Real Gold

This handsome book celebrates the rich variety and depth of the Special Collections of the Auckland City Libraries. These amazing collections are full of rare, valuable and beautiful items that are not widely known. One hundred treasures are featured, each pictured in full colour with accompanying text written by Iain Sharp and grouped in sections: Auckland, New Zealand, book arts, travel, literature, science. Among the treasures shown are a ""First Folio of Shakespeare"", a six-page catechism - the first work printed in New Zealand, illuminated manuscripts, maps of early Auckland, avant garde private press productions, Maori-language manuscripts, Isaac Newton's Opticks, letters from Florence Nightingale to Sir George Grey, records of Limbs and Mercury Theatre. At the heart of the collection is the Sir George Grey donation which was the foundation of the library in 1887; an iconic item from the Grey Manuscripts, for example, is the score and lyrics of 'God Defend New Zealand'.The lively and informative text and the stunning pictures make this book a treasure in itself. This title is published in association with the Auckland City Council Libraries, Tamaki Pataka Korero and the Auckland Library Heritage Trust.