"Colenso was a forerunner of today's bloggers, talkback radio enthusiasts and writers of letters to the editor. His opinions were informed and his life was long -- as a missionary printer, he came to New Zealand in 1834 and he died in 189 -- which makes this collection of his letters to the editor both unique and fascinating. He was also more sympathetic to Maori than most correspondents of his time, to the extent that one correspondent to the Wanganui Herald in January 1882, similarly concerned about the plight of Maori, signed himself "Colenso's ghost". The provincial newspaper columns were the 'public spheres' of their time, places for geographically separated individuals to contribute opinions to the debates of an immature democracy. But equally they were the vehicles for the passionately held views of bigots egged on by unscrupulous editors eager for exciting copy. Many of Colenso's public letters were answers to (or were met by) equally forthright editorials or published letters from contemporaries. Colonial politics were argumentative, fervent, destructive and nasty - and the rants of opinionated, self-styled experts are thrilling in their vehemence. To this mix, add Colenso's special interest in printing, exploration and botany, and read on!" -- Back cover.

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