BOOKS ADVERTISED IN NZ HERALD TODAY

Most booksellers tend to focus their Christmas advertising into full colour catalogues that they cooperatively publish at this time of the year. And might impressive some of them are too.

Among those to have crossed my desk in the last week are those from The Womens' Bookshop here in Ponsonby, Time Out in Mt.Eden, Unity Books in Auckland city, Dear Reader in Grey Lynn, and The Book Lover in Takapuna, all fine independent booksellers.

For my money, as a book buyer, I find these catalogues the best buying tool around as you can read through them at your leisure picking out the titles that you think will make the best gifts and then go in and view them at your favourite independent bookstore.

However catalgues are not the only means of advertising booksellers use and I notice for example that in the NZ Herald this am Unity Books are advertising the sumptuous, and enormous, (not to be carried on the plane or read in bed!), Eagle's Complete Trees & Shrubs of New Zealand ($250) along with the exquisite, limited, hand-numbered edition of Elzabeth Knox's The Vintners Lunch ($60 - a bargain).

Away from the bookshops I notice a big ad in the Herald for a children's picture book illustrated by All Black hooker Keven Mealamu and being sold at $10 each with all proceeds going to the Starship Children's Hospital.

ROOM 22 AND JUMBO THE MONSTER CATERPILLAR can be bought online from realtors Barfoot & Thompson who are sponsoring and publishing the book - www.barfoot.co.nz/storybook.

A great cause. Thanks Barfoots!