Writer's generous gift

From City Scene, published on 27 April, 2008

Gifted: Auckland City Libraries' Georgia Prince (left) and Theresa Graham, with author C K Stead.

Renowned writer C K Stead has gifted a collection of more than 40 signed copies of his works, including many first editions, to Auckland City Libraries' Special Collections.

Professor Stead, celebrated as a distinguished citizen by Auckland City Council in 2007, says the donation is a way of giving something back to the city. "I also take the advice of Frank Sargeson who said that if you don't make a point of keeping two copies each time you publish, you may find when you get old that you don't have any copies of your own books." The C K Stead collection includes poetry, literary criticism and novels, including Smith's Dream, which was made into the movie Sleeping Dogs. The first editions are in good company, joining other first editions by Shakespeare (First Folio), Charles Dickens (Little Dorrit), and Katherine Mansfield (Bliss and other stories).