May, 2024

How much can you squeeze into a life? William Colenso arrived in New Zealand in 1834 for the Church Missionary Society, armed with a printing press.

He was a missionary, printer, explorer, botanist, politician, was married but also fathered a son by his wife’s maid. He was accordingly dismissed from the Mission in 1852. He spent the rest of his long life in the Hawke’s Bay as a politician and botanist.

By 1840 he had printed the first Māori translation of the New Testament, and thousands of pages of translations from the bible, catechisms and pamphlets. We have for sale some of his pamphlets printed in 1840.

Much has been written about him, and we have for sale a particularly fine copy of the major biography by Bagnall and Petersen.

Of particular interest is a typed copy, one of only two, of Colenso’s ‘Day and Waste Book’, a portfolio record of his transactions associated with his press, starting in 1836: when he engaged locals, Joseph, Andrew, and Hamo,  to work in Printing Office @ 3/- per week.’ through to 1843; and there in 1840 when he is heavily involved in the Treaty of Waitangi, Compositing and printing 200 copies of the Treaty, Foolscap folio...’.  He was an interpreter at the signing, and later wrote his own account of the momentous event.

This ‘Day and Waste Book’ gives a fascinating backroom picture of the business and transactions of printing in the new colony, and dealings with the Mission and the nascent Government of the time.