Passing on a Living Collection
In 1851, London’s Crystal Palace stood as a beacon of modern progress, of humankind’s capabilities, of a multiplicity gathered into one place. The 100,000 exhibits and millions of visitors from […]
Howl, Homosexuality, and the Hocken
Earlier this year, I paid a visit to Dunedin’s Hocken Library to view some of the Charles Brasch items which are housed there. The majority of the material was what I had expected […]
Meeting and Parting: Brasch’s Literary Influences
Last semester our class was lucky enough to meet with Alan Roddick, Charles Brasch’s literary executor. We chatted with Alan about a wide range of topics, including his own experiences […]
Vernacular English Literature in the Brasch Collection
Currently, English is spoken by over 900 million people. Along with this mass of speakers comes a mass of different and unique Englishes – within England alone there are 35 different dialects. […]
The Irish Paradigm: Charles Brasch and W. B. Yeats
It is evident that Charles Brasch adored W. B. Yeats. His collection includes eighty-five different volumes written by or dedicated to the great Irish poet. Recently in class, I had the […]
Book Spines: A photographic representation of the Brasch Collection
The Brasch Collection consists of 7,193 books. This was the first fact that I ever learnt about the Brasch collection. Although 7,193 is an undeniably large number, the number alone […]
What’s Lacking in the Brasch Collection? Children’s Literature
The last time I visited the Brasch Collection I was there to take photos of all the book spines. While taking photos of the near 7,500 books, only one title truly […]
Charles Brasch and the Paperback Revolution
The invention of the printing press gave thousands of people access to information that was either previously too expensive or inaccessible. The invention of the paperback, however, gave millions of […]
Brasch’s Religious Collection versus Brasch’s Religious Conviction
For the last few years, I have had a large encyclopaedia of world religions on top of my study desk. When I have time, I open it at random and […]
Birds of a Feather: the Letters of Charles Brasch and Janet Frame
At the Otago farmers market, on drizzly Saturday mornings, shoppers shuffle along in black puffer vests, some unknowingly passing over the small railway station plaque paying homage to Janet Frame. […]
Unpacking the Brasch Collection 