120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery ๐Ÿš€ Auckland Bookstore โ€ข Open 7 days, 8:30amโ€“5pm

Fishing in the Styx: Text Classics

4.13 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 222 ratings, 20 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Fishing in the Styx: Text Classics by Ruth Park is a rich memoir diving into the life and career of the beloved author. It explores her journey from New Zealand to Australia, revealing personal insights and reflections on her writing career, family, and the literary influences that shaped her work. This autobiography offers a candid glimpse into the challenges and triumphs that coloured Park's creative life.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$1700
Elsewhere:
$1799
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're fascinated by the intricacies of a writer's journey, both personally and professionally. It offers a deeply engaging glimpse into the life and career of one of Australia's most treasured authors, combining rich storytelling with an exploration of creativity and resilience.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Following on from A Fence Around the Cuckoo, this is the second volume of autobiography by one of Australiaโ€™s best storytellers, Ruth Park, author of The Harp in the South and the Miles Franklin-winning Swords and Crowns and Rings

Following on from A Fence around the Cuckoo, this is the second volume of autobiography by one of Australia's best storytellers, Ruth Park, author of The Harp in the South and the Miles Franklin-winning Swords and Crowns and Rings.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Following on from A Fence around the Cuckoo, this is the second volume of autobiography by one of Australia's best storytellers, Ruth Park, author of The Harp in the South and the Miles Franklin-winning Swords and Crowns and Rings.

Born in New Zealand, Ruth Park came to Australia to continue her work as a journalist, newly married to D'Arcy Niland. Determined to earn their living as writers, they submitted story outlines to radio stations, ideas for articles to newspapers, and accepted whatever freelance jobs came their way. The Harp in the South, Park's first novel, was published in 1948 and set her on the path to becoming one of Australia's most loved authors.

Fishing in the Styx is the portrait of a partnership, in life and in work, between two talented, volatile people. Ruth Park's life is rich in experience and achievement, and her work has given pleasure to generations of readers.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Ruth Park is celebrated for her keen observational skills, capturing every detail with a sharp eye. Readers appreciate how she vividly portrays the vibrant and challenging lives of people in Surry Hills, earning comparisons to Dickens. Her writing warmth resonates deeply with her audience.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781925773392

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 March 2019

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 31.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 372g

Pages: 400

About the Author

Born in New Zealand in 1917, Ruth Park spent most of her adult life in Australia. She was widely read and well-loved for her books, which were as equally successful for adults as for children. She is best known for the novels The Harp in the South, Poor Man's Orange and Swords and Crowns and Rings, for which she won the 1977 Miles Franklin Award.

Also by Ruth Park

View all
  • A Fence Around the Cuckoo
    This first volume of Ruth Parkโ€™s autobiography is an account of her isolated childhood in the rainforests of New Zealand, her convent education which encouraged her love of words and writing, and the bitter years of the Depression. She then entered the rough-and-tumble world of journalism and began a reluctant correspondence with a young Australian writer. In 1942, Park moved...
    Paperback
    $1700
    Elsewhere:
    $1799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Playing Beatie Bow
    A thrilling adventure story for children and young adults by Ruth Park, Playing Beatie Bow follows Abigail as she suddenly finds herself in the Sydney of a hundred years ago as the result of a scary game.
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Harp in the South Trilogy PMC
    The gritty realism of family life lived in the poverty-stricken slum of inner Sydney's Surry Hills during the 1940s. Also includes Missus and Poor Man's Orange.
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Muddleheaded Wombat
    The Muddleheaded Wombat combines, in one edition, four of Ruth Park's much-loved classics: The Muddleheaded Wombat (1962), The Muddleheaded Wombat on Holiday (1964), The Muddleheaded Wombat in the Treetops (1965) and The Muddleheaded Wombat at School (1966). Featuring one of Australia's most adored children's book characters of all time, these stories have never been out of print. This paperback edition...
    Paperback
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Swords and Crowns and Rings
    Growing up in an Australian country town before World War I, Jackie Hanna and Cushie Moy are carefree and innocent in their love for each other. But Jackie is a dwarf, and his devotion to the beautiful Cushie is condemned by her parents. This is the story of their lifelong odyssey, and of the triumph of a special kind of...
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Harp in the South: Popular Penguins
    Hugh and Margaret Darcy are raising their family in Sydney amid the brothels, grog shops, and rundown boarding houses of Surry Hills, where money is scarce and life is not easy. Filled with beautifully drawn characters that will make you laugh as much as cry, this Australian classic will take you straight back to the colourful slums of Sydney with...
    Paperback
    $1599
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Playing Beatie Bow: Popular Penguins
    The game is called Beatie Bow, and the children play it for the thrill of scaring themselves. But when Abigail is drawn in, the game is quickly transformed into an extraordinary, sometimes horrifying, adventure as she finds herself transported to a place that is foreign yet strangely familiar... Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park offers a mesmerising journey that combines...
    Paperback
    $1699
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • When the Wind Changed
    A fresh new edition of a timeless classicAges: 4+ Josh is a little boy who likes to make faces. He practises his scary faces every day. If only Josh had listened when his father told him what would happen when the wind changed!Ages 4+
    Paperback
    $1999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Playing Beatie Bow
    The captivating tale of time travel and adventure as a beautiful clothbound hardback, part of the Penguin Modern Australian Classics series. It's Beatie Bow - risen from the dead! The game is called Beatie Bow and the children play it for the thrill of scaring themselves. But when Abigail is drawn in, the game is quickly transformed into an extraordinary,...
    Hardback
    $4000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Biography & Memoir

View all
  • Book cover for 'Swan Song: Diana, my sister' by Charles Spencer, featuring a black-and-white portrait of Diana with white and gold text on a gray background.
    New Release
    Swan Song
    Beautiful. Beloved. Hunted. The extraordinary life and death of Diana, as told by her brother, Charles โ€“ available to pre-order now. โ€˜When asked, โ€˜What was it like, growing up with Diana?โ€™, my first thought is always, But I donโ€™t know what it was like not to grow up with herโ€ฆโ€™ In September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before...
    Hardback
    $5499
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Fictional Selves
    From the beloved actor and star of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Sex and the City comes a candid and deeply personal memoir. In this highly anticipated memoir, the beloved actor and star of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Sex and the City and more shares his utterly original account of his offbeat journey in Hollywood, his battles with fear and...
    Hardback
    $4799
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Steps
    The long-awaited memoir from a true Hollywood icon. We know Sylvester Stallone as one of the most revered actors, writers, and directors of all time, yet his life story is every bit as dramatic, intense, and inspiring as his greatest creations on screen. Bringing together a no-holds-barred account of a fascinating life with messages of hope, positivity, and resilience, in...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Signed Copy
    New Release
    Home Again
    Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoirย Home Again.This is more than a rock story.ย Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it.ย From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Dogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About
    From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Famesick
    Chronicling the tumultuous decade between the premiere of Girls to her 2021 shotgunย wedding (minus the baby, because she has no uterus), Lena Dunham takes us through herย journey with her trademark mix of humor, unsparing honesty, and keen eye for detail. We peek behind the scenes - of her work, her family, her relationships, and her battle to reclaim her body...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Signed Copy
    Stakes
    Read our interview with author Noelle McCarthy! A darkly funny, sparkling follow-up to the authorโ€™s bestselling memoirย Grand. You have to invite him in. You have to want the vampireโ€™s badness in the house with you. Growing up in Catholic Ireland, Noelle McCarthy is captivated by Bram Stokerโ€™sย Dracula. The vampire is a risk-free fantasy, a suave alternative to the fraught realities...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Built for This
    Raised among strong women, butcher's benches, and hard ideas about what men are meant to be, Brad Poulter grows up knowing he's different long before he has the words for it. But in late '90s small-town New Zealand, 'different' isn't discussed, it's managed. Joining the Royal New Zealand Navy offers escape, certainty, and belonging. The rules are clear, the uniform...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Even the Good Girls Will Cry
    Thanks to a thrown beer bottle and a fan letter to a P.O. box, Melissa Auf der Maur's first band scored an opening slot for the Smashing Pumpkins in her bohemian home town, Montreal. Sensing Melissa's talent, Billy Corgan recommended her to Courtney Love. Whisked from her local scene, Melissa joined Hole just after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • An Ocean and a Day
    An utterly riveting, moving and poignant memoir of grief and loss that will speak to anyone who's ever lost someone they love. An Ocean and a Day is Hannah Richell's personal account of losing her husband, Matt, in a surfing accident on Tamarama beach in 2014. It is the story of the grief journey she travelled over the first two...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Place to Stand
    A Place to Stand by Clare Ward is a profound memoir that delves into the life of a country doctor living and working in the Hokianga Harbour area in the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand. This region is sparsely populated and poses numerous health challenges. This thoughtful account details Clareโ€™s thirty-year career, highlighting the people she works with and...
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.