Gates, garden furniture and controversial Golliwogs will all be on display at the Ideal Home Show at Arena Manawatu this weekend.

Book repair specialist Bill Tito will be at the Palmerston North show touting his wares, as well as showing off his collection of politically incorrect dolls and books, including a copy of Ten Little Nigger Boys.

Golliwog dolls and Ten Little Nigger Boys are widely considered racist against African-Americans.

Mr Tito said he did not see why people made a fuss about them.

"They are books and dolls. I just like them - I always have."

He has repaired thousands of books during his 40-year career, including old Dutch Bibles weighing 12 kilograms.

But politically incorrect books came across his hands for repair on a regular basis, he said.

"Ten Little Nigger Boys books, I probably repair about 10 of those a year.

"I have Mein Kampf quite often."

Mein Kampf is an autobiography written by Adolf Hitler.

Plenty of people had these books and Golliwog dolls, but did not talk about them because of the social stigmas, he said.

"But they meet up with me and know I won't judge, so they'll talk away.

"If anyone has any of these books I want to see them."

He said he had also had an encounter with a German who was in the Hitler Youth as a child.

"It was just a book on Germany [to repair], but he was quite keen to talk about his youth.

"It's like anything, you start your day and you don't know what's happening at the end of the day."

Mr Tito said he was not racist.

"I've got friends from Tanzania. I do tend to like a lot of black people and I have a lot of Indian friends."

It will be his 17th time at the Home Show.

He challenges any people heading to the show to bring him an unrepairable book.

"I've been doing it a long time, so there's nothing I can't do.

"I would be a bit ashamed if I couldn't do something."

Other exhibitors range from fridge suppliers to gate installers and picture framers.

The Home Show runs today, tomorrow and Sunday from 10am until 5pm.

- © Fairfax NZ News