This track features Dr Mark Houlahan. In his talk he addresses the question:

‘Why should members of the Auckland Free Public Library bother with religious and political quarrels from 17th century England? Can these handsome 300-year-old books still speak to Aotearoa in 2025?’

In 2024 Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections gained an important collection with the gift of 183 titles collected by the late Professor Emeritus Donald Ian Brice Smith (Don). The collection of early modern books published before 1801 comprises several hundred volumes.

The collection is now housed in archival boxes, each with a label which features Don’s signature, to show the provenance from the library of Professor Smith.

To honour this significant collection Auckland Libraries invited academics from across the country to talk about books in this collection. The event took place on 8 November 2025.

Ref: To explore the text discussed see: Andrew Marvell / The Rehearsal Transpros’d (1673). Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections MARV 1673

https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search/card?id=3d966467-b312-5c96-9dda-754ba25af1df&entityType=FormatGroup

You can read more in these Heritage et AL blogs:

heritageetal.blogspot.com/2025/10/disc…in-dons.html

https://heritageetal.blogspot.com/2025/12/five-hundred-years-of-books-collector.html

And additionally in this blog by Dr Jack Ross

mairangibay.blogspot.com/2025/10/auck…r-81125.html