Gold Town - Ross Westland

Pegasus Press, Christchurch, 1970. Black hard cover has gilt titles on spine. Dustwrapper worn and faded..

The township of Ross, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, was one of many towns and villages created in the gold rush days of the 1860s. In many ways it was typical of the settlements resulting from the rush, but it was one of few that survived the golden days, albeit in reduced circumstances, and was also one that was recalled in its glory days by a comprehensive photographic record. Philip May, a historian of the West Coast specialising in the era of gold, has used many of these showing Ross as it was in the 1860s and comparing them with some contemporary images from the 1960s. His Gold Town is a memorable record of Ross, its workings, buildings and settlers during and following the gold rush. Combined, his informative text and the excellent selection of illustrations, present a remarkable work of history.