Alexander Wyclif Reed, along with his uncle Alfred Hamish Reed, established the publishing firm A. H. & A. W. Reed. He wrote more than 200 books and as an author was known most commonly as A. W. Reed. He was neither a scholar nor a gifted writer, but wrote commercially successful books based on simplifying and popularising secondary sources. Although he did not have firsthand knowledge of Māori language or custom, he wrote many books on the myths, language and place names of the Māori and, later, of Australian Aboriginal cultures.[1]
Reed, A. W. (1996). The Reed Dictionary of Māori Place Names = Te Papakupu Ingoa Wāhi Māori a Reed (3rd ed.). Reed. ISBN978-0-7900-0494-5.
Brougham, Aileen E.; Reed, A. W.; Kāretu, T. S. (1999). The Reed Book of Māori Proverbs = Te Kohikohinga Whakataukī a Reed (3rd rev. ed.). Reed Books. ISBN978-0-7900-0638-3.
Reed, A. W.; Calman, Ross (2004). Reed Book of Māori Mythology (New & fully rev. ed.). Reed Books. ISBN978-0-7900-0950-6.