Innovative bookseller earned wide respect

• Date: 26 June 2021
• Published date: 26 June 2021

Mr Noble died unexpectedly in Dunedin Hospital on April 3, aged 68. His death notice describes him as ‘‘legendary bookseller, reluctantly reformed smoker, and friend to sopranos everywhere’’.

In a recent tribute, Gillian Newman, who worked at the bookshop for 15 years, said Mr Noble was ‘‘one of the most significant figures in New Zealand bookselling’’.

However, it was difficult to sum up his ‘‘complex and unforgettable character’’, she said.

Born and educated in Canada, before working in the book trade in Auckland, Mr Noble brought ‘‘new life and vigour’’ to the University Bookshop when he arrived in 1978, as a fresh-faced 25-year-old, to take over as the shop’s youngest manager.

Ms Newman said that staid and conservative city fathers were sometimes appalled by his cavalier ways and at first he met consternation and distrust.

However, this later turned to admiration as his methods proved not only successful but exciting and award-winning.

He was a risk-taker, backed by confidence and knowledge.

The University Book Shop today, recognised around the country as one of the very best, owed its success in no small part to Bill, and his pizzazz, acumen and deep love of literature.

Under his stewardship, the old former Regina Confectionery Company sweet factory building in Great King St that was home to the bookshop was renovated to create ‘‘a welcoming and popular place’’.

The general part of the business grew so that textbooks and general books were both integral to its success.

He encouraged youngsters from preschool onwards, donating prizes and enticing them into the bookshop with a dedicated area, filled with comfy floor cushions and great stock.

He instigated a joint programme with the Public Library to provide all newborns at Dunedin Hospital with a book package.

And in 2002 he was awarded a Dunedin Public Libraries Citation recognising his ‘‘generous support over many years for encouraging the development of literacy, a love of books and reading among children and young adults”.

He hosted book launches and generously supported local writers, Ms Newman said in a recent tribute in the Booksellers New Zealand Book News.

He also looked for stock beyond the traditional market of the UK, and ran the permanent remainder shop upstairs, importing a wide-ranging mix of titles.

He travelled to the London and Bologna Book Fairs and was active in the New Zealand book world, serving as a board member of Booksellers New Zealand during the 1990s and early 2000s.

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