Shelter from the Storm: dream team, genesis and impact
Sam Demas, September 5, 2018
(Note: this is part of the larger work New Zealand Huts: Notes towards a Country Study)
{Photo above by John Rhodes, courtesy Shaun Barnett}
Shelter from the Storm: the story of New Zealand’s backcountry huts deeply influenced my understanding of huts and how they are — in addition to shelter — both evolving cultural reflections of the terrain and the society in which they exist, and also manifestations of human relationship to nature. I was so excited when I first read the book that I wrote an extended review in hopes of increasing sales/readership in the USA. While traveling in New Zealand I learned how profoundly the book has shifted Kiwi perceptions of huts as a treasured elements of culture and history. As an offshoot of talking with the authors and the publisher I pieced together a little bit about the genesis of the book and its publishing history. Talking with trampers all over New Zealand I heard repeatedly about how the book has shifted perceptions and the national conversations about huts. I am now even more impressed by the book and am moved to share my deepened enthusiasm.
The full impact of this book has likely only begun to play out. It is a classic. While I am clearly not the best person to write about its publishing history, what follows is the germ of a story I really want to tell to my hut friends in the USA. So, I am moved to jot here some threads about the publishing history of this book, musings about its impact in New Zealand, and some personal notions about the future of huts.
