Mahoe Leaves by Thomas Moser is a humorous and insightful collection of colonial sketches documenting Maori life, customs, and the impact of Europeans in New Zealand's early colonial period.
Moser was a Cambridge-educated writer and private secretary to Governor George Grey (often noted historically as Eyre). The book features warm-hearted, witty vignettes exploring changing social structures, traditional practices, and cross-cultural interactions.
Features memorable figures like Jeremiah and Ezekiel—whose lodgings famously host an overwhelming colony of fleas—and Parnapa, who humorously mimics European dress by donning flax-and-nail-cobbled boots. Captures everyday aspects of nineteenth-century life, including local councils (runangas), native magistrates, court proceedings (whakawas), and changing community dynamics under missionary influence.
Described by early bibliographers like Hocken as offering humorous, well-turned, and generally affectionate commentary on native life amidst the shifting landscapes of colonial contact.
First published in 1863 in Wellington, with a second edition following in 1888. This facsimile edition was printed in 1974 by Capper Press.
This book is in excellent condition for its age. Hardback with dustjacket.