What do you think?
Rate this book
A Good Keen Man
A Good Keen ManBarry Crump was one of New Zealand’s most popular authors of all time. From A Good Keen Man in 1960 through to his death in 1996, over a million copies of the 24 books he wrote were sold. He was a superb storyteller, who captured perfectly the laconic humour and the lifestyle of the rugged Kiwi outdoors man. His ability to craft a tale that is both moving and funny is superbly illustrated by the huge international success of the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which is based on his book Wild Pork and Watercress.Almost all of Barry Crump’s books are now out of print. A new volume of collected stories published in 2017 remedied that. And the five classic yarns comprising that volume are available in ebook form as separate titles – A Good Keen Man, Bullock Creek, Gold and Greenstone, Puha Road, and Wild Pork and Watercress.About A Good KeenIt is nearly 60 years since A Good Keen Man first captured the imagination of its readers. It was so immediately successful that its title rapidly became a household expression.This is not only Barry Crump’s best-known and well-loved book but it has also become recognised as a classic.In A Good Keen Man, Barry Crump follows the amusing experiences of a young New Zealander’s introduction into the manly art of a deer-culling.The story is set against a background rich in the rugged beauty of the New Zealand back-country. There is no other writer who seems to capture the essence of the New Zealand character with a mixture of love, amusement and respect.Those many readers who are familiar with this novel will find it as vivid and compelling as ever, and for those who have yet to enjoy it, there is a special treat in store.About theBarry Crump was born in 1935 and died in 1996. In 1959 he began writing humorous sketches of life as a government deer-culler and pig hunter, publishing these in 1960 as A Good Keen Man. This became a massive bestseller in New Zealand and over the next 50 years he wrote another 23 books, which sold over a million copies.As well as a best-selling author, Crump was an actor, TV personality, poet, radio commentator, man of leisure, traveller, goldminer, photographer and more. A successful 12-year association with Toyota brought a series of award-winning advertisements that catapulted Crump into living rooms around the country with his laconic, blokey style.Crump was married five times and had six children, all sons. In the 1990s Crump was awarded an MBE and OBE for services to literature, something he was quietly proud of and reckoned would be hard case pinned to his Swanndri. He was listed in the Who’s Who as having no fixed abode, and regarded himself as a world citizen. He insisted that, first and foremost, he was just a Kiwi bushman.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
About the author
Barry Crump
50 books86 followersNew Zealand author of semi-autobiographical comic novels based on his image as a rugged outdoors man.
Crump worked for many years as a government deer-culler in areas of New Zealand native forest (termed "the bush"). He wrote his first novel, A Good Keen Man, in 1960, based on his experiences as a government hunter. It was a fictional account of a young hunter who has to suffer through a series of hunting partners who are often unsuitable for the job. This novel became one of the most popular in New Zealand history,
Crump died in 1996 of a suspected aortic aneurysm. At the time of his death he was living at Ohauiti with his fifth wife, Maggie.
abridged from Wikipedia
Crump worked for many years as a government deer-culler in areas of New Zealand native forest (termed "the bush"). He wrote his first novel, A Good Keen Man, in 1960, based on his experiences as a government hunter. It was a fictional account of a young hunter who has to suffer through a series of hunting partners who are often unsuitable for the job. This novel became one of the most popular in New Zealand history,
Crump died in 1996 of a suspected aortic aneurysm. At the time of his death he was living at Ohauiti with his fifth wife, Maggie.
abridged from Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 13, 2014
A Good Keen Man is a stone-cold kiwi classic, a fascinating and hilarious look into the life of a professional hunter.
There was a time when this book was to be found in every seaside shack and mountain hut in New Zealand. Crump sold over a million of his books, in a country of what was around three million people at the time, so his titles sat on just about every bookshelf in the nation. Crump was about as famous as you could get in New Zealand in his day and it's only a small exaggeration to say that in my childhood the craggy face of Crumpy (as he was known) was as familiar to me as the reigning monarch's.
I recently found a copy of A Good Keen Man in a Melbourne second hand bookshop. Despite its ubiquity I'd never read it, having been a kid during Crump's later years, and I bought it with a sense of amused nostalgia. To be honest I was surprised at how good it is. Crump spins a series of bushman's yarns about his time as a professional deer culler, and does so with real wit and genuine humour. His parade of hopeless companions, his long, cold nights in the bush, even his wayward dog all bring real lols. For hunting stories to make a committed vegetarian like me laugh, they have to be pretty good.
This is well worth your time, both for the laughs and for its insights into a long-gone era of professional mountain men. For anyone interested in the lives of New Zealand's deer cullers Crump's book works well as a lighthearted companion to Phillip Holden's Pack and Rifle.
There was a time when this book was to be found in every seaside shack and mountain hut in New Zealand. Crump sold over a million of his books, in a country of what was around three million people at the time, so his titles sat on just about every bookshelf in the nation. Crump was about as famous as you could get in New Zealand in his day and it's only a small exaggeration to say that in my childhood the craggy face of Crumpy (as he was known) was as familiar to me as the reigning monarch's.
I recently found a copy of A Good Keen Man in a Melbourne second hand bookshop. Despite its ubiquity I'd never read it, having been a kid during Crump's later years, and I bought it with a sense of amused nostalgia. To be honest I was surprised at how good it is. Crump spins a series of bushman's yarns about his time as a professional deer culler, and does so with real wit and genuine humour. His parade of hopeless companions, his long, cold nights in the bush, even his wayward dog all bring real lols. For hunting stories to make a committed vegetarian like me laugh, they have to be pretty good.
This is well worth your time, both for the laughs and for its insights into a long-gone era of professional mountain men. For anyone interested in the lives of New Zealand's deer cullers Crump's book works well as a lighthearted companion to Phillip Holden's Pack and Rifle.
May 9, 2012
Good fun.
There are two paths into this book -- and both of them work. A Good Keen Man is a classic "coming-of-age story," in which an able-bodied but naive New Zealand teenager takes one of his first adult jobs, culling deer herds in the wilderness so that animal overpopulation won't destroy the local ecosystems. Barry Crump rides the ups-and-downs of this odd job as best he can, growing up in the process and sharing wry, wistful comments about it all.
I came into this book interested in anything about New Zealand. (NZ is a future travel destination for us.) Rather than thumb through the euphemisms and brochure speak of another travel guide, I wanted to hear raw stories about the forests, the camping life, the jocular male culture, etc. Crump delivers very nicely in that respect. The book is set in the late 1950s -- and modern-day New Zealand has doubtless changed in many ways. But I was looking for a loose equivalent to Keroac's "On the Road," and this came through.
If I'd thought about it more deeply, I'd have realized that the book's universal appeal lies as much in the narrator as in the setting. Crump's deadpan style makes for some very funny moments when man and nature collide. The title itself is hugely ironic. New Zealand's conservation bureaucracy is constantly sending idiotic new partners to "help" Crump in his work. They're bozos! They're morons! They make a mess of his hut, his tools, his meals, etc. -- always with a cheerful unawareness of how hopeless they are. Every few pages, another one of these short-term oafs quits or is canned, only to replaced by an even bigger clod.
Each time, the conservation boss assures Crump a few days later: "Don't worry. I've found a good keen man to help you."
All that said, the narration isn't on a par with, oh, say, "A River Runs Through It," or other outdoor classics. This book is a faithful enough retelling of Crump's experiences that some sections wander a bit. But, heck, it's a short book and a very pleasant read. Savor it if you're headed to New Zealand, or if you're about to grow up, or if you think you grew up long ago.
There are two paths into this book -- and both of them work. A Good Keen Man is a classic "coming-of-age story," in which an able-bodied but naive New Zealand teenager takes one of his first adult jobs, culling deer herds in the wilderness so that animal overpopulation won't destroy the local ecosystems. Barry Crump rides the ups-and-downs of this odd job as best he can, growing up in the process and sharing wry, wistful comments about it all.
I came into this book interested in anything about New Zealand. (NZ is a future travel destination for us.) Rather than thumb through the euphemisms and brochure speak of another travel guide, I wanted to hear raw stories about the forests, the camping life, the jocular male culture, etc. Crump delivers very nicely in that respect. The book is set in the late 1950s -- and modern-day New Zealand has doubtless changed in many ways. But I was looking for a loose equivalent to Keroac's "On the Road," and this came through.
If I'd thought about it more deeply, I'd have realized that the book's universal appeal lies as much in the narrator as in the setting. Crump's deadpan style makes for some very funny moments when man and nature collide. The title itself is hugely ironic. New Zealand's conservation bureaucracy is constantly sending idiotic new partners to "help" Crump in his work. They're bozos! They're morons! They make a mess of his hut, his tools, his meals, etc. -- always with a cheerful unawareness of how hopeless they are. Every few pages, another one of these short-term oafs quits or is canned, only to replaced by an even bigger clod.
Each time, the conservation boss assures Crump a few days later: "Don't worry. I've found a good keen man to help you."
All that said, the narration isn't on a par with, oh, say, "A River Runs Through It," or other outdoor classics. This book is a faithful enough retelling of Crump's experiences that some sections wander a bit. But, heck, it's a short book and a very pleasant read. Savor it if you're headed to New Zealand, or if you're about to grow up, or if you think you grew up long ago.
April 11, 2013
I read this book because:it is written by a New Zealander. It is also all about hunting which I am very interested in.
The category on the bingo board that this book fills is a book written by a NZer.
I found Harry very interesting because he thinks something new and he tries it he doesn't just sit their thinking about it he gets out there and does it and he is also very funny.like one time he made this explosive fitted with bullets.(So you could just lob the thing/grenade into a small mob of deer) and it would kill them,he tried his brilliant idea by lighting the fuse and tossing the grenade over the edge of a clif.All thathappend was that harry through 50 bullets and a detonator over a clif.Barry was not very pleased but they both had a good laugh about on the way back to the camp site.
my favorite quote from this book was:come on flynn lets have look then.He used this quote when they heard strange noises coming from out in the woods.It turned out that it was only a lot of possums hiding out in the trees.He soon descovered that they can be very annoying little pest that pull at your tent and keep you up all night.
the thing i learnt from this book was to persiver at whatever u are doing no matter how little or big it is.
The category on the bingo board that this book fills is a book written by a NZer.
I found Harry very interesting because he thinks something new and he tries it he doesn't just sit their thinking about it he gets out there and does it and he is also very funny.like one time he made this explosive fitted with bullets.(So you could just lob the thing/grenade into a small mob of deer) and it would kill them,he tried his brilliant idea by lighting the fuse and tossing the grenade over the edge of a clif.All thathappend was that harry through 50 bullets and a detonator over a clif.Barry was not very pleased but they both had a good laugh about on the way back to the camp site.
my favorite quote from this book was:come on flynn lets have look then.He used this quote when they heard strange noises coming from out in the woods.It turned out that it was only a lot of possums hiding out in the trees.He soon descovered that they can be very annoying little pest that pull at your tent and keep you up all night.
the thing i learnt from this book was to persiver at whatever u are doing no matter how little or big it is.
January 20, 2013
A great read from a great Kiwi author. Tells the story of a bloke's adventures as a contract deer culler in New Zealand. Highly recommended.
July 3, 2024
Pretty solid 4 star rating. A real easy n honest read. Took a long time to get around to reading the whole thing and I think it’s just cause there’s no continuing story just chapters of anecdotes. Would recommend wild pork and watercress before this but still not a bad read. Can’t tell how many of the yarns are truth or a hard stretch of the truth but it’s all fun and games at the end of the day. Funny dry honest kiwi bloke book.
March 17, 2013
Classic Crump, Grab a copy, a dog and your sleeping bag. Then you are off to the backblocks of New Zealand, when blokes were blokes.
Written as Crump talks, it makes you wonder how much actually happened or how much was thought up sitting around the fire after a hunting trip and a few too many beers.
Written as Crump talks, it makes you wonder how much actually happened or how much was thought up sitting around the fire after a hunting trip and a few too many beers.
October 10, 2025
I love New Zealand! I love Barry Crump! Reading this as a kid definitely added fuel to the fire for my love for the outdoors. This book really encapsulates the beauty, ruggedness & FUN of kiwi backcountry and hunting culture, I hope it’s still making kiwi kids want to get outside and explore!!!
October 27, 2026
Great book. Crazy stories of life in the NZ bush in the mid 1900s. Truth may have been stretched more than once.
May 2, 2022
Really good, classic stuff. Crumpys writing feels like home to me. Makes me wonder how things might be different if I’d been a man. Either way, love this book.
February 4, 2018
Classic New Zealand literature. Still a great read second time after 25 years.
September 26, 2012
This book has sat on my shelf for years as it just didn't appeal.
How wrong I was! Written in a simple honest style these memoirs of the authors days as a deer culler in New Zealand are full of humour and observations about human nature. I'm not sure it would appeal to those who feel strongly about animal rights as it was written in a time when the government employed men such as Barry Crump to go out into the bush and basically shoot as many deer, goats and pigs as possible in order to maintain balance.
How wrong I was! Written in a simple honest style these memoirs of the authors days as a deer culler in New Zealand are full of humour and observations about human nature. I'm not sure it would appeal to those who feel strongly about animal rights as it was written in a time when the government employed men such as Barry Crump to go out into the bush and basically shoot as many deer, goats and pigs as possible in order to maintain balance.
January 31, 2008
My daughter brought this book home from New Zealand as a gift for my father-in-law, who read it in one sitting and insisted that I read it immediately. It takes a while to get into it, but after a while it starts to grow on you.
April 14, 2016
Excellent classic NZ romp of a Kiwi bushman... Laughed out loud!
June 6, 2017
So funny !
August 26, 2026
I read it because I'd just finished reading "Sons of a Good Keen Man" which is the collected memoirs of Crump's six sons, and I wanted to understand the "Good Keen Man" architype that made Barry Crump into a New Zealalnd icon.
It's easy to read: a collection of chronologically progressing anecdotes by a young kiwi male in the 50s learning to be a "good, keen" deer hunter. Employed by the government to cull deer, possums, pigs and goats etc and moved around blocks of land over a period of a couple of years. It doesn't pretend to be autobiographical, and Crump was the first to say that some of the yarns were his, some he collected from others, the characters are composites of the men he encountered along his time in the bush. It's very much a depiction of a time and place - animal cull counts are the point of the work, disciplining dogs with casual belts and kicks, toughing out the outdoor life through weeks of wet weather, it's a hard life all round and a "good keen man" takes it wthout complaining. There are no women featured in the narrative (except in the last chapter when he has a short lived stay with his parents). The chapters are short, the narrative conversational and the humour wry. My edition had a large illustration at the start of each chapter.
It got rather repetitive but I went till the end as it didn't take long and I was kind of hoping for something to happen. But it was more of the same really - not a novel with a plot, but a depiction of life as a "good keen man" of the 1950s.
It's easy to read: a collection of chronologically progressing anecdotes by a young kiwi male in the 50s learning to be a "good, keen" deer hunter. Employed by the government to cull deer, possums, pigs and goats etc and moved around blocks of land over a period of a couple of years. It doesn't pretend to be autobiographical, and Crump was the first to say that some of the yarns were his, some he collected from others, the characters are composites of the men he encountered along his time in the bush. It's very much a depiction of a time and place - animal cull counts are the point of the work, disciplining dogs with casual belts and kicks, toughing out the outdoor life through weeks of wet weather, it's a hard life all round and a "good keen man" takes it wthout complaining. There are no women featured in the narrative (except in the last chapter when he has a short lived stay with his parents). The chapters are short, the narrative conversational and the humour wry. My edition had a large illustration at the start of each chapter.
It got rather repetitive but I went till the end as it didn't take long and I was kind of hoping for something to happen. But it was more of the same really - not a novel with a plot, but a depiction of life as a "good keen man" of the 1950s.
August 27, 2022
An excellent yarn and kiwi classic. Crumpy tells a good yarn and builds it into a good tall tale or two too. Good use of kiwi slang and easy read.
"he would communicate with me only when I learnt to conduct myself in a manner befitting the companion of a man who was endeavoring to cultivate under-developed minds. I told him his words were about as long as his tapeworms, and as useless."
His voice was as sharp as the end of a stalactite"
" you are completely out of your conversational depth, my headstrong friend".
Mr Thorpe reminded me of a few people I have unfortunately met along the way.
"he would communicate with me only when I learnt to conduct myself in a manner befitting the companion of a man who was endeavoring to cultivate under-developed minds. I told him his words were about as long as his tapeworms, and as useless."
His voice was as sharp as the end of a stalactite"
" you are completely out of your conversational depth, my headstrong friend".
Mr Thorpe reminded me of a few people I have unfortunately met along the way.
July 26, 2024
This seemed like "country yarns from another time and another place". Anecdotes about life as a deer hunting "bloke" in 1950s New Zealand. I finished it because I had started it and it was short. It was on several "recommended reading for travel to New Zealand" but I can't really imagine why it persists on such lists. Pretty brainless, occasionally humorous. Never a hint of concern or sympathy for the animals being slaughtered - although understood that culling of invasive species was needed in New Zealand. Not much speculation on the thoughts or motivations of his companions beyond what number of "tails" they were able to harvest and what their eating or sleeping habits were.
September 18, 2026
What a delightful, odd, and fun little book. The Kiwi deer culling is a curious moment in history that could only have happened in New Zealand. And Crump epitomizes the moment, and the culture that grew therefrom: the crusty, awkward, resilient professional hunter sent into the wild for months at a time to do nothing other than kill a vermin initially introduced for sport hunting. With his pack of dogs and an odd assortment of companions, Crump braves the New Zealand extremes and finds his place in the world, generally far removed from most of humanity. The writing is wholly unpretentious, and the stories are frequently laugh-out-loud funny. It is really just a delight.
Read more at https://znovels.blogspot.com/2026/09/...
Read more at https://znovels.blogspot.com/2026/09/...
February 17, 2020
a humorous read into the life of a NZ deer culler. I suspect there's some embellishment, but it's easy to relate to, in a corporate stance, whilst being something completely different. young kid takes job, outdoes his boss. boss gets fired. He takes bosses job. Continues to just do his job. Get given a line of partners ranging from inept, to unqualifed to eccentric but capable, each described as good keen man by his upper level.
Funny tales from the NZ wilderness. Quick, easy, funny read.
Funny tales from the NZ wilderness. Quick, easy, funny read.
January 18, 2020
An alternative title might have been: "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Herd Culling But
Was Afraid to Ask." I suspect most of us readers don't really know about or want to know about herd culling. But that doesn't really matter. The book is so funny, kindhearted, and full of such wild & crazy people (as well as wild & crazy dogs) that it's a joy to read. I love Barry Crump books and the movies based on them. This one is at the same high standard as the others.
Was Afraid to Ask." I suspect most of us readers don't really know about or want to know about herd culling. But that doesn't really matter. The book is so funny, kindhearted, and full of such wild & crazy people (as well as wild & crazy dogs) that it's a joy to read. I love Barry Crump books and the movies based on them. This one is at the same high standard as the others.
July 17, 2022
Fine I guess. Brother described it as a "good yarn", which I guess is right. Kinda in the style of House of Mirth or Catch-22 in the sense of "young man goes into crazy place and tries to maintain sanity". I've been thinking some about what a "great New Zealand novel" would be, and this fits the bill well enough. Unpretentious, outdoorsy, low-key wacky characters who seem reasonably normal at first. Protagonist is general competent, can-do-y, not particularly ambitious.
May 6, 2024
A Good Keen Man showcases Barry Crump's inimitable storytelling and sense of humour right from the disclaimer:
'Because I have many times been forced to adjust myself to the landscape, I have not hesitated to move the landscape about where necessary to suit me. Any resemblance between the characters in this book and real persons, keen or otherwise, is coincidental. The names of the dogs have been changed to protect them from possible embarrassment.'
'Because I have many times been forced to adjust myself to the landscape, I have not hesitated to move the landscape about where necessary to suit me. Any resemblance between the characters in this book and real persons, keen or otherwise, is coincidental. The names of the dogs have been changed to protect them from possible embarrassment.'
November 20, 2025
This audiobook entertained me on my six hour drive from Aoraki to Kaikoura. The dry humor is pretty good once I started to understand the tone.
The Good Keen Men remind me of some friends' boy scouts stories & others' basic training stories.
Interesting also to get a feel implicitly for how the natural world has been affected by the introduction of new species, and to hear the perspective of a guy from 1964 New Zealand.
The Good Keen Men remind me of some friends' boy scouts stories & others' basic training stories.
Interesting also to get a feel implicitly for how the natural world has been affected by the introduction of new species, and to hear the perspective of a guy from 1964 New Zealand.
October 16, 2021
A great short yarn from New Zealand’s answer to Hemingway. The book that launched a Kiwi caricature. And, much like the caricatures that the Crump creates, his prose is brief, no-nonsense, fit, and ropey. Required reading for New Zealanders and those looking for a glimpse at a bushwhacking way of life that is becoming increasingly rare in the age of Google and Amazon.
July 27, 2024
Great read.
It was sitting on my mothers bookshelf when I visited New Zealand and asked to “borrow” it, with permission granted.
Lots of good laughs along the way, but had to get ChatGPT to explain some bits to me, and the endless incompetence etc of his good keen mates got just a bit repetitive right there towards the end. Still, thoroughly enjoyed this and want more Crumpy!
It was sitting on my mothers bookshelf when I visited New Zealand and asked to “borrow” it, with permission granted.
Lots of good laughs along the way, but had to get ChatGPT to explain some bits to me, and the endless incompetence etc of his good keen mates got just a bit repetitive right there towards the end. Still, thoroughly enjoyed this and want more Crumpy!
May 9, 2025
I expected to find an old 'kiwi bloke' but I think I found the template. A good picture of life as a deer culler in NZ. Amusing that the only thing our Barry can admit any feeling toward is his dogs. He is still something of a stranger by the end. Enjoyed as much as any light-hearted string of anecdotes.
September 21, 2020
I read this as it was a favourite of my dads and I was feeling nostalgic.
I was worried it would be dated and I wouldn't be able to relate, but it was well written and I was able to laugh out loud...not bad for a city chick!
I enjoyed the writing and the stories were a delight to read.
I was worried it would be dated and I wouldn't be able to relate, but it was well written and I was able to laugh out loud...not bad for a city chick!
I enjoyed the writing and the stories were a delight to read.
September 13, 2024
Funnier than I expected (the title is a running joke) but fits right in with every other vintage NZ book I've read in terms of death and injury being so unremarkable. Probably depends what life you're living, but from my point of view this seems like a very different world.
October 31, 2025
Easy, quick read. Needed something to break up all the fantasy reads. As a former avid camper/ outdoorswoman, I enjoyed the simplicity of the main characters experience as a hunter--prepping camp, discovering the best equipment and tactics, catching your own meal.
October 13, 2018
Must be the third time I've read it. One of my favourite books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews