{"title":"Ian Dougherty","description":"\u003cp\u003eIan Dougherty’s works delve into the rich tapestry of New Zealand’s history and identity through evocative biography and memoir. His storytelling brings to life compelling figures and experiences, offering readers intimate glimpses into personal and national narratives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith titles such as \u003cem\u003eArawata Bill\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eNew Zealand Maid\u003c\/em\u003e, Dougherty captures the spirit of resilience and character that define his subjects, making his books essential for anyone drawn to authentic, reflective life stories rooted in New Zealand’s cultural landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"arawata-bill-by-ian-dougherty-9781927147535","title":"Arawata Bill","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of a pioneering folk hero. It is a colourful tale of adventure, discovery and survival in the remotest areas of New Zealand’s Southern Alps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWilliam James O’Leary was a man of humble origins. His lifetime (1865-1947) spanned a period of New Zealand history when the country was searching for homegrown heroes in whose lives the young nation could discover clues to the question of its identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe decades O’Leary spent in the unforgiving mountain country of North-West Otago and South Westland, prospecting for gold and other minerals and making new tracks in unexplored areas, was bound to be regarded with envy and admiration by townsfolk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe myth-making process was assisted when the nickname ‘Arawata Bill’ stuck, but it is the man’s astonishing feats of endurance, tenacity and charming eccentricity which capture the imagination. Add in the mystery of a lost ruby mine, a seaboot full of gold sovereigns and the aura of secrecy surrounding the quest for precious metal, and you have the stuff of which legends are made.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGenerations of New Zealand schoolchildren are familiar with Denis Glover’s poem \u003cem\u003eArawata Bill\u003c\/em\u003e, yet the subject of that work was only loosely based on William O’Leary. The man himself, in his solitary and self-effacing way, was both smaller and greater than the legend. He emerged as one of those archetypal New Zealanders who helped to define a distinctive nationality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this biography, Ian Dougherty has separated the man from the myth, with a warmly human portrait of an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46626839494892,"sku":"9781927147535","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/3714893482874.jpg?v=1751871029"},{"product_id":"new-zealand-maid-by-ian-dougherty-9780473775988","title":"New Zealand Maid","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew Zealand Maid\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of Esther James's unprecedented walk the length of New Zealand in 1931-32, wearing only New Zealand-made clothes and eating only New Zealand-produced food to promote local products during the Great Depression. She continued her journey from Melbourne to Brisbane in 1932-33 to publicise New Zealand tourist attractions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery stage of her progress in New Zealand was followed by newspapers and fledgling radio stations, and devoured by the public. Bands played her into cities and towns, which feted her with official welcomes, civic receptions, dances and socials. Reporters bombarded her with questions. Autograph hunters thrust pens and paper at her. Poets waxed lyrical about her. She fast became a celebrity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt was part distraction, part inspiration, and part symbol of people's aspiring progress out of the economic and social gloom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Ian Dougherty","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47753187786988,"sku":"9780473775988","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/original_9780473775988.jpg?v=1781637896"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/ian-dougherty.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}