The history presented in this book is better than what you find in the Steele book, but again the dates presented in relation to the development of Hawaiian fashion are often way off. Collectors and others need a historically accurate book. Lets hope some historian out there is listening...

i am hardly an expert in Hawaiiana, but this book seems exhaustive in its documentation of the Hawaiian shirt. It's hard to believe that so much "ordinary correspondance" still exists from 70 years ago. In addition, the book is just gorgeous. Hundreds of pictures of the most interesting shirts.

In addition to its beauty, Schiffer's book is complete and historically accurate. This is a book you will read over and over again.

Enjoyable early Nora Roberts about Laine Simmons who comes to Hawaii to meet her long-estranged father. Her father's business partner, Dillon O'Brian, is very protective of him and thinks Laine has only come to get money. Lovely island setting takes you away....
Excerpt from the back of the book:
"Laine Simmons had traveled to Hawaii to reconcile with her long-estranged father-only to be accused by his handsome young business of having ulterior motives. How dare Dillon O'Brian interfere in her family affairs..and have the nerve to set her heart aflame whever he came near?"

Short, but very sweet love story. Has a certain naivete that the later Nora Roberts novels lack. Very reminiscent of Ann Mather.

One or Ms. Robert's ealry one's. Laine flies to Hawaii after her mother's death to meet with her father, a man she hasn't seen since she was seven and has been led to believe didn't care about her. Meeting with Dillon, her Father's partner, is both informative and explosive. Good summer afternoon reading.

At the beginning of this book; Mr. King spins a yarn of his father in Egypt seeking refuge in ruins during a sandstorm.

What self respecting sun worshiper would have an altar in a room underground?

Then the book goes even farther out into left field about the secret organization that his father and then he were inititated into.

The part of this book that really ticked me off was that Mr. King renamed the three seleves (Aumakua, Uhane, and Unihipilli These are the proper names (I studied Huna off and on for years)) and substituted the names Kane, Ku, and Lono.

Kane, Ku, and Lono are hawaiian deities, here are some additional names of Hawaiian deity, Hina, Kanaloa, Pele, etc.

If you want real HUNA books check these out. I recommend them in the order listed.

"Fundamentals Of Hawaiian Mysticism" Charlotte Berney

"Huna: A Beginners Guide" Enid Hoffman

"The Secret Science Behind Miracles" Max Freedom Long

"The Secret Science At Work" Max Freedom Long

"Kahuna Magic" Brad Steiger

I have heard positive things about "Huna Magic" John Bainbridge. I ordered "Huna Magic" from Huna Research Inc, but have not received it yet.

Please E-Mail me if you have questions or comments about this review. Two Bears

Wah doh Ogedoda (We give thanks Great Spirit)

We highly recommend this 17 year old book to any student of natural medicine. It has stood the test of time. We have recommended it to all our students.

As King states (1) "Ye shall know them by their fruits". (2) "We are the creators. Change your thoughts to change your world". etc.etc. We commend you on your book, it is in line with all our teachings. We acknowledge you and your work.

A great book and essential reading to all serious students of natural medicine.

The Grand Duke of Avram, The Royal Order of Humanism and Health

Stay positive about life, and treat yourself to this fascinating introduction to Huna!

Serge Kahili King writes with a practitioner's interest in the psychic, an anthropologist's approach to culture, and a linguist's delight in the Hawaiian language. The result is a historical and philosophical overview of Huna shamanism which is remarkably clear and concise.

There are four basic principles of Huna:

1. "You create your own reality (Ike)." 2. "You get what you concentrate on (Makia)."

3. "You are unlimited (Kala)." 4. "Your moment of power is now (Manawa)." (p. 37)

Huna has much in common with visualization and affirmations. However, Huna is not exactly like either of these techniques. Huna shamanism has some rather sophisticated philosophical underpinnings which have subtle but important implications. For one thing, time is conceived a bit differently. The present is defined as the span of time which can be influenced by your current actions. Another important aspect of Huna is the idea that your beliefs don't just mirror the environment that surrounds you, your beliefs actually create your environment. Working with these beliefs is the essence of all healing practices. Other challenging concepts include the Huna viewpoints on the self, karma, the conscious, the subconscious, the emotions and the intellect.

Positive thinking is the basis of Huna. One of my friends who has been studying Huna for several years reports that the Huna philosophical concepts are very helpful for figuring out why some positive thinking techniques work and others don't. Traditional Hawaiian psychic techniques, healing techniques, and bodywork are described with brief summaries, rather than by using case studies or practical exercises.

I can't judge the historical or anthropological authenticity of this material. However, the author claims to have spent considerable time with traditional people in West Africa, and his way of expressing philosophical concepts shows an indigenous influence of some sort in his thinking. It's a fascinating world view which is quite unlike the one I grew up with in the suburbs!

Highly recommended for those with an interest in healing, the psychic, Eastern or Western philosophy, psychology, history or anthropology.

If you are looking for a guidebook to Maui that has substantial information regarding restaurants and the hidden treasures of Maui, look elsewhere! One of the major activities on Maui is a snorkel trip to Molokini, an underground volcanic crater. This book had a small paragraph on Molokini, but failed to recommend (or even list) any companies offering the boat trip. We had to do this leg work on our own.
Also, while I understand that there are thousands of restaurants in Maui and a book could not possibly list them all, this book listed maybe 5 restaurants in each area of Maui - just a very small fraction. Very rarely did the book recommend against eating somewhere - everything was sugar coated to the point where one would think that all the restaurants in Maui are great (not true!).
The book did get 3 stars for providing basic descriptions and maps. I would not use this book if you are looking for any sort of recommendations on where to spend your time in Maui, etc.

The descriptions of Hawaii (and in this case Maui) in the Lonely Planet guidebooks is far and away the best available.

Frankly I'd recommend the Lonely Planet Hawaii instead. This book doesn't really add that much info beyond the LP Hawaii, I suppose the only reason to get this book is if you have no intention of going near any of the other Islands. But in my experience plans change, and on one trip we added a side trip to Molokai at the last minute (a 30 minute flight), after reading about it in the Hawaii guidebook.

Having said that, this is a good book, and if you are flying direct to Maui & home again this book is a bit cheaper and lighter that the Hawaii guide. Either way, you should be taking one of the LP guides with you.

I liked the contemporary approach in this guidebook.. It blows the pedantic Maui Revealed right out of the water. The reviews were very honest and the cute hotels were clean and reasonably priced. We met many similarly interested people along the way. Sara Benson can write!

Having just finished reading Twain's "Roughing It", and having received this book as a gift, I decided to read them back to back. This is a compilation of the correspondence Mark Twain was hired to write from Hawaii (then the Sandwich Islands) for the California newspaper the Sacramento Union. These letters were written before he had published his first book, so he was still young and inexperienced as a writer. Yet all the elements of classic Twain are in here--the humour, the keen observation, the ear for vernacular speech. It is informative to notice that he used much of the material from these letters--at times verbatim--to create the last few chapters of "Roughing It". I would almost recommend reading "Roughing It" instead of these letters because the writing is more polished and edited for more readability, were it not for the fact that the letters contain some very interesting material that does not appear in "Roughing It". Specifically, Twain does an excellent job covering the trade and commerce of the Islands, specifically the whaling and sugar industries (I am a sucker for 19th century whaling stories), and delivers an exclusive report on the fate of the clipper ship 'Hornet', a ship that completely burned while on the open sea, stranding 31 men in open boats near the Equator. One boat made it to Hawaii and Twain was able to get a report off to California, the first anyone there had heard of it. This report later bacame the source for his piece "Forty-Three Days in an Open Boat".

I would recommend this book to those interested in early Hawaiian, or even California, history and those who would enjoy some early Mark Twain. The subject matter jumps around a bit, as is the nature of this kind of compilation. The introduction by A. Grove Day is very informative and helpful for placing the readings in context. The reading is not always easy but usually entertaining.

This book is an excellent and quick read. It presents a picture of Hawaii that, unfortunately, will never be seen again. If you love the islands and/or Mark Twain's writing style, you'll love this book.

What is it about the Hawaiian Islands that is so profoundly affecting? Twain was the ultimate skeptic, yet the Islands won him over in a minute. This collection of newspaper columns tells us why, and it is story that remains relevant to Island visitors and lucky residents. Twain was as well travelled as anyone of his day, and had no trouble identifying Hawaii as not just a pleasant place, but a unique place on earth. He hoped to live out his days on the Islands, but never made it back. Modern travellers sometimes wonder about the attractions of the Islands versus other places with warm climates. No one has explained it better than Twain.

Once this book got to ACTUAL paddling locations, it was quite good. However, almost half of the book was spent on kayaking basics which, I would venture to guess, most of those purchasing this book already are familiar with.

This is an update of her popular First Edition. As part of a group of long time kayakers in Hawaii, we always read what Audrey Sutherland has to say about a route before undertaking extended kayak trips along the coasts and between the islands of Hawaii. Her hints on preparation are always a good review on what to take and prepare for on a trip. This book is a good companion to her Paddling My Own Canoe which never ceases to inspire one to take a chance to experience the beauty and wildness of Hawaii's shores.

There are so many How To books available on every topic imaginable, but rare is the How To that is deeply inspirational. This is such a book. Within two weeks of reading it I did three of the trips she described. Her sections on safety and gear are without unnecessary adornment and shimmer with authority and personal experience. The writing is clear, sometimes humorous and made me want to drop everything and paddle off into the horizon. Reading her book gave me the extra push I needed to brave the unknown and enough knowledge to feel confident that I would return. An excellent guidebook to paddling in Hawaii and a great general reference for this marvelous sport.

A fair book, as far as adventure books go. Miss Sutherland leaves you wanting more information on the history of the islands and her personal life. She touches on both of the aforementioned accounts, but does not go deep enough. She scratches the surface. The book chronicles journey's that most people do not even think about anymore, but yet the book does not capture the excitement of the journey's as it should. I did enjoy the read, and would recomend the book to hardcore outdoor enthusiasts. Tate Perazzelli (tatemar@compuserve.com

An exciting and joyful adventure of one woman paddling the wild coast of Molokai in Hawaii. A bold feat, battling waves and rocky coastline all alone, yet more than an adventure story, laced with natural history, Hawaiian history, ecology, and survival techniques. Her strength, serenity, and humor,is interwoven with a zen-like philosophy that makes for great armchair adventure reading.

Audrey's story of how she taught herself to swim/kayak down the Na Pali-like Molokai coast stayed with me for several days. I was really impressed by her bravery and willingness to face a very challenging situation again and again. If she could face the risk of losing her life in these adventures, over and over, what kind of courage could the rest of us bring to our relatively minor challenges. I loved the image of her sitting in her homemade "furo", looking over her little valley & the sea. This story will also be interesting to you if you kayak or canoe, and/or if you love Hawaii. :)

THe rough guide hawaii is an ok guidebook, it does leave out some sights and things, but what i don't particularly like about it, is how critical the author is. he is very opinionated, he seems not to like lu'aus or the bigger resorts, and alot of the more popular landmarks he thinks arent worth visiting. although the book does have alot of information, i don't really like the "criticalness" of the author. having been to hawaii 6 times, The best guides for hawaii i can reccomend, are wizard publication's "big island/maui/kauai revealed" guidebooks, as they are written by people whom actually live in hawaii.

This is a comprehensive guidebook for all the Hawaiian islands. It covers a lot of history and a lot of the sites. It also provides some basic information about hotels and restaurants. The pictures are somewhat lacking, but the text provides excellent descriptions. If you need one guidebook, this may be it, but it leaves out some stuff that is worth seeing or doing.

A well-organized book that does a very good job of detailing what there is to see and do on the major islands of Hawaii. Especially useful are the cross-reference notes found within the margins, and various "favorite" lists found within each section. Greg never steered us wrong. Also, an excellent reference for those who wish to camp or hike.

I originally chose to read this book because I wanted to learn more about the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. I selected this book because of the title, imagining it would be a passionate work. I imagine it was a work of passion but the information didn't reflect it. I don't regret reading it and treasure the information gained by doing so. However, I would not recommend this book to someone who is new to the Hawaiian sovereignty issues.

This book was more concerned with relaying historical detail which did create a strong argument that Hawaii was attained immorally. The author did little of sharing his own opinion but rather reported more research of the quotes of others. This definitely serves a purpose and is valuable, but don't read it unless you are prepared for that.

The author's model was to base chapters on certain individuals who played a prominent role in the history of Hawaii and its annexation to the United States. This is often confusing because you read about someone way back at the beginning and then they are mentioned at the end of the text and you can't remember who they are. If anything this book has served to spark my interest further on the topic and I will look for another book to get a better grasp.

I bought this book as research for a project that I am doing concerning the life of Liliuokalani. Though the book doesn't add much to her story, it contains a wealth of information on the Hawaiian monarchy and the conspiracies that led to it's downfall. This is not an unslanted book. I think that the authors viewpoint is pretty clear throughout. But it is passionately argued and I think hard to refute.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about one of the great injustices of the American 19th century.

For anyone interested a critical look into Hawaii's colorful history this book offers a wealth of information about people and places which shape the Hawaii of today. A must read for the visitor and resident alike.If you want to know Hawaii, read this book.

I was planning my honeymoon & purchased several books including this one. I found that some other books had much more listings. For example, we wanted to stay in the northern part of Kauai, but it only had about three listings. Not to mention, the ones listed were "expensive to unbelievably expensive and beyond" as they stated under price. That doesn't really give me a whole lot of choices. I thought a better choice was "Frommer's Hawaii from $70 per day" & "Best Places to stay in Hawaii". However, I did book one B&B on this books suggestion.

This book is terrific! My husband and I planned our wedding in Hawaii after reading this. I had no idea that people were married in the sacred Fern Grotto on Kauai. After I told my husband (a full-on romantic) about the Fern Grotto, he was sold! "Best Places" also offers insights and tips about romantic places to stay, restaurants and outdoor activities. If you don't have a clue where to stay or what to do in Hawaii and you want your trip to be a romantic experience, you've got to get this book. Even if you have been to Hawaii, this book will surprise and delight. Aloha!