“Until this week I had a fear of history books. Remains to be Seen: Tracing Joe Hill’s Ashes in New Zealand dispelled my fear with its stunning layout, exceptional readability and perfect length (85 pages). The book’s subtitle might be a little misleading, as the book takes us through events that seem to have produced no trace of Joe Hill’s ashes in New Zealand whatsoever. The journey, however, is very informative, revealing sad truths about New Zealand’s history and the origins of today’s repressive state. If a history book should do anything it is to kindle an interest in the past. Davidson’s book left me with inspiration to learn more of Joe Hill and dissenters during World War I, and therefore comes highly recommended.” Arthur Price, LHP Bulletin
“Remains to Be Seen: Tracing Joe Hill’s Ashes in New Zealand is a quite exceptional contribution to the scanty published literature on the history of the radical left in this country, and its importance far outweighs its modest size. Davidson’s research is wide-ranging and very thorough, and has turned up a surprising number of primary documents which were unfamiliar to me and other historians who have been working in this field for a far longer period. This material has been assembled with flair, clarity and rigorous historical accuracy. Where conjectures and assumptions were made, they were identified as such and strongly supported by background evidence, including a number of telling international comparisons. The result is a minor triumph which has already made a considerable impact in this country and, I hope, will also be read overseas.” Mark Derby, historian and author of Prophet and the Policeman
“Remains to be Seen is largely a historical account of the New Zealand state’s repression of militant labour during World War One… The book is an easy read and doesn’t require a great amount of prior knowledge about labour history on the part of the reader and would serve as a good introduction to anyone wanting to discover more about repression of dissent in New Zealand during the first world war. Some of the material may come as a shock to those unfamiliar with this history.” Byron Clark, The Spark
Jared Davidson 