The Far Off and the Near. By Virginia. Browne-Wilkinson. SIGNED BY AUTHOR.

The Far Off and the Near. By Virginia. Browne-Wilkinson. SIGNED BY AUTHOR.

Publisher: Semper Fidelis, 1983, FIRST EDITION. Limited numbered edition of 1000. Very good softback, some chipping to edges, minor marks. No owner inscriptions. 219 pages with illustrations. Fold out maps in very good condition.

A great part of this book is made up of extracts from the letters of three English families of the mid-nineteenth century who were closely connected by bonds of friendship, common ideals and marriage. Half of them spent a large part of their lives in New Zealand, and the experience remaining years. Some of their letters throw light on the controversial New Zealand figures of G.A, Selwyn and Sir George Grey. In The far off and the near Virginia Browne-Wilkinson quotes extensively from Caroline Abraham s letters and notes, her painting is never mentioned in her letters (p.113). But even if Abraham never talks about her painting we can see the country that she writes about in the watercolours. Browne-Wilkinson says that, her love of New Zealand, which grew steadily over the years, came from her love of its physical beauty (p.115).