Hawaii Books

This is a great eyewitness account of Hawaii in 1863, by one of the era's most intrepid travelers, after it had been impacted by its collision with the American and European powers but while it was still a robust independent Kingdom and before its forced assimilation into the USA. It really gives you a taste of the old Hawaii, if not the original Hawaii.

I used these postcards for invitations to my wedding reception. We had a hawaiian luau theme. The guests absolutely loved the postcards and most kept them as keepsakes from the wedding! And the pictures on the postcards are absolutely wonderful! Looking at these postcards is about as close as you'll ever get without actually going to Hawaii.

Dawn Adrienne's "The Hawaiian Christmas Tree is a charming story that will entertain and inform children everywhere. Although fictitious, it is also based on fact - the first arrival of Christmas trees in Honolulu in the early 1900s and what life was like on Oahu and Maui around then. Eye-catching, colorful illustrations enhance this book. - Glenda Chung Hinchey, writer

This is a rare 1973 edition of Hawaiian-English/English-Hawaiian Dictionary, Which contains the same original contents & supplement chapters as the one published in 1957. Both are compiled by the same distinguished authors: Mary Kawena Pukui, leading authority on the Hawaiian language, and Samuel H. Elbert, specialist in Polynesian languages and compiler of other Pacific language dictionaries.
This volume is designed to be used as a means to consult the earlier Hawaiian study for the benefit of its richly illustrative phrases and its highly detailed treatment. A special feature is a supplement giving the Hawaiian equivalent of some 700 English given names.

Supplement to the Hawaiian-English dictionary
New entries and meanings
Glossary of Hawaiian gods, demigods, family gods, and a few heroes Specializations of Hawaiian gods and common forms they assumed
Hawaiian reflexes of Proto-Polynesian and Proto-Malayo-Polynesian

This is an incredible book. The botanical drawings are just gorgeous, the text is very informative, and the introduction is well written. It makes the naturalist-minded visitor to Hawaii VERY excited about visiting the place.

Before this book was written students of Hawaiian genealogy found it very difficult to secure information about the ancestors chiefs who shared in the history of the islands. One had to resort to files located in the archives of the State of Hawai'i, the archives of the Bishop Museum, the limited and scattered resources of the state's library system or to the sometimes suspect records of individual families who were more often than not reluctant to share their information. The prospect was not appealing because of the laborious efforts one had to make to gather the scattered materials into a coherent whole. The fact that most of the information was written in the Hawaiian language also presented formidable barriers to those who were not familiar with the language.

Aunty Edith Kawelohea McKinzie, with the helpful assistance of editor Ishmael W. Stagner, II, has done a very great service in providing this work, and its companion, Vol. 2, for the use and benefit of students of native Hawaiian history and genealogies. By gathering together and translating into English the information which was hitherto locked up in fragile copies of old newspapers, hard to decipher microfilm reels or the recollections, written and/or oral, of `kapuna' (respected elders) Aunty Edith has done yeoman work that will last through the decades as a vitally important resource for future genealogists and historians. An expert in the Hawaiian language and a `kumu hula' (expert hula teacher), she has by this work embellished a cultural and genealogical expertise and reputation that was already of the highest order in Hawai`i.

Linda Ching has succeeded again to bring alive the wonderful myths of Hawaii. Her awe inspiring artistic ability enables her to create magic within her photography, which tend to immerse the reader's own spirit within the pages. These stories of the Islands' Goddesses, passed down through the generations are rich with the Ohana of Hawaiian tradition, and the natural beauty of the Islands themselves.
This is a fascinating book to keep visible for everyone to enjoy. It is a true artistic and scholarly achievement. A delight to behold and an adventure to read. Bravo Linda!

This is the definitive Hawai'ian grammar. It's a bit technical in spots, and descriptive rather than prescriptive. If you're interested in the Hawai'ian language and have some familiarity with linguistics, this is the best thing out there.

This long-awaited book is the definitive study of the extraordinary family of endemic Hawaiian birds known as honeycreepers, all evolved from a single species of finch and providing textbook examples of adaptive radiation, evolution and extinction.
The book consists of two parts: chapters on general issues such as habitats, classification and behavior are followed by detailed features on each species (including historically known extinct species and even those known only from subfossils). Illustrations are mostly black and white photographs but the birds are also depicted in fine colour plates drawn by the author, allowing him to bring to life extinct species such as the black mamo and scarlet kakawahie of Moloka'i.
Pratt's career, as revealed in occasional autobiographical comments, renders him uniquely equipped for the task. As a child, he discovered the exotic honeycreepers by chance through a bird book. His 1979 PhD thesis focused on Hawaiian birds, and brilliant insights from it permeate the book: for example, based on the song of the tui of New Zealand, he hypothesises that the songs of the i'iwi and apapane still mimic those of long-extinct Hawaiian honeyeaters such as the o'o. Puzzling features such as the strange odour of some species and the tendency of young apanane to jump out of the nest when disturbed are interpreted as adaptive defenses against extinct predators (notably a harrier and a stilt owl).
Pratt was privileged to be among the last to see, for example, the once ubiquitous o'u (a grainy photograph from 1975 appears in black and white here, and in colour in some of his other books) and record its song. Having lived through a crucial period of decline, he has already witnessed the extinction of numerous species, largely through habitat loss and mosquito-borne disease which leave the remaining honeycreepers confined to high-elevation forests. Despite glimmers of hope such as emerging resistance to malaria in the amakihi and apapane, the author wonders how many of the honeycreepers will outlive him. As a postscript, the po'uli, first discovered on Maui in 1973, became extinct following attempts to introduce the last three individuals to each other, and eventually to capture them for captive breeding. Perhaps the crimson apapane, featured on the cover along with the sacred 'ohi'a lehua tree, will live on as testament to the honeycreepers that once were.

Brendtson's "Hawaiian Island Laminated Map" (2005) is an excellent resource for anyone traveling to or wanting to research the Hawaiian Islands. It unfolds (with one horizontal fold and eight vertical folds) to a handy 39" wide and 19.25" tall lap-size map. It is logically, and attractively, colored and laminated (conveniently protecting if from sea spray, rainforest showers, and water fall mist).

Five islands (The Big Island, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Maui) appear, along with an insert featuring Volcanoes National Park, on the obverse. Kauai, Nihau, Oahu, and downtown Honolulu appear on the reverse.

The reverse also sports an informative, but brief, history of the state (in English, Spanish, German, French and Italian). A streets index and time zone map attach to the opening history page. Mileage scales and compasses are provided for each island.

Of the several maps we took, this one proved to be the most informative and durable on a recent trip to the islands. Major highways and interstates are clearly distinguished (by size and color) from smaller roads and streets. City streets are clearly named. All the Waikiki Beach area hotels are labeled. Churches, temples, museums, city parks, state parks, national parks, public buildings, theaters, hospitals, and one way thoroughfares are clearly shown.

This map showed us the way to volcanoes, waterfalls, secluded beaches (black, red & golden), macadamia nut plantations, the western edge of the islands, surfing pipelines, battleships, lava tubes, fashion malls, heliports, tropical jungles, airports, lighthouses, hotels and even a lost Shinto shrine! We always found our way with it.

In a location where distances can be deceiving (due to rainforest overgrowth, and mountainous curves and switchbacks) this map clearly suggests distances (but not time necessary for travel) between destinations. The time it takes to travel Hawaii is up to you!

This map is very recommendable for your trip to the islands. You won't get lost using this one!