Books and Boots
'The first time I met Alfred Hamish Reed, I was eight years old. He was 85.' So begins Ian Dougherty's well-illustrated biography on A. H. Reed, famed publisher, author, and benefactor. Reed was also a tireless walker, hence the 'Boots' in the title. He was almost not. Dougherty relates the time when AHR, as a 13 year old, had to make a decision on whether his left leg should be amputated or not. AHR's cussedness produced a definite NO! Reed was a familiar figure in Dunedin, and Dougherty, a journalist and historian, is based in the South. It was appropriate that UOP published this fine read.