Unity Books

Unity Books began as an antidote to the ordinary. Founded in 1967 by sportsman and philosopher Alan Preston in a space measuring 4 feet at its narrowest in Wellingtons Empire Building, Unity Books was filled with titles that reflected a higher ideal: history, classics, philosophy and politics - serious books. Refusing to be discouraged, either by the lack of prime real estate or the first weeks sales (somewhere in the region of $30), Alan forged ahead with his uncompromising vision of a world where books were taken seriously. Unity relocated four times, ultimately ending up at 57 Willis St, and Alan also opened a branch on Aucklands High St in 1989. Both shops developed a reputation for stocking obscure and interesting books from overseas, for responding positively to customers part-remembered titles and plot-lines, for supporting literature in New Zealand, and maintaining the status of Unity as anything but ordinary. Alans vision has not only survived, it has taken off, wi...