[{"_1":2,"_1384":-5,"_1385":-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,"_903":-5,"_904":905,"_987":988,"_1379":1380,"_1381":885,"_1382":1383},"storefrontProduct",{"_735":736,"_123":737,"_738":739,"_741":742,"_17":748,"_749":42,"_750":382,"_751":752,"_40":753,"_754":755,"_758":759,"_795":796,"_804":805},"handle","trip-to-echo-spring-on-writers-drinking","gid://shopify/Product/8590319616197","tags",[740],"LITBIO","options",[743],{"_744":745,"_746":747},"name","Title","values",[748],"Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers & Drinking","vendor","productType","descriptionHtml","Olivia Laing's captivating exploration of alcoholism and literature; 'beguiling, beautifully written . . . brilliant and original' - Sunday Times","Olivia Laing's captivating exploration of alcoholism and literature; 'beguiling, beautifully written . . . brilliant and original' - Sunday Times","featuredImage",{"_756":757},"url","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-1-78689-160-0.jpg?v=1769148609","variants",{"_760":761},"nodes",[762],{"_763":109,"_764":-5,"_123":765,"_203":766,"_774":775,"_780":781,"_17":748,"_784":785,"_786":787},"availableForSale","compareAtPrice","gid://shopify/ProductVariant/45680268181701",{"_767":768,"_769":770,"_123":771,"_756":757,"_772":773},"altText","The Trip to Echo Spring Cover Image","height",2048,"gid://shopify/ProductImage/40931228319941","width",1334,"price",{"_776":777,"_778":779},"currencyCode","NZD","amount","33.0","selectedOptions",[782],{"_744":745,"_783":748},"value","barcode","9781786891600","storeAvailability",{"_788":789},"edges",[790],{"_791":792},"node",{"_793":109,"_126":794},"available",{"_744":722},"media",{"_760":797},[798],{"_123":799,"_203":800,"_802":803},"gid://shopify/MediaImage/31907759194309",{"_767":768,"_769":770,"_123":801,"_756":757,"_772":773},"gid://shopify/ImageSource/31907759194309","mediaContentType","IMAGE","metafields",[806,810,813,816,-5,819,822,826,828,831,833,835,838,841,843,846,-5,849,852,855,-5,-5,858,-5,861,864,-5,866,-5,869,-5,871,874,-5,878,879,-5,881,883,-5,886,888,-5,891,893,-5,896,898,-5,901],{"_807":808,"_809":17,"_783":748},"namespace","bookinfo_ebility","key",{"_807":808,"_809":811,"_783":812},"author","LAING OLIVIA",{"_807":808,"_809":814,"_783":815},"binding","PB",{"_807":808,"_809":817,"_783":818},"imprint","CANONG",{"_807":808,"_809":820,"_783":821},"supplier_wellington","PRH",{"_807":823,"_809":824,"_783":825},"bookinfo_thorpe","supplemented","true",{"_807":823,"_809":17,"_783":827},"The Trip to Echo Spring",{"_807":823,"_809":829,"_783":830},"subtitle","On Writers and Drinking",{"_807":823,"_809":811,"_783":832},"Olivia Laing",{"_807":823,"_809":834,"_783":752},"annotation",{"_807":823,"_809":836,"_783":837},"audience","Trade",{"_807":823,"_809":839,"_783":840},"publisher","Canongate Books",{"_807":823,"_809":814,"_783":842},"UK-B Format Paperback",{"_807":823,"_809":844,"_783":845},"onix_binding","Paperback",{"_807":823,"_809":847,"_783":848},"language","English",{"_807":823,"_809":850,"_783":851},"bic_subject","COPING WITH DRUG & ALCOHOL ABUSE; COGNITION & COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY; LITERATURE: HISTORY & CRITICISM_USA",{"_807":823,"_809":853,"_783":854},"publish_date","2017-10-25",{"_807":823,"_809":856,"_783":857},"page_count","352",{"_807":859,"_809":724,"_783":860},"status","ACT",{"_807":859,"_809":862,"_783":863},"onorder_wellington","false",{"_807":859,"_809":865,"_783":863},"on_preorder",{"_807":859,"_809":867,"_783":868},"last_received_wellington","24/02/2026",{"_807":859,"_809":870,"_783":779},"price_wellington",{"_807":859,"_809":872,"_783":873},"stock_wellington","1",{"_807":875,"_809":876,"_783":877},"categories","merged","Literary Biography",{"_807":875,"_809":724,"_783":877},{"_807":875,"_809":880,"_783":740},"codes_merged",{"_807":875,"_809":882,"_783":740},"codes_wellington",{"_807":875,"_809":884,"_783":885},"sub_merged","LITERARY BIOGRAPHY",{"_807":875,"_809":887,"_783":885},"sub_wellington",{"_807":875,"_809":889,"_783":890},"main_merged","BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR",{"_807":875,"_809":892,"_783":890},"main_wellington",{"_807":875,"_809":894,"_783":895},"web_departments_merged","NON FICTION",{"_807":875,"_809":897,"_783":895},"web_departments_wellington",{"_807":875,"_809":899,"_783":900},"departments_merged","BIO",{"_807":875,"_809":902,"_783":900},"department_wellington","staffPick","settings",{"_906":907},"productFaq",[908],{"_8":909,"_10":910,"_911":912,"_922":923},"18de7f0938a4","module.dropdowns","copy",[913],{"_8":914,"_10":63,"_64":915,"_72":920,"_16":921},"34b5b6104e86",[916],{"_8":917,"_10":68,"_69":918,"_37":919},"fbdf4c153ea30",[390],"Conditions of purchase, deliveries & returns",[],"h1","items",[924,945,967],{"_8":925,"_10":926,"_911":927,"_219":944},"e11b9ac0a3c9","headingText",[928,936],{"_8":929,"_10":63,"_64":930,"_72":935,"_16":160},"90175698f930",[931],{"_8":932,"_10":68,"_69":933,"_37":934},"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":937,"_10":63,"_64":938,"_72":943,"_16":160},"0e887394e709",[939],{"_8":940,"_10":68,"_69":941,"_37":942},"d3a03d3cd16e0",[],"For any other return question, please email online@unitybooks.co.nz\n",[],"What is your refund policy?",{"_8":946,"_10":926,"_911":947,"_219":966},"cfe391969264",[948],{"_8":949,"_10":63,"_64":950,"_72":964,"_16":160},"203f1575c2b4",[951,955,960],{"_8":952,"_10":68,"_69":953,"_37":954},"2a857a8a1677",[],"Please contact us directly by emailing ",{"_8":956,"_10":68,"_69":957,"_37":959},"f8c6077b8006",[958],"d8624759306b","online@unitybooks.co.nz",{"_8":961,"_10":68,"_69":962,"_37":963},"e982d795c281",[],". Or you can call your closest Unity Books store: \nWellington 04 499 4245\nAuckland 09 307 0731",[965],{"_8":958,"_10":148,"_149":959},"I have faulty products, who should I contact?",{"_8":968,"_10":926,"_911":969,"_219":986},"70ac585fe889",[970,978],{"_8":971,"_10":63,"_64":972,"_72":977,"_16":160},"aee5732c0b84",[973],{"_8":974,"_10":68,"_69":975,"_37":976},"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":979,"_10":63,"_64":980,"_72":985,"_16":160},"9f372851ad8a",[981],{"_8":982,"_10":68,"_69":983,"_37":984},"e6578f2654410",[],"Thanks!",[],"What are my different shipping options?","relatedProducts",[989,1097,1183,1280],{"_123":990,"_17":991,"_735":992,"_754":993,"_804":995,"_758":1077},"gid://shopify/Product/8304046276805","Place of Tides","place-of-tides-2",{"_756":994},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-0-14-199192-4.jpg?v=1744416521",[996,997,999,1000,1002,1005,1006,1007,-5,1009,1011,1013,1014,1016,1017,1018,-5,-5,1019,1021,1023,1025,1026,1027,1029,1030,1031,1034,1036,1039,1040,1043,1045,1047,1048,1050,1052,1054,1056,1058,1060,1062,1064,1066,1068,-5,1069,1071,1073,1076],{"_807":808,"_809":17,"_783":991},{"_807":808,"_809":811,"_783":998},"REBANKS JAMES",{"_807":808,"_809":814,"_783":815},{"_807":808,"_809":817,"_783":1001},"PEPR",{"_807":808,"_809":1003,"_783":1004},"supplier_auckland","UBD",{"_807":808,"_809":820,"_783":821},{"_807":823,"_809":824,"_783":825},{"_807":823,"_809":17,"_783":1008},"The Place of Tides",{"_807":823,"_809":811,"_783":1010},"James Rebanks",{"_807":823,"_809":834,"_783":1012},"

'Enchanting' Telegraph

'Miraculous' Isabella Tree
'Exquisite' FT

From the No.1 bestselling author of The Shepherd's Life, an unforgettable story of friendship, redemption and a life-changing voyage of discovery on a remote Norwegian island

How far do you have to go to find yourself?

One afternoon many years ago, James Rebanks met an old woman on a remote Norwegian island. She lived and worked alone on a tiny rocky outcrop, caring for wild Eider ducks and gathering their down. Hers was a centuries-old trade that had once made men and women rich, but had long been in decline. Still, somehow, she seemed to be hanging on.

Back at home, Rebanks couldn't stop thinking about the woman on the rocks. She was fierce and otherworldly - and yet strangely familiar. Years passed. Then, one day, he wrote her a letter, asking if he could return. Bring work clothes, she replied, and good boots, and come quickly: her health was failing. And so he travelled to the edge of the Arctic to witness her last season on the island.

This is the story of that season. It is the story of a unique and ancient landscape, and of the woman who brought it back to life. It traces the pattern of her work from the rough, isolated toil of bitter winter, to the elation of the endless summer light, when the birds leave behind their precious down for gathering, like feathered gold.

Slowly, Rebanks begins to understand that this woman and her world are not what he had previously thought. What began as a journey of escape becomes an extraordinary lesson in self-knowledge and forgiveness.

*Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year Award*

",{"_807":823,"_809":836,"_783":837},{"_807":823,"_809":839,"_783":1015},"Penguin Publishing Group",{"_807":823,"_809":814,"_783":842},{"_807":823,"_809":844,"_783":845},{"_807":823,"_809":847,"_783":848},{"_807":823,"_809":853,"_783":1020},"2025-06-24",{"_807":823,"_809":856,"_783":1022},"304",{"_807":823,"_809":817,"_783":1024},"Penguin Press",{"_807":859,"_809":344,"_783":860},{"_807":859,"_809":724,"_783":860},{"_807":859,"_809":1028,"_783":863},"onorder_auckland",{"_807":859,"_809":862,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":865,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":1032,"_783":1033},"last_received_auckland","10/02/2026",{"_807":859,"_809":867,"_783":1035},"18/11/2025",{"_807":859,"_809":1037,"_783":1038},"price_auckland","30.0",{"_807":859,"_809":870,"_783":1038},{"_807":859,"_809":1041,"_783":1042},"stock_auckland","4",{"_807":859,"_809":872,"_783":1044},"13",{"_807":875,"_809":876,"_783":1046},"Travel Writing",{"_807":875,"_809":344,"_783":1046},{"_807":875,"_809":724,"_783":1049},"Literary Biography;Travel Writing",{"_807":875,"_809":880,"_783":1051},"TRAWRI",{"_807":875,"_809":1053,"_783":1051},"codes_auckland",{"_807":875,"_809":882,"_783":1055},"LITBIO;TRAWRI",{"_807":875,"_809":884,"_783":1057},"TRAVEL WRITING",{"_807":875,"_809":1059,"_783":1057},"sub_auckland",{"_807":875,"_809":887,"_783":1061},"LITERARY BIOGRAPHY;TRAVEL WRITING",{"_807":875,"_809":889,"_783":1063},"TRAVEL",{"_807":875,"_809":1065,"_783":1063},"main_auckland",{"_807":875,"_809":892,"_783":1067},"BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR;TRAVEL",{"_807":875,"_809":894,"_783":895},{"_807":875,"_809":897,"_783":1070},"NON FICTION;NON FICTION",{"_807":875,"_809":899,"_783":1072},"TRA,BIO",{"_807":875,"_809":1074,"_783":1075},"department_auckland","TRA",{"_807":875,"_809":902,"_783":900},{"_760":1078},[1079],{"_763":109,"_764":-5,"_123":1080,"_203":1081,"_774":1085,"_780":1086,"_17":991,"_784":1088,"_786":1089},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/44655936209093",{"_767":1082,"_769":770,"_123":1083,"_756":994,"_772":1084},"The Place of Tides Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/37674966548677",1336,{"_776":777,"_778":1038},[1087],{"_744":745,"_783":991},"9780141991924",{"_788":1090},[1091,1094],{"_791":1092},{"_793":109,"_126":1093},{"_744":341},{"_791":1095},{"_793":109,"_126":1096},{"_744":722},{"_123":1098,"_17":1099,"_735":1100,"_754":1101,"_804":1103,"_758":1162},"gid://shopify/Product/8081088839877","Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk","red-paint-the-ancestral-autobiography-of-a-coast-salish-punk",{"_756":1102},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/Red_20Paint.jpg?v=1725250430",[1104,1105,1107,1108,-5,1110,1112,1113,1115,1117,1119,1121,1122,1124,1126,1127,-5,1128,1130,1132,-5,-5,1134,-5,1135,1136,-5,1137,-5,1139,-5,1141,1142,-5,1144,1146,-5,1148,1150,-5,1152,1154,-5,1156,1158,-5,1159,1160,-5,1161],{"_807":808,"_809":17,"_783":1099},{"_807":808,"_809":811,"_783":1106},"LAPOINTE SASHA",{"_807":808,"_809":814,"_783":815},{"_807":808,"_809":817,"_783":1109},"COUNTE",{"_807":808,"_809":820,"_783":1111},"INGR",{"_807":823,"_809":824,"_783":825},{"_807":823,"_809":17,"_783":1114},"Red Paint",{"_807":823,"_809":829,"_783":1116},"The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk",{"_807":823,"_809":811,"_783":1118},"Sasha LaPointe",{"_807":823,"_809":834,"_783":1120},"An Indigenous artist blends the aesthetics of punk rock with the traditional spiritual practices of the women in her lineage in this bold, contemporary journey to reclaim her heritage and unleash her power and voice while searching for a permanent home

Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe has always longed for a sense of home. When she was a child, her family moved around frequently, often staying in barely habitable church attics and trailers, dangerous places for young Sasha.

With little more to guide her than a passion for the thriving punk scene of the Pacific Northwest and a desire to live up to the responsibility of being the namesake of her beloved great-grandmother--a linguist who helped preserve her Indigenous language of Lushootseed--Sasha throws herself headlong into the world, determined to build a better future for herself and her people.

Set against a backdrop of the breathtaking beauty of Coast Salish ancestral land and imbued with the universal spirit of punk, Red Paint is ultimately a story of the ways we learn to find our true selves while fighting for our right to claim a place of our own.

Examining what it means to be vulnerable in love and in art, Sasha offers up an unblinking reckoning with personal traumas amplified by the collective historical traumas of colonialism and genocide that continue to haunt native peoples. Red Paint is an intersectional autobiography of lineage, resilience, and, above all, the ability to heal.",{"_807":823,"_809":836,"_783":837},{"_807":823,"_809":839,"_783":1123},"Counterpoint Press",{"_807":823,"_809":814,"_783":1125},"Trade Paper",{"_807":823,"_809":844,"_783":845},{"_807":823,"_809":847,"_783":848},{"_807":823,"_809":850,"_783":1129},"MEMOIRS; INDIGENOUS PEOPLES",{"_807":823,"_809":853,"_783":1131},"2023-03-07",{"_807":823,"_809":856,"_783":1133},"240",{"_807":859,"_809":724,"_783":860},{"_807":859,"_809":862,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":865,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":867,"_783":1138},"26/08/2024",{"_807":859,"_809":870,"_783":1140},"43.0",{"_807":859,"_809":872,"_783":873},{"_807":875,"_809":876,"_783":1143},"Indigenous People,Literary Biography",{"_807":875,"_809":724,"_783":1145},"Indigenous People;Literary Biography",{"_807":875,"_809":880,"_783":1147},"INDIGE,LITBIO",{"_807":875,"_809":882,"_783":1149},"INDIGE;LITBIO",{"_807":875,"_809":884,"_783":1151},"NON FICTION,LITERARY BIOGRAPHY",{"_807":875,"_809":887,"_783":1153},"NON FICTION;LITERARY BIOGRAPHY",{"_807":875,"_809":889,"_783":1155},"NON FICTION,BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR",{"_807":875,"_809":892,"_783":1157},"NON FICTION;BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR",{"_807":875,"_809":894,"_783":895},{"_807":875,"_809":897,"_783":1070},{"_807":875,"_809":899,"_783":900},{"_807":875,"_809":902,"_783":900},{"_760":1163},[1164],{"_763":109,"_764":-5,"_123":1165,"_203":1166,"_774":1170,"_780":1171,"_17":1173,"_784":1174,"_786":1175},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/44031222644933",{"_767":1167,"_769":770,"_123":1168,"_756":1102,"_772":1169},"Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/35768894357701",1277,{"_776":777,"_778":1140},[1172],{"_744":745,"_783":1173},"Default Title","9781640095885",{"_788":1176},[1177,1180],{"_791":1178},{"_793":36,"_126":1179},{"_744":341},{"_791":1181},{"_793":109,"_126":1182},{"_744":722},{"_123":1184,"_17":1185,"_735":1186,"_754":1187,"_804":1189,"_758":1260},"gid://shopify/Product/8437273788613","Truce That Is Not Peace","truce-that-is-not-peace",{"_756":1188},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-0-00-880327-8.jpg?v=1759219725",[1190,1191,1193,1195,1197,1199,1200,1201,-5,1203,1205,1207,1208,1210,1211,1212,-5,-5,1213,1215,1217,1219,1220,1221,1222,1223,1224,1226,1228,1229,1230,1231,1233,1235,1237,1239,1241,1243,1245,1247,1248,1250,1252,1253,1255,-5,1256,1257,1258,1259],{"_807":808,"_809":17,"_783":1185},{"_807":808,"_809":811,"_783":1192},"TOEWS MIRIAM",{"_807":808,"_809":814,"_783":1194},"TP",{"_807":808,"_809":817,"_783":1196},"4THES",{"_807":808,"_809":1003,"_783":1198},"HEDS",{"_807":808,"_809":820,"_783":1198},{"_807":823,"_809":824,"_783":825},{"_807":823,"_809":17,"_783":1202},"A Truce That Is Not Peace",{"_807":823,"_809":811,"_783":1204},"Miriam Toews",{"_807":823,"_809":834,"_783":1206},"

THE NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

'The best memoir you will read all year' NICK HORNBY

'A triumph - a meditation on writing, suicide, guilt and silence' GUARDIAN

'A grief memoir in the vein of Joan Didion's Blue Nights' NEW YORK TIMES

'This is memoir perfection ... I adored it' CARIAD LLOYD

The internationally bestselling author of Women Talking and All My Puny Sorrows, Miriam Toews, returns with a singular memoir celebrating disobedient memory, wit, writing and life.

'Why do you write?' the organiser of a literary event in Mexico City asks Miriam Toews. Each attempted answer from Toews - all of them unsatisfactory to the organiser - surfaces new layers of grief, guilt and futility connected to her sister's suicide. She has been keeping up, she realises, a decades-old internal correspondence, filling a silence she barely understands. And we, her readers, come to see that the question is as impossible to answer as deciding whether to live life as a comedy or a tragedy.

A Truce That Is Not Peace is the first time Toews has written about her own life in nonfiction. Wildly inventive yet masterfully controlled; wrenching and joyful - this is Miriam Toews at her dazzling best, remaking her world and inventing an astonishing new literary form to contain it.

'[Toews] does not shy away from her own vulnerability, and writes with both candour and humour' Observer

'Toews knows exactly how to extract hilarity from horrifying events' The Times

'Nothing short of a masterpiece' San Francisco Chronicle

'There are few writers who so fully inhabit the vulnerable space between violence and grace, criticism and compassion, as Toews does' AnOther Magazine

'Brilliant ... it broke my heart in the best of ways' Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti

'Tragi-comic, and incredibly moving ... essential reading for turbulent times' Laura van den Berg, author of The Third Hotel

'An affirmation of Life in all its richness and variety ... remarkable' Celia Paul, author of Self-Portrait

I would have read another thousand chapters' Catherine Newman, author of Sandwich

'Piercing and distilled, a masterpiece in vulnerability and performance' Hannah Pittard, author of We Are Too Many

A Truce That Is Not Peace was a #1 bestseller in Canada in w/c 06/09/2025

",{"_807":823,"_809":836,"_783":837},{"_807":823,"_809":839,"_783":1209},"HarperCollins Publishers Limited",{"_807":823,"_809":814,"_783":1125},{"_807":823,"_809":844,"_783":845},{"_807":823,"_809":847,"_783":848},{"_807":823,"_809":853,"_783":1214},"2025-09-04",{"_807":823,"_809":856,"_783":1216},"192",{"_807":823,"_809":817,"_783":1218},"Fourth Estate",{"_807":859,"_809":344,"_783":860},{"_807":859,"_809":724,"_783":860},{"_807":859,"_809":1028,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":862,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":865,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":1032,"_783":1225},"22/01/2026",{"_807":859,"_809":867,"_783":1227},"23/01/2026",{"_807":859,"_809":1037,"_783":779},{"_807":859,"_809":870,"_783":779},{"_807":859,"_809":1041,"_783":873},{"_807":859,"_809":872,"_783":1232},"3",{"_807":875,"_809":876,"_783":1234},"Literary Biography,Suicide",{"_807":875,"_809":344,"_783":1236},"Memoirs",{"_807":875,"_809":724,"_783":1238},"Literary Biography;Suicide",{"_807":875,"_809":880,"_783":1240},"LITBIO,SUICID",{"_807":875,"_809":1053,"_783":1242},"MEMOIR",{"_807":875,"_809":882,"_783":1244},"LITBIO;SUICID",{"_807":875,"_809":884,"_783":1246},"LITERARY BIOGRAPHY,MENTAL HEALTH",{"_807":875,"_809":1059,"_783":890},{"_807":875,"_809":887,"_783":1249},"LITERARY BIOGRAPHY;MENTAL HEALTH",{"_807":875,"_809":889,"_783":1251},"BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR,HEALTH & WELLBEING",{"_807":875,"_809":1065,"_783":890},{"_807":875,"_809":892,"_783":1254},"BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR;HEALTH & WELLBEING",{"_807":875,"_809":894,"_783":895},{"_807":875,"_809":897,"_783":1070},{"_807":875,"_809":899,"_783":900},{"_807":875,"_809":1074,"_783":900},{"_807":875,"_809":902,"_783":900},{"_760":1261},[1262],{"_763":109,"_764":-5,"_123":1263,"_203":1264,"_774":1268,"_780":1269,"_17":1185,"_784":1271,"_786":1272},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/45145328353477",{"_767":1265,"_769":770,"_123":1266,"_756":1188,"_772":1267},"A Truce That Is Not Peace Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/39518663475397",1315,{"_776":777,"_778":779},[1270],{"_744":745,"_783":1185},"9780008803278",{"_788":1273},[1274,1277],{"_791":1275},{"_793":109,"_126":1276},{"_744":341},{"_791":1278},{"_793":109,"_126":1279},{"_744":722},{"_123":1281,"_17":1282,"_735":1283,"_754":1284,"_804":1286,"_758":1358},"gid://shopify/Product/8320047612101","Life in Fifty Books : A Publisher's Memoir","life-in-fifty-books-a-publishers-memoir",{"_756":1285},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-1-0359-1276-6.jpg?v=1746223738",[1287,1288,1290,1292,1294,1295,1296,1297,1299,1301,1303,1305,1306,1308,1310,1312,-5,1313,1315,1317,1319,1321,1322,1323,1324,1325,1326,1328,1329,1331,1332,1334,1335,1337,1338,1340,1342,1343,1345,1346,1347,1349,1350,1351,1353,-5,1354,1355,1356,1357],{"_807":808,"_809":17,"_783":1282},{"_807":808,"_809":811,"_783":1289},"CHEETHAM ANTHONY",{"_807":808,"_809":814,"_783":1291},"HB",{"_807":808,"_809":817,"_783":1293},"HEADOF",{"_807":808,"_809":1003,"_783":1004},{"_807":808,"_809":820,"_783":821},{"_807":823,"_809":824,"_783":825},{"_807":823,"_809":17,"_783":1298},"A Life in Fifty Books",{"_807":823,"_809":829,"_783":1300},"A Publisher's Memoir",{"_807":823,"_809":811,"_783":1302},"Anthony Cheetham",{"_807":823,"_809":834,"_783":1304},"

'There are good publishers and there are great publishers. And then there's Anthony Cheetham.' Richard Dawkins

In November 1966, by way of Mexico City, Eton College, Balliol College, Oxford, and a Norwegian raspberry farm, Anthony Cheetham entered the doors of a publishing company for the first time to begin work as a junior editor. Fifty-eight years later he could look back on a career in which he had shaped the landscape of post-war British publishing to a significant degree, having established such prominent and notably successful companies as Century, Orion, Quercus and Head of Zeus, and launched imprints - from Abacus in 1973 to Zephyr in 2017 - that continue to flourish in the third decade of the twenty-first century.

Starting with Homer's Odyssey and ending with works by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and the German historian Ernst Kantorowicz, Anthony Cheetham has selected fifty books as mileposts with which to map the course of his long and productive career. Many of these are titles that he himself published (Dune, The Thorn Birds, A Suitable Boy, Meetings with Remarkable Trees, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo); some are books he wished he had published (Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time); others are simply masterworks that left an indelible mark on him (The Lord of the Rings, War and Peace).

A Life in Fifty Books is an affectionate and revelatory account of a publishing life remarkable for its longevity, its entrepreneurial energy and for the breadth and catholicity of its output - which runs the gamut of seriousness from academically distinguished works of history, science and philosophy to Confessions of a Window Cleaner. Full of encounters with remarkable individuals as well as extraordinary books and embellished with beautiful photographs of book jackets from the 1950s to the present day, A Life in Fifty Books is an engagingly written survey of an industry which, in its author's well-chosen words, offers its practitioners '...a passport to roam across the entire spectrum of human experience, endeavour and belief'.

",{"_807":823,"_809":836,"_783":837},{"_807":823,"_809":839,"_783":1307},"Head of Zeus",{"_807":823,"_809":814,"_783":1309},"Trade Cloth",{"_807":823,"_809":844,"_783":1311},"Hardback",{"_807":823,"_809":847,"_783":848},{"_807":823,"_809":850,"_783":1314},"COMMUNICATION STUDIES",{"_807":823,"_809":853,"_783":1316},"2025-03-06",{"_807":823,"_809":856,"_783":1318},"208",{"_807":823,"_809":817,"_783":1320},"Apollo",{"_807":859,"_809":344,"_783":860},{"_807":859,"_809":724,"_783":860},{"_807":859,"_809":1028,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":862,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":865,"_783":863},{"_807":859,"_809":1032,"_783":1327},"28/10/2025",{"_807":859,"_809":867,"_783":1327},{"_807":859,"_809":1037,"_783":1330},"55.0",{"_807":859,"_809":870,"_783":1330},{"_807":859,"_809":1041,"_783":1333},"0",{"_807":859,"_809":872,"_783":873},{"_807":875,"_809":876,"_783":1336},"Biography",{"_807":875,"_809":344,"_783":1336},{"_807":875,"_809":724,"_783":1339},"Literary Biography;Publishing",{"_807":875,"_809":880,"_783":1341},"BIOGRA",{"_807":875,"_809":1053,"_783":1341},{"_807":875,"_809":882,"_783":1344},"LITBIO;PUBLIS",{"_807":875,"_809":884,"_783":890},{"_807":875,"_809":1059,"_783":890},{"_807":875,"_809":887,"_783":1348},"LITERARY BIOGRAPHY;LITERARY CRITICISM, BOOKS & WRITING GUIDES",{"_807":875,"_809":889,"_783":890},{"_807":875,"_809":1065,"_783":890},{"_807":875,"_809":892,"_783":1352},"BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR;ESSAYS & REFERENCE",{"_807":875,"_809":894,"_783":895},{"_807":875,"_809":897,"_783":1070},{"_807":875,"_809":899,"_783":900},{"_807":875,"_809":1074,"_783":900},{"_807":875,"_809":902,"_783":900},{"_760":1359},[1360],{"_763":109,"_764":-5,"_123":1361,"_203":1362,"_774":1366,"_780":1367,"_17":1369,"_784":1370,"_786":1371},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/44700576121029",{"_767":1363,"_769":770,"_123":1364,"_756":1285,"_772":1365},"A Life in Fifty Books Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/37920914047173",1286,{"_776":777,"_778":1330},[1368],{"_744":745,"_783":1369},"Life in Fifty Books A Publisher's Memoir","9781035912766",{"_788":1372},[1373,1376],{"_791":1374},{"_793":36,"_126":1375},{"_744":341},{"_791":1377},{"_793":109,"_126":1378},{"_744":722},"relatedProductsCollectionUrl","/collections/shop-all?shopify_products%5BrefinementList%5D%5Bmeta.categories.sub_merged%5D%5B0%5D=LITERARY+BIOGRAPHY","relatedProductsFirstSubCategory","city","columbus","actionData","errors"]

The Trip To Echo Spring

On Writers and Drinking

by Olivia Laing