A generous book filled with all of the author’s passions and interests, is how Elizabeth Knox’s new door-stopper novel The Absolute Book was characterised at a star-studded launch at Unity Books on Thursday 12 September. Elizabeth was joined in celebration by a host of authors, publishers and literary luminaries, including her publisher Fergus Barrowman of Victoria University Press and fellow author of the fantastic, Anna Smaill, who officially launched the book. Anna gave a memorable speech in praise of all things ‘Knoxian’, which can be read in full in this VUP Blog post.
Elizabeth, in turn, made a gracious speech giving thanks to all those involved in the writing and publishing process, including, among many others, her editor Ashleigh Young, VUP colleagues Kirsten McDougall, Therese Lloyd and Fergus Barrowman, and the cover artist Catherine Nelson.
A queue snaked back around the tables as book signing commenced, with an autograph and a characteristic smile waiting at Elizabeth’s end.
Unity Books’ Clara van Wel introduces the first speaker
Fergus Barrowman of VUP, effusive in words and wardrobe
Full house under the paua shells
Anna Smaill officially launches The Absolute Book
Elizabeth Knox and Fergus Barrowman
If it’s not live streaming on Instagram it never happened
Elizabeth Knox with a notebook full of thank-yous
Signing queue around the (art table) block
Signing
Elizabeth Knox won’t sign anything until she’s had an IPA and a Chablis
Tayi Tibble, Kirsten McDougall, Craig Gamble and Ashleigh Young, at home by the NZ Fiction shelves
Emily Perkins narrowly avoids a head massage
Dylan Horrocks adds to the author score chart for the night
Rajorshi Chakraborti
The Absolute Book is available in store and online now.
