",{"_809":871,"_811":890,"_782":891},{"_809":871,"_811":1057,"_782":1058},"web_departments_wellington","NON FICTION;NON FICTION",{"_809":871,"_811":893,"_782":1060},"BIO",{"_809":871,"_811":1062,"_782":1060},"department_wellington",{"_759":1064},[1065],{"_762":109,"_763":-5,"_123":1066,"_203":1067,"_773":1071,"_779":1072,"_17":985,"_783":1074,"_785":1075},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/44874061185221",{"_766":1068,"_768":769,"_123":1069,"_755":988,"_771":1070},"Strong Roots Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/38620599156933",1275,{"_775":776,"_777":1032},[1073],{"_744":745,"_782":985},"9781526662927",{"_787":1076},[1077],{"_790":1078},{"_792":109,"_126":1079},{"_744":722},{"_123":1081,"_17":1082,"_735":1083,"_753":1084,"_806":1086,"_757":1134},"gid://shopify/Product/8497902649541","Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears : The Story of the 1990's Restaurant Revolution","blood-sweat-and-asparagus-spears-the-story-of-the-1990s-restaurant-revolution",{"_755":1085},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-1-78396-911-1.jpg?v=1762827444",[1087,1088,1090,1091,1093,-5,1095,1096,1098,1100,1102,1104,1105,1107,1108,1109,-5,-5,1110,1112,-5,1114,-5,1115,-5,1116,1117,-5,1119,-5,1121,-5,1122,1123,-5,1124,1125,-5,1126,1127,-5,1128,1129,-5,1130,-5,-5,1131,1133,-5],{"_809":810,"_811":17,"_782":1082},{"_809":810,"_811":813,"_782":1089},"TURVIL ANDREW",{"_809":810,"_811":816,"_782":994},{"_809":810,"_811":819,"_782":1092},"ELLTHO",{"_809":810,"_811":822,"_782":1094},"HEDS",{"_809":825,"_811":826,"_782":827},{"_809":825,"_811":17,"_782":1097},"Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears",{"_809":825,"_811":831,"_782":1099},"The Story of the 1990's Restaurant Revolution",{"_809":825,"_811":813,"_782":1101},"Andrew Turvil",{"_809":825,"_811":836,"_782":1103},"

'Mouthwatering'The Mail on Sunday

'A valuable historical contribution. More importantly... a delightful read.' The Sunday Times

From White Heat to Wagamama, this is the inside story of the explosive decade that changed eating out in Britain forever: Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears is your seat at the best table for the story of the 1990s Restaurant Revolution.

In 1990, Britain was mocked for its bland food and over-boiled veg but by 2000, the country was on its way to being one of the world's most exciting culinary hotspots.

Former Good Food Guide editor Andrew Turvil was there, tasting Marco Pierre White's three Michelin starred food, clocking Jamie Oliver's first TV take, and fielding volcanic phone calls from irate chefs. In sparkling prose and a veritable feast of 1990s food, Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears charts the wild ride from the cigarette fueled 'SAS of kitchens' to Nobu's celebrity glamour via the £5 recession lunch and the arrival of conveyor-belt sushi.

What you'll find inside:

* First-hand stories from Marco Pierre White, Paul Heathcote, Vineet Bhatia, Heston Blumenthal, and scores more, with their reflections and recollections adding spice to the mix.

* The 1990s trends that shaped today - coffee outlets rose 847% and monthly eating-out nearly tripled by 2015, while organic sales doubled.

* A tasting tour of 33 iconic dishes that still shape restaurant menus now, from Black Cod Miso to Triple-Cooked Chips.

* Behind-the-pass insight into how the 1990s forged the careers of current headline chefs and set the template for Britain's modern, multicultural food identity.

Drawing on contemporary reviews and original interviews, Andrew Turvil reveals the triumphs, pitfalls and night shift epiphanies that transformed Britain from a 'country of one sauce' into a nation of food obsessives.

Fast paced, funny and meticulously researched, this is a love letter to restaurants--and the people who bled to make them great. If you've ever yelled \"Yes, chef!\" at a TV, queued for ramen, or Instagrammed a marrow bone, this is the ultimate feast of 90s nostalgia.

'A fabulous book - a page-turning in-depth delve into our world of food, hospitality and the characters within'Sally Clarke, chef and restaurateur

",{"_809":825,"_811":1010,"_782":1011},{"_809":825,"_811":838,"_782":1106},"Elliott & Thompson, Limited",{"_809":825,"_811":816,"_782":1015},{"_809":825,"_811":843,"_782":1017},{"_809":825,"_811":846,"_782":847},{"_809":825,"_811":849,"_782":1111},"2025-09-25",{"_809":825,"_811":852,"_782":1113},"272",{"_809":855,"_811":344,"_782":856},{"_809":855,"_811":858,"_782":859},{"_809":855,"_811":861,"_782":859},{"_809":855,"_811":863,"_782":1118},"15/01/2026",{"_809":855,"_811":866,"_782":1120},"50.0",{"_809":855,"_811":868,"_782":869},{"_809":871,"_811":872,"_782":873},{"_809":871,"_811":344,"_782":873},{"_809":871,"_811":876,"_782":740},{"_809":871,"_811":878,"_782":740},{"_809":871,"_811":880,"_782":881},{"_809":871,"_811":883,"_782":881},{"_809":871,"_811":885,"_782":886},{"_809":871,"_811":888,"_782":886},{"_809":871,"_811":890,"_782":891},{"_809":871,"_811":893,"_782":1132},"FOO,COO",{"_809":871,"_811":896,"_782":894},{"_759":1135},[1136],{"_762":109,"_763":-5,"_123":1137,"_203":1138,"_773":1142,"_779":1143,"_17":1145,"_783":1146,"_785":1147},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/45316417290437",{"_766":1139,"_768":769,"_123":1140,"_755":1085,"_771":1141},"Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/40003727818949",1339,{"_775":776,"_777":1120},[1144],{"_744":745,"_782":1145},"Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears The Story of the 1990's Restaurant Revolution","9781783969111",{"_787":1148},[1149,1152],{"_790":1150},{"_792":109,"_126":1151},{"_744":341},{"_790":1153},{"_792":36,"_126":1154},{"_744":722},{"_123":1156,"_17":1157,"_735":1158,"_753":1159,"_806":1161,"_757":1233},"gid://shopify/Product/8354703081669","Cold Kitchen : A Year of Culinary Travels","cold-kitchen-a-year-of-culinary-travels",{"_755":1160},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-1-5266-5899-9.jpg?v=1750299137",[1162,1163,1165,1167,1168,1169,1170,1171,1173,1175,1177,1179,1180,1181,1182,1183,-5,-5,1184,1186,-5,1188,1189,1190,1191,1192,1193,1195,1197,1199,1201,1203,1205,1207,1208,1210,1212,1213,1215,1217,1218,1220,1222,1223,1225,-5,1226,1227,1229,1231],{"_809":810,"_811":17,"_782":1157},{"_809":810,"_811":813,"_782":1164},"EDEN CAROLINE",{"_809":810,"_811":816,"_782":1166},"PB",{"_809":810,"_811":819,"_782":996},{"_809":810,"_811":822,"_782":823},{"_809":810,"_811":998,"_782":999},{"_809":825,"_811":826,"_782":827},{"_809":825,"_811":17,"_782":1172},"Cold Kitchen",{"_809":825,"_811":831,"_782":1174},"A Year of Culinary Travels",{"_809":825,"_811":813,"_782":1176},"Caroline Eden",{"_809":825,"_811":836,"_782":1178},"

A Financial Times and Observer \"best summer read\"
A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year

'With its union of practicality and magic, a kitchen is a portal, offering extended range and providing unlikely paths out of the ordinary ... longed-for places are suddenly not so far away. Not unreachable, but present. Held again in the hand and heart.'

In her Edinburgh basement kitchen, Caroline Eden recounts travels across Central Asia, Turkey, the Baltics and beyond using recipes, souvenirs, ingredients and imagination to provide routes back to distant lands and past adventures.

From late-night baking as a way to Ukraine, to the magic of Uzbekistan's wintertime melons, once gifts fit for emperors and tsars, this is a hauntingly honest memoir with the smell, taste and preparation of food at its heart. Cold Kitchen is an ode to the kitchen's extraordinary ability to tell human stories and transport us to faraway places and different times.

",{"_809":825,"_811":1010,"_782":1011},{"_809":825,"_811":838,"_782":1013},{"_809":825,"_811":816,"_782":841},{"_809":825,"_811":843,"_782":844},{"_809":825,"_811":846,"_782":847},{"_809":825,"_811":849,"_782":1185},"2025-05-08",{"_809":825,"_811":852,"_782":1187},"256",{"_809":855,"_811":344,"_782":856},{"_809":855,"_811":724,"_782":856},{"_809":855,"_811":858,"_782":859},{"_809":855,"_811":1025,"_782":859},{"_809":855,"_811":861,"_782":859},{"_809":855,"_811":863,"_782":1194},"17/03/2026",{"_809":855,"_811":1028,"_782":1196},"18/11/2025",{"_809":855,"_811":866,"_782":1198},"30.0",{"_809":855,"_811":1031,"_782":1200},"27.0",{"_809":855,"_811":868,"_782":1202},"2",{"_809":855,"_811":1034,"_782":1204},"4",{"_809":871,"_811":872,"_782":1206},"Travel Writing",{"_809":871,"_811":344,"_782":1206},{"_809":871,"_811":724,"_782":1209},"Food Writing;Travel Writing",{"_809":871,"_811":876,"_782":1211},"TRAWRI",{"_809":871,"_811":878,"_782":1211},{"_809":871,"_811":1043,"_782":1214},"FOOWRI;TRAWRI",{"_809":871,"_811":880,"_782":1216},"TRAVEL WRITING",{"_809":871,"_811":883,"_782":1216},{"_809":871,"_811":1048,"_782":1219},"FOOD WRITING;TRAVEL WRITING",{"_809":871,"_811":885,"_782":1221},"TRAVEL",{"_809":871,"_811":888,"_782":1221},{"_809":871,"_811":1053,"_782":1224},"FOOD & DRINK;TRAVEL",{"_809":871,"_811":890,"_782":891},{"_809":871,"_811":1057,"_782":1058},{"_809":871,"_811":893,"_782":1228},"TRA,COO",{"_809":871,"_811":896,"_782":1230},"TRA",{"_809":871,"_811":1062,"_782":1232},"COO",{"_759":1234},[1235],{"_762":109,"_763":-5,"_123":1236,"_203":1237,"_773":1241,"_779":1242,"_17":1244,"_783":1245,"_785":1246},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/44832263864517",{"_766":1238,"_768":769,"_123":1239,"_755":1160,"_771":1240},"Cold Kitchen Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/38436931535045",1336,{"_775":776,"_777":1198},[1243],{"_744":745,"_782":1244},"Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels","9781526658999",{"_787":1247},[1248,1251],{"_790":1249},{"_792":109,"_126":1250},{"_744":341},{"_790":1252},{"_792":109,"_126":1253},{"_744":722},{"_123":1255,"_17":1256,"_735":1257,"_753":1258,"_806":1260,"_757":1309},"gid://shopify/Product/8567206478021","English Food: A People's History","english-food-a-peoples-history",{"_755":1259},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-0-00-725557-3.jpg?v=1768540183",[1261,1262,1264,1265,-5,1267,1269,1270,-5,1272,1274,1276,1277,1279,1281,1282,-5,1283,1286,1288,-5,-5,1290,-5,1291,1292,-5,1293,-5,1295,-5,1296,1297,-5,1298,1299,-5,1300,1301,-5,1302,1303,-5,1304,1305,-5,1306,1307,-5,1308],{"_809":810,"_811":17,"_782":1256},{"_809":810,"_811":813,"_782":1263},"PURKISS DIANE",{"_809":810,"_811":816,"_782":1166},{"_809":810,"_811":819,"_782":1266},"HARPER",{"_809":810,"_811":998,"_782":1268},"GARD",{"_809":825,"_811":826,"_782":827},{"_809":825,"_811":17,"_782":1271},"English Food: a People's History",{"_809":825,"_811":813,"_782":1273},"Diane Purkiss",{"_809":825,"_811":836,"_782":1275},"

'An absolute gem' Sunday Times

'A mouthwatering history' The Guardian

In this delicious history of Britain's food traditions, Diane Purkiss invites readers on a unique journey through the centuries, exploring the development of recipes and rituals for mealtimes such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to show how food has been both a reflection of and inspiration for social continuity and change.

Purkiss uses the story of food as a revelatory device to chart changing views on class, gender, and tradition through the ages. Sprinkled throughout with glorious details of historical quirks - trial by ordeal of bread, a fondness for 'small beer' and a war-time ice-cream substitute called 'hokey pokey' made from parsnips - this book is both an education and an entertainment.

English Food explores the development of the coffee trade and the birth of London's coffee houses, where views were exchanged on politics, art, and literature. Purkiss introduces the first breeders of British beef and reveals how cattle triggered the terrible Glencoe Massacre. We are taken for tea, to the icehouse, the pantry, and the beehive. We learn that toast is as English as the chalk cliffs. We bite into chicken, plainly poached or exotically spiced. We join bacon curers and fishermen at work. We follow the scent of apples into ancient orchards.

A rich and indulgent history, English Food will change the way you view your food and understand your past.

The table is set, have a seat, and tuck in.

",{"_809":825,"_811":1010,"_782":1011},{"_809":825,"_811":838,"_782":1278},"HarperCollins Publishers Limited",{"_809":825,"_811":816,"_782":1280},"UK-B Format Paperback",{"_809":825,"_811":843,"_782":844},{"_809":825,"_811":846,"_782":847},{"_809":825,"_811":1284,"_782":1285},"bic_subject","BRITISH & IRISH HISTORY_UNITED KINGDOM, GREAT BRITAIN_20TH CENTURY; COOKERY / FOOD & DRINK ETC",{"_809":825,"_811":849,"_782":1287},"2065-01-01",{"_809":825,"_811":852,"_782":1289},"560",{"_809":855,"_811":724,"_782":856},{"_809":855,"_811":1025,"_782":859},{"_809":855,"_811":861,"_782":859},{"_809":855,"_811":1028,"_782":1294},"16/01/2026",{"_809":855,"_811":1031,"_782":1032},{"_809":855,"_811":1034,"_782":869},{"_809":871,"_811":872,"_782":873},{"_809":871,"_811":724,"_782":873},{"_809":871,"_811":876,"_782":740},{"_809":871,"_811":1043,"_782":740},{"_809":871,"_811":880,"_782":881},{"_809":871,"_811":1048,"_782":881},{"_809":871,"_811":885,"_782":886},{"_809":871,"_811":1053,"_782":886},{"_809":871,"_811":890,"_782":891},{"_809":871,"_811":1057,"_782":891},{"_809":871,"_811":893,"_782":1232},{"_809":871,"_811":1062,"_782":1232},{"_759":1310},[1311],{"_762":109,"_763":-5,"_123":1312,"_203":1313,"_773":1317,"_779":1318,"_17":1256,"_783":1320,"_785":1321},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/45640113946821",{"_766":1314,"_768":769,"_123":1315,"_755":1259,"_771":1316},"English Food: a People's History Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/40807019839685",1333,{"_775":776,"_777":1032},[1319],{"_744":745,"_782":1256},"9780007255573",{"_787":1322},[1323],{"_790":1324},{"_792":109,"_126":1325},{"_744":722},"relatedProductsCollectionUrl","/collections/shop-all?shopify_products%5BrefinementList%5D%5Bmeta.categories.sub_merged%5D%5B0%5D=FOOD+WRITING","relatedProductsFirstSubCategory","city","columbus","actionData","errors"]

The Last Sweet Bite

When War Changes the Menu

by Michael Shaikh