LETTERS OF A NATURALIST - THE FIELD ACCOUNTS OF RICHARD HENRY OF RESOLUTION ISLAND - Hill, Hill & Jaenecke . Putangi Publications, 2022.

Normally costs $120 retail. See the photos for sample pages.

Richard Henry(1845-1929) was appointed curator of Resolution Island in 1894, living and working - often alone - for fourteen years in wild and remote Tamatea / Dusky Sound in Fiordland. He was courageous and resourceful, a skilled bushman, boatman, artificer and self-taught naturalist. His astute observations and descriptions of the birds and marine life of the Sound, his close relationship with its flora and fauna, his efforts to save kakapo and kiwi from the mustelids, and his translocation of the endangered birds to offshore islands, were all major contributions to wildlife conservation.

The book includes an extensive introduction and overview of Henry's life. It is richly illustrated with numerous landscape, bird and other wildlife photographs from leading NZ photographers, as well as historic images, drawings, and maps - and brings together Richard Henry's charming letters, natural history notes, and early reminiscences, giving a colourful picture of this important figure in NZ's conservation history.

"The fascinating and beautifully illustrated Letters of a Naturalist presents, for the first time, the collated writings of Richard Henry, pioneer conservationist and New Zealand's first wildlife ranger. It is a testament to the tenacity and foresight of one man, whose efforts to save kakapo and kiwi still provide inspiration and guidance to those of us continuing his work more than a century later." - Dr Andrew Digby, Kakapo Recovery, Department of Conservation.

-Hardback with jacket; 470 pp; 300×233mm; Over 500 illustrations.

The book is a not-for-profit publication and all proceeds are being donated to NZ bird recovery programmes.