He never thought his science-fiction collection would be exhibited and now it is, Emeritus Prof Fred Fastier is not sure who will come and see it.
The 92-year-old donated his collection of about 1300 science-fiction books to the University of Otago in December, and last week he opened an exhibition of a selection of those books in the de Beer Gallery in special collections at the university's central library.
The exhibition is titled "Ray Guns and Rocket Ships".
Prof Fastier collected most of the books between the 1930s and 1960s, but has not read much science fiction for about 30 years.
He considers himself more of a critic of the genre than a literary admirer and admits to not having read some of the books in the collection.
"I had them because I more wanted to get some idea of a general trend.
"I thought it was a golden age of science fiction and I think I was right."
The inaugural professor of pharmacology at the University of Otago said people were often surprised when they found out he collected science fiction.
He was interested in the genre not because he was seeking the truth - which as a medical scientist he was interested in - but because of the ideas "hard science" science-fiction authors played with and the solutions they imagined for problems.
He was not interested in the more imaginative fantasy side of the genre.
For that reason he was not sure many people would be interested in seeing the exhibition of his books, but was nonetheless pleased they were being displayed in such a manner, he said.
The exhibition includes works from Erle Cox, Aldous Huxley, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke and runs until June 15.
