The art of Maori tattoo has always been regarded with fascination. In this lavishly illustrated study of male and female moko, the authors draws on the records, journals and sketches of early European observers in New Zealand - explorers such as Cook, de Surville, du Fresne and later traders and missionaries. he relies too on visual sources, including the works of such artists as Earle, Angus, Robley, Lindauer and Goldie, to document the increasing standardisation, the decline and disappearance of male moko in the nineteenth centur... read more

This collection of 61 ancient Maori poems has been chosen by Dave Simmons and Merimeri Penfold from Sir George Grey

This lavishly illustrated history of the Te Tai Rawhiti area is the most complete and detailed record of former and existing meeting-houses of Ngati Porou, which covers the region from the north of Gisborne to the East Cape. It is the result of over 30 years research by scholar David Simmons and goes beyond existing studies of ceremonial house exteriors to investigate those with little, if any, decorative features as well as those with completely carved interiors. More than 300 black and white photos of carvings held in local and... read more