Coal Flat, by Bill Pearson, was published by Paul's Book Arcade in 1963. Though related to the project for the cover design of that book, this abstract drawing is quite different to the final design (see
Cover design for the novel Coal Flat by Bill Pearson). According to Pearson, the painting was based on earlier drawings McCahon had made of the hills around Blackball, on the West Coast of the South Island. (See also
[Drawing for the cover design for the novel Coal Flat by Bill Pearson].)