From Polynesian Mythology to the Yates’ Garden Guide, from Allen Curnow to Alice Tawhai, from Wiremu Te Rangikaheke’s letters to Katherine Mansfield’s notebooks, Maori and Pakeha New Zealanders have struggled for two and a half centuries to work the English language into some sort of truth about this place. The Auckland University Press Anthology of New Zealand Literature brings together for the first time in one volume this country’s major writing, from the earliest records of exploration and encounter to the globalised, multicultural present. The editors range across fiction and nonfiction, letters and speeches, novels and stories, comics and songs to collect the heart of our literary heritage. Through an imaginative selection and illuminating introductions, Jane Stafford and Mark Williams provide new paths into our writing and our country. The Anthology of New Zealand Literature will be the indispensable introduction for years to come to what’s worth reading and why.