130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Stranger Than Kindness

4.21 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 493 ratings, 48 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
Stranger Than Kindness is a vivid journey into the creative world of musician and storyteller Nick Cave. This collectible volume showcases a rich collection of images from the Royal Danish Library's exhibition, pairing full-colour artwork, handwritten lyrics, photographs, and personal artefacts with insightful commentary from Cave and writer Darcey Steinke. The book delves into themes essential to Cave's work, such as desire, faith, sin, despair, redemption, grief, love, and the power of language, exploring what shapes our lives and fuels creativity.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$8999
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?

Stranger Than Kindness will appeal primarily to fans of Nick Cave, music lovers interested in artistic processes, and readers who appreciate visual and literary explorations of creativity and cultural iconography.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A journey in images and words into the creative world of musician, storyteller and cultural icon Nick Cave.

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

Stranger Than Kindness is a journey in images and words into the creative world of musician, storyteller and cultural icon Nick Cave.

This highly collectible book contains images selected by Cave from 'Stranger Than Kindness: The Nick Cave Exhibition', presented by the Royal Danish Library in partnership with Arts Centre Melbourne. Featuring full-colour reproductions of original artwork, handwritten lyrics, photographs, and collected personal artefacts, it presents Cave's life, work and inspiration and explores his many real and imagined universes.

Images are paired with commentary and meditations from Cave and celebrated writer Darcey Steinke on themes that are central to Cave's work.

Stranger Than Kindness asks what shapes our lives and makes us who we are, and celebrates the curiosity and power of the creative spirit.

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?

This book has been praised as a compelling scrapbook tracing Nick Cave's transformation from teenager to international artist, revealing his obsessive creative process and core themes. Critics highlight its deep dive into Cave's psyche through artwork, lyrics, photographs, and personal items, calling it a properly curated and intimate look at his life and work. Reviews note its blend of rare imagery, handwritten content, and insightful essays, making it one of the best music books of the year according to the Guardian, NME, and Evening Standard.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781838852245

Publisher: Canongate Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 23 March 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Canongate Books

Edition: Main

Illustration: Full colour photos throughout

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 215.0mm

Height: 285.0mm

Weight: 1675g

Pages: 276

About the Author

Nick Cave has been performing music for more than thirty years and is best known as the songwriter and lead singer of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, whose latest album Ghosteen was widely received as their best work ever. Cave's body of work also covers a wider range of media and modes of expression including film score composition and writing of novels. His recent Conversations events and Red Hand Files website have seen Cave exploring deeper and more direct relationships with his fans.

Also by Nick Cave

View all
  • Faith, Hope and Carnage
    The Sunday Times Music Book of the Year A Daily Telegraph Best Music Book of the Year The Big Issue Book of the Year A New Statesman Best Book of the Year Created from over forty hours of intimate conversations with SeΓ‘n O’Hagan, Faith, Hope and Carnage is an exploration, in Cave’s own words, of what drives his life and...
    Paperback
    $4100
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • And the Ass Saw the Angel: Popular Penguins
    Outcast and mute, Euchrid Eucrow of Ukulore inhabits a nightmarish Southern valley of preachers, incest, and ignorance. When the God-fearing folk of the town declare a foundling child to be chosen by the Almighty, Euchrid is disturbed. He sees her very differently, and his conviction, and increasing isolation and insanity, may have terrible consequences for them both. Compelling and astonishing,...
    Paperback
    $1699
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Sick Bag Song
    The Sick Bag Song is an exploration of love, inspiration and memory shaped around the events of Cave's 2014 tour of North America. It began life scribbled on airline sick bags during the 22-city tour. It soon grew into a restless full-length contemporary epic. Spurred by encounters with modern day North America, and racked by romantic longing and exhaustion, Cave...
    Hardback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • On Sale
    17% off
    The Death of Bunny Munro
    The Death of Bunny Munro follows the story of Bunny Munro, a man who sells beauty products and the scent of adventure to the lonely housewives of England's south coast. After the tragic death of his wife, Bunny finds himself set adrift, taking to the road one last time with his young son, Bunny Junior, in tow. As Bunny swaggers...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Complete Lyrics
    The complete collection of Nick Cave lyrics spanning his entire career, from 1978 until 2020, revised and updated by the cult rock star. Coming Soon
    Paperback
    $4000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Death of Bunny Munro CD
    Bunny Munro knows he is doomed. Even before his wife died, he knew that he was losing his charms and his self-control. Going on the road with his 10-year-old son seems like a good way for the travelling salesman to escape the nagging feeling that his time is coming to an end. But his usual escape routes of casual sex...
    CD-Audio
    $4700
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Susie
    An exquisite visual and lyrical portrait of Susie Cave that unites the creative talents of four icons - celebrated writer and musician Nick Cave, renowned photographer Dominique Issermann, superstar designer Irma Boom, and Susie Cave herself. Nick Cave's profound devotion to his wife Susie is present in the images he has crafted through words and lyrics since they met in...
    Hardback
    $6999
    Elsewhere:
    $7299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    I’ll Believe in Anything
    From Jacob Tierney, the creator ofΒ Heated Rivalry, in partnership with Brendan Brady and AccentΒ Aigu, comesΒ I’llΒ Believe in Anything, an official and complete collection of annotated scripts for the biggest cultural sensation of the year, with all new exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Based on Rachel Reid’s blockbuster Game Changers book series,Β Heated RivalryΒ premiered on Crave and HBO in late 2025 andΒ immediatelyΒ took the world by storm.Β I’ll...
    Hardback
    $5499
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • 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 memoirΒ Home Again.This is more than a rock story.Β Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it.Β From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3599
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Iliad
    When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017β€”revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)β€”critics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Birdlands Birdlands
    New Release
    Birdlands
    A rare, intimate journey into the wild islands where Aotearoa's birds live beyond the reach of most human lives. In the most remote outposts of Aotearoa, our islands are populated not with people, but with birds. From the storm-lashed Subantarctic Islands in the deep south to the scattered volcanic islands of Tikapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf in the north, Birdlands offers a...
    Hardback
    $4199
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Split Enz
    New Release
    Split Enz
    'My favourite band. Ever! And certainly the best dressed.' Sam Neill Split Enz were never designed to fit. Emerging from art school mischief in early-1970s New Zealand, they turned pop into surreal theatre: costume, character and melody colliding in a rock band that refused to behave like one. At the centre of that vision was Noel Crombieβ€”percussionist, performer and the...
    Hardback
    $5199
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Artist's Way
    The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is a transformative guidebook that has captivated millions, including luminaries such as Elizabeth Gilbert and Tim Ferriss. With its profound ability to inspire and elevate, this book invites readers to embark on an enriching creative journey, fostering a deeper connection to one's artistic process and sense of purpose. The heart of Cameron's groundbreaking programme...
    Paperback
    $3700
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    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
  • A Life in Lyrics
    Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest showmen of the twentieth century. With his unparalleled voice and searing on-stage energy, he was a great pretender, a killer queen and a champion of the world. But behind the glamour lived a musician and lyricist talented beyond measure, and the creative force behind one of the most culturally significant and musically diverse...
    Hardback
    $5000
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    Pre-order
    Out
  • Starside
    Enter the enchanting and deadly world of Starside, where swords have magic and power isn’t inherited – it’s claimed, from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Alex Aster.Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals – the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3899
    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.