Hawaii Books

WOW!!! I purchased this popout map before my recent trip to Oahu. The format (small size, popout feature) are great and I found this map useful whether driving around the island, catching The Bus to various Honolulu and island locations, and/or walking around Honolulu/Waikiki. I need one of these maps for every place I visit.

I have used this map extensively while navigating around Honolulu and Oahu. The map is small, fits in your pocket and unfolds as you open it. It is easy to use while driving around the island of Oahu or the city of Honolulu or walking in Waikiki. This is a very useful map!

What a great book. The organization and layout of the entire book worked in a smooth and methodical manner. I could easily find someing if I needed to in a quick and efficient moment. The text covers things from the fairly simply to extremely advanced areas of Japanese grammar and writing.

Most of the information presented is not mentioned in conventional textbooks of the Japanese language, and is rarely found in dictionaries. An absolute must have for any advanced, experienced, or serious student of Japanese. I definitely recommend this book.

The book is a straightforward alphabetized handbook to Japanese grammar. Obviously not used by itself to learn Japanese, it certainly helps with comprehending sentences more clearly. Easy to use and lots of examples for each entry. I think it's great, as I am studying the language myself.

Hatfield and Rapson explore testosterone's parallel universes of sex and power with wit and humor, by way of an endearing heroine and a plot chock full of twists, turns, and surprises.

"Rosie" is lots of fun to read. Part romantic novel, part political drama, part academic story, it does lots of things but still hangs together. There's also a serious discussion of social issues (such as same-sex marriage) mixed with plenty of comedy, lush scenes of Hawaii and the South of France, and lots of knowledgable material about university life. But mostly I just thought it was a good story, well-told. It also has, among its leading characters, a conservative Republican from Texas running for President in the year 2000. Could that ever happen?

I went through many books on Maui before I picked this one up. Lucky me! This turned out to be the best ten bucks invested in my trip to Hawaii. This book is small enough to carry in your pocket, yet is chock full of detail. I was impressed when I took a trip to the southern edge of Maui solely relying on this book. Every shop, corner, and area of Maui matches the description in this book. It is very accurate and upto date. The tips included by the authors were very helpful. When we wanted to mail coconuts from Maui and were really lost, this book helped. A few hints for Maui travelers: some USPS offices in Maui have officers dressed in Hawaiian attire, so do not be confused and doubt if it really is a post office guy when you see him dressed like a Hawaiian beach bum! If you go to the southern edge of the island, you can actually buy coconuts at the post office and mail 'em too. Permanent markers that you use to address coconuts are awfully hard to find, so pack a Sharpie with your stuff! Overall, if there is just one travel guide you'd buy, pick this one. The book's binding is very good, and it held up after all the beating around and abuse that was showered on my copy. Don't let the small size fool you--this one is very detailed, and more importantly, very accurate (verified by us in Jan 2000). Highly recommended.

This little book really helped me get the most out of my Maui trip. It's restaurant and activity recommendations were right on the mark. It gives you a great overview without being overwhelming.

Knowledgeable and lots of detail. I would prefer Japanese sutra names to sandscrit names, my only quarrell.

This Berkeley Buddhist series volume is the definitive work of the founder of Tendai Buddhism in Japan. This volume of the series steps you through the beginning of Saicho's life into his later years fighting for an ordination platform on Mount Hiei. Included are details concerning the rise of Tendai Buddhism away from the influential Buddhism of Nara. Saicho's views of the bodhisattva precepts and his wish to move away from the Hinayana goals of the Ssu fen lu precepts. This is a treasure of Buddhist history in the Heian period.

This work is a must for any serious Buddhist researcher. Critical for any Tendai researcher to read.

This is a Volume I of a two-volume set.

I saw this two-volume book first time in Apia, the capitol city of Samoa. It was the hard copy edition presented in a show case of the Rainforest Restaurant, whose owners were two historians working passionately on a creation of a small museum of Samoan Art and culture of Samoa. I was astonished about the amount of details in this book. The more astonished I was, as I saw how many well situated Samoans were visiting the Swiss/German couple to consult this book regarding their genealogy and heritage! This source might just as well prove predecessors in old Samoan ruling nobility or even... a divine origin!

For a contemporary reader Krämer's book might be a difficult lecture though. Krämer brings together facts and legends. Parts of the text are written in Samoan, and sometimes I could not find out any specific rule for the switching between the German and Samoan languages. Fortunately, mostly one page is in Samoan, and the opposite page is in English, like a Roseta Stone of a kind! The translator of the book, Dr. Verhaaren, remarks in his foreword that Krämer was somewhat inconsistent in his spelling of Samoan words.

In my opinion Krämer created a great documentary, but he was not a good writer. The great amount of details, which Krämer by himself often calls just a hearsay, have probably a great value for scholars or lovers of Polynesian mystique, but they might only confuse casual reader. Nevertheless he seems to be very careful about differentiation between facts and rumors.

One of the interesting aspects of this book are the details about the travels, marriages and wars between Samoans, Tongans and even the Melanesian Fijians. Many contemporary families on Samoa know through these reports that their heritage reaches hundreds of miles apart from Samoa. Samoans were splendid navigators and they undertook numerous long distance voyages. There was a good reason that Samoa earned the name "Navigator Islands" after being discovered by Europeans. Unfortunately, the contemporary Islanders lost solely their ability to navigate on the open Ocean over such distances.

The book contains a large number of beautiful photographs of Samoan people, and of the entire Samoa from the colonial period, in which Great Britain, USA and Germany were still quite friendly nations "negotiating" their spheres of influence in the Pacific. As you might know, Samoa is still a divided country and the American sponsored government in Pago Pago tries to deepen the differences between the Samoans on the neighboring Islands. They feel very cozy in their present arrangement, and so they try to prevent a reunification. It is fascinating to see in this book the Samoa as it once was, a one entity.

This book is a fascinating "must have" collectible for scholars, passionate off road travelers, and everyone else looking for island nostalgia. The publisher, Hawaii Press, made a great effort to provide splendid quality of typesetting and print.

My only regret is that we wait for so many years for a matching release of the Volume II!

The price is right. Get this book!

This is a comprehensive and interesting exposition on the history of Samoa.

It is a privilege that it is now available in English so that the information can be more widely read.

The Dharma taught by the modern master Soetaesan, called Won Buddhism around here, is eminently practical, accessible, elegant, and effective. I agree with Michael McCormick, the reviewer below, in every respect. I hope this translation makes the Won Dharma accessible to the disturbed, dissatisfied, and heartbroken in the English-speaking world (and that accounts for everyone at least sometimes). Americans are particularly lucky, as there are Won Temples open and ready to offer instruction and support in the U.S.

Part of the genius of Won Buddhism is its exceptionally clear presentation of the Dharma, without dumbing it down. Anybody can "get" it, all of it.

Won Buddhism advocates a society of well-educated people, led by the wise, and embracing full equality between men and women. Given the current chill ignorance and belligerance that mainstream American culture has become, I think the Won ideal is a noble aspiration for us to keep in mind. Here's to an enlightened future.

Years ago when I was in college in Philadelphia I encountered Won Buddhism and an earlier translation of the teachings of their founder, Master Sotaesan. With the guidance of Rev. Bokin Kim, I was able to see how Won Buddhism presented a very well-rounded, streamlined, and practical approach to enlightenment. She also showed me the deep connections which Master Sotaesan't teachings had to Korean Buddhism which were not immediately apparent in the previous English translation of the Won Buddhist scriptures used at her temple at that time. Dr. Bongkil Chung's translation and introduction makes those connections much more apparent. And while his introduction can't replace the warm and generous spirit of Rev. Bokin Kim (who is now the academic dean of the Won Buddhist Institute in Abington, Pa) reading it certainly reminds me of all the things I learned from her and even fills in some crucial historical and doctrinal details that I had not known about before. Dr. Chung also forthrightly reveals some of the difficulties that Won Buddhism has had in defining itself as a Korean New Religion. Is it a self-sufficient teaching of Master Sotaesan, or was Sotaesan just trying to create a reformed and progressive version of Buddha Dharma? The differences between the 1943 and 1962 editions of the Korean text show that Won Buddhism has been leaning in the direction of independence from the broader Buddhist tradition, but Dr. Chung's translation of the 1943 edition shows that the original intention of Master Sotaesan may have been a renovation of Buddhism rather than a departure from it. As far as the content of the text itself, I personally feel that it is very much in keeping with the best traditions of East Asian Buddhism as well as Taoism and Neo-Confucianism. I actually visited the places where Master Sotaesan grew up, and they are still very rural. His far reaching and progressive vision of what Buddhism would have to become to speak to the modern world amazes me when I consider how restricted his early life and education was. Sotaesan's teaching in this book are in two parts. The first is the Canon which gives a straight forward lay out of his system. I find it very practical, and I even think that many parts of it will speak to Buddhists and perhaps people of other religions who will find the guidance and perspectives presented very helpful even if they are not or do not want to become Won Buddhists. The second part is the Scripture of Sotaesan. This may be more interesting as it is a collection of talks, anecdotes, and Dharma verses collected from throughout Master Sotaesan's time as a teacher. I think this section compares favorable with the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, and in many ways is more interesting and relevant because Master Sotaesan is addressing the problems of early 20th century Korea, including the problems of pseudo-religions, colonialism, technological advancements, and the encounter between Christianity and Buddhism. I think that Master Sotaesan't broad and magnanimous spirit, as well as his integrity and forward thinking can be an inspiration to all people, whether they are Won Buddhists, some other kind of Buddhist, or not even Buddhists at all. Master Sotaesan speaks to the sufferings and the aspirations of ordinary people who want to find out how to awaken in the midst of their daily lives.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei

Met the author - wonderful man with beautiful island energy. His art is magickal and spiritual. I have many of his art pieces hanging in my home now, as well as have sent plenty to my ohana (family). I was not raised in Hawaii though I am Hawaiian. This book brings love and warmth to my heart, as my heart does belong to my Hawaiian heritage.

I highly recommend anything from Patrick Ching. He puts so much of himself in his work. Even as a 45yo woman, I find that Patrick's art/books speak to my child at heart.

Aloha nui loa,
~Annette

Patrick Ching is many things... a painter, a naturalist, a rodeo clown (really!), a Hawaiian, and an observer of nature to the nth degree. For this book, he put his eye, and talent, into capturing the essence of sea turtles, particularly the Pacific green sea turtle, or honu.

Ching's experiences with sea turtles on French Frigate Shoals and the main Hawaiian Islands resonate in his illustrations. An artist who has looked deep into the black eye of the honu created these paintings. The text is factually accurate, in part because of Ching's knowledge, but also because he collaborated with George Balazs, probably the most knowledgeable person regarding the Pacific green sea turtle on this planet (learn more about Balazs in the book Fire in the Turtle House: The Green Sea Turtle and the Fate of the Ocean, by Osha Gray Davidson).

Great pictures, factual text, and a neat critter... this book is a winner.

This book is fun for toddlers because they can hold it in the little arch. And it has some really nice textures to feel. I love the slippery gecko! It's a fun book, and much more unusual than most of the other touch and feel books out there.

What a fantastic version of the touch and say books! Finally, my son and I can touch and say other animals besides cats, dogs, zoo, and farm animals! My son recieved this book as a gift from Grandma when she came home from Hawaii (he's had it since birth). He carries it around with him and often chooses it out of the MANY other books he has. A definite buy! Be sure to check out Rainforest Touch n Say Hawaii too!

It's a boardbook, NOT hardcover!

The only two drawbacks: more exspensive than some other books and not a lot of words--still worth it, though! :-)

This book is one of the most helpful when planning a trip to an exotic place. The pictures tell the story. I can't wait to take the family to the Seychelle Islands.

A wonderfully compiled and well thought out resource. Sarah Carpin knows and loves Seychelles and renders an entertaining and informative summary of the history, culture and land.