I used to go to Smiths Bookshops on Friday evenings in the early 1970s, while my much , without older sister worked for three hours at Millers around the corner. The books were so carefully arranged (except for a huge table on the third floor with all sorts of interesting titles scattered there for chance discoveries). the Pacific collection was on the second floor I think, but not accessible to the public, if I remember rightly, without Mr Oberg's opening it up. The little narrow staircase was magical, and there were smaller rooms with thematic collections. It was really like a library. Rangi Oberg would wrap up the purchases carefully in brown paper, and always gave me a discount. I still have some books purchased there, including a world atlas and geography published at the same time as my ancestors came to New Zealand from their devastated country. Some schoolmates of mine also visited Smiths, among them Jeff Cheyne, who was published in Islands Literary Journal later (1980). They also spoke of "Norm" as we called him, a cheerful and widely read presence on the Christchurch scene, just around the corner of course from John and Connie Summers smaller store. Thank you Norm and Rangi. I remember seeing Stephanie back then, in the background as she learned the trade from her parents. It was a great store for us teenagers looking to expand their learning and widen their education from what was perhaps a more limited but intellectually rigorous curriculum.