The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 13, Issue 6 (September 1, 1938)
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A recognised literary rendezvous in Auckland, the Unicorn Press in Kitchener Street, has changed its name and its ownership. In future it will be known as the Griffin Press with Ronald Holloway in charge. Because of the change it will not lose any of its literary interest, for the rather ascetical looking, yet extremely youthful owner is popular with the poets, artists, and printers of Auckland. He is known as the most artistic young printer in this country, the chaste simplicity of his typography attracting attention even overseas. Holloway's artistic mind has been behind many unusual booklets and pamphlets published over the past few years in this little shop in Kitchen Street. In the same premises one meets from time to time several of those sometimes quaint and certainly clever writers of which Auckland is proud—D'Arcy Cresswell, R. A. K. Mason, “Robin Hyde,” A. R. D. Fairburn and others. And, of course, Miss Jane Mander sometimes calls there, and very often lean, hungry looking poets, and 'varsity students hover around, looking as though they have been trying out a frugal diet of printers' ink and newsprint. In spite of its Bohemian atmosphere the work at the Unicorn—or as we must call it now—the Griffin Press, proceeds steadily. These young printers of Kitchener Street are reliable as well as artistic.
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It is good to see “The New Triad” growing in size and interest. The latest number is one of 32 pages, and contains a small camera study supplement. In addition to literary matters the bi-monthly deals with music and the stage. It is a modest 4d. per copy from N. F. Hoggard, Hand Craft Press, Times Buildings, Wellington. It is a coincidence that “The New Triad” should be published in a building so redolent with memories of Frank Morton of the original “Triad,” which, of course, was a robust publication in comparison with its modest little successor.
I think it was John Barr (author of “Men and Other Sins”) who once said that verbiage is the carcase of journalism and brevity the soul, but the breviteer has to be much more than an axeman. This came to my mind when I read a newspaper report of a tragedy: “John Dixon struck a match to see if there was any petrol in his tank. There was. Aged 56.”
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The other night we were quoting examples of crushing replies received by writers through the reject columns of various journals. The best was from the harassed editor of a certain literary magazine whose reply to an alleged poet who had submitted to him some verse entitled “Why Do I Live?” was “Because you sent it by post instead of coming around with it.”
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