For any great lover of books in Fiji, the slow death of brick-and-mortar bookshops in the country has been a painful procedure.
While reading devices and e-books have made consuming books on the go much easier, there is nothing that truly compares to holding a physical book, perhaps particularly one that has passed through the hands of other book lovers before.
In 1995, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) chose April 23 as World Book and Copyright Day.
How appropriate then that on the 29th celebration of the International Day of the Book, I received word that an out-of-print book I’d long wanted a copy of had finally reached Fiji for me, thanks to a chance encounter on a recent trip to New Zealand.
I first read the novel called ‘Makutu’ as part of the reading assignments for a post-graduate literature course. Written by Tom and Lydia Davis, Makutu is considered by some to be the first novel written by South Pacific Island writers.
First published in 1960, the book has long since been out of print, making the few copies still floating around various Pacific libraries particularly precious. With nearly no chance at finding a copy for sale, I accepted that I may never own a copy myself.
This was before I happened to walk by a bookshop in Auckland.
Walking down High Street while on a solo vacation last month, I came upon a storefront that immediately caught my eye. ‘Books On High’ the sign read.
I’d browsed several other bookshops in the area already, moved by how busy they were with eager readers. Still, this shop was different; its shelves bearing not freshly printed unmarked paper stock but the aged pages of truly special books.
Books On High stocks rare books. Special editions, first prints, a collector’s daydream. I knelt to the shelves searching the covers for Makutu.
Although, distracted by every cover, title and author’s name I recognised, perhaps I wouldn’t have found it even if it had been there.
Having exhausted several sets of shelves, I looked over at the woman behind the register.
This was Store Manager Leah Foenander, a lovely fellow bookworm who I consider myself lucky to have met that day.
I told her of Makutu and my desperation to find it. She checked the store inventory. Nothing. She promised to look for it, took down my contact, and I walked out.
I hadn’t found what I wanted but I’d at least had a pleasant interaction and had the pleasure of looking through some truly unique books and prints.
Only an hour later, as I sat at a fish and chips place on the Viaduct Harbour, I received an email from Leah. She’d found it.
A few short weeks later, I picked up Makutu from the Suva Post Office.
Books On High’s willingness and capability in seeking out the hard to find, and deliver to book lovers the region over truly sets it apart. I thought it wise to share the store with all other book lovers in Fiji who are struggling with the decline of local bookshops.
Books On High was established for a similar reason. An interest in and lack of access to esoteric literature drove the owner to start the shop in November of 2022.
Now home to more than 4000 high quality rare and antiquarian books and more than 1000 selected works from the masters of wisdom from the East and West, the shop has quickly established itself in the world of rare books.
Some of Leah’s favourites from the store inventory include ‘The Dictionary of Needlework’; a 5-volume encyclopaedia set of stitchwork from 1885, and their oldest book ‘Stellati Poete Doctissimi Zodiacus Vitae’, a 1556 book about astronomy written entirely in Latin.
Leah considers herself new to the world of books but says she has seen more people wanting something tangible when it comes to reading again.
“It can be such an immersive experience if you let it. The smell of the book, the texture and anticipation of turning the page and the ultimate gift of passing on a story or sharing what you’ve experienced,” she mused.
“Bookstores are making a comeback, and I couldn’t be happier. There are three other bookshops in our vicinity and there’s no competition,” she told me of the other stores I’d visited that day.
“We all bring something new and unique.”
Leah worked in hospitality for twenty years before she found her place at Books On High.
“I discovered Books on High and fell in love, instantly,” she said.
“A year later I manage the shop and help people find rare and obscure titles. I truly love what I do, and it really is a joy to come to work every day.
“It’s very cliche, but there are too many books and not enough time. I enjoy reading Greek mythology, biographies and non-fiction.
“My favourite book is The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery,” she shared.
For anyone in Fiji and across the Pacific eager to find that one special book that never seems to be on the shelves you exhaust yourself over, Books On High can be reached at info@booksonhigh.com or through their website at www.booksonhigh.com.
As I sit rereading Tom and Lydia Davis’ Makutu over a cup of cocoa, I wish all writers and book lovers across the Pacific a peaceful and engaging World Book and Copyright Day.
