Thats a great collection - Robert McNab, author of three of your books should be listed as one of our most famous New Zealanders - an author who travelled the world in search of original manuscripts relating to New Zealand whaling days in order to record our history. Introduced farm Forestry into New Zealand I understand, owned the first tractor in Southland, was a Captain in the North DUnedin Rifle Volunteers, was also a Captain in the Invercargill Artillery unit, was a Member of Parliament and introduced CMT into New Zealand I believe as well as being a member of the New Zealand Rifle Association. McNab near Gore is named after him. I have here his personal Target shooting rifle tha the used to win many trophys…this same Model Martini was used at Isandwana and Rourkes Drift against the Zulus. Proof of his ownership lies in his silver name plateonthe stock.
Love your collection of books but as for suggestons I dont know where to start as I have not got the time to list them. Some of them may be awful hard to get now and have not been reprinted while new ones are being published all the time and it depends on where and what exactly are your favourites.
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Bloody hell LL, that’s a piece of NZ history you’ve got there.
McNab was what got me really interested in pre 1840 NZ. I must have got Old Whaling Days back in the early 1980’s and admired his researching the book and having to travel by ship to in Hobart, Nantucket, Salem, Washington London etc (no internet then) in the 1890 and early 1900’s checking old shipping logs etc. That lead to the two others and in particular Murihiku. Who would have guessed that there was so much going on between 1770 and 1810 at the bottom on the South Island. He had the sense to gather much of this history before it got lost in time.
I knew he was a respected MP but didn’t know he actually live down there.
Thanks for the info - much appreciated
PS: I see gold just gone through the NZ$2800 
I had not seen the gold prices - I watched them for a while then stopped as they had slipped a bit. That was when it had slipped from $2600 something down to $2500 something.
Mc Nab was truly a great fellow and this article will be more accurate than what I had written above so if any of it contradicts me then it is me who is wrong.
I am descended from one of the early whalers - Jimmy the Needle. His life is a bit obscure and becoming more so as people get the information wrong - eg On this geocache page; - GC151HN Jimmy The Needle ( North Otago ) (Multi-cache) in South Island, New Zealand created by Bitsprayer it is wrong on two accounts - he did NOT come to Oamaru on a Navy Vessel and he did not have a bet that he could ride a horse across the river. He came on a whaling vessel - either the Marianna (Marianne) or the Elizabeth and Mary and died after falling off a horse in the Waitaki River in 1862 - He and a doctor had crossed the river earlier in the evening but got drunk and Jimmy fell off the horse and the doctor never realised until he got to the other side.
A few books from the top of my head that you would like to read
First White Boy Born in Otago - by Herries Beattie (it is a fantastic book)
Early Days in Central Otago - by Gilkinson ( gives a sanitized account of the gunfight at Gabriels Gully whichhas been written out of all modern Otago gold fields books)
The Speculators Dream - by T.J. Hearn and R.P. Hargreaves (Otago gold dredging)
Kawarua Gold - R.S.M. Sinclair (fantastic account of McGeorges gold dredging, Lady Ranfurly dredge etc)
Thames Goldfields MIners Guide - Capper Press reprint.
Early Otago - by C.S. Ross
Contributions to the Early History of New Zealand - Otago - by Dr Hocken.
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Hi musketballs this is not a bad read
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Thanks Steptoeandson. I have that one from back in my bottle collecting days. Early 80’s.
Peter lived at Camerons on the Coast at that time. Still a good read.
Cheers
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Thanks LL
I just need to check with you on something that’s been puzzling for some time.
In “Wild Will Enderby” Vincent Pike says " Lammerlaw - the mother of mountains.
What I want to know is have you checked your tackle lately? 
Thanks for the titles. Will keep an eye out. They sometimes become available if you wait.
Love the photo’s.
Cheers
Well the older one gets the less chance of tackling the task ahead…I am not sure how to word it but I can say that 'motherhood has come about because of a few escapades in the Lammerlaws, when a few videos and photos were taken but due to the fact that it isnt an R18 site I had better not regale inoccent eyes with perverted images.
Dammit I was going to list books for you but too many - I am wondering if I should just take photos of a few book shelves so you can see some of the titles…but there hundreds!
No prob. The golden cobweb is a good one to
Photo’s will do the trick.
Yes wellll…This is going to take a lot of space and these are only some of the books!!!
Do you want to see more - you will end up searching the bookshops till the cows come home!
That will keep me going for a year or two reseaching !!!
Thanks LL
I can give you more if you want them - I took 21 photos of book shelves!
Looks like you have half the National Library there LL. Keep the photo’s coming.
Cheers
Somemore for you - I will do them in several lots and even then I have many more…but!
Nice collection of railway books lammerlaw you must have an interest in rail?
Only American Western Railway, British and New Zealand
A so what is the most common cover colour LL? 
Some more books for those interested in New Zealand books and I might add a few more later;-
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