Around The World With A King: The Story of the Circumnavigation of His Majesty King David Kalakaua [Paperback]

William N. Armstrong (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tut books : H | Publication Date: March 1978

An account of King Kalakaua's famous world tour, which made him the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe.

Kalakaua's quest in circling the globe was to reach out to the rest of the world to bring his island nation immigrants from other countries to repopulate his land and revigorate the lives of his declining people. Kalakaua embraced a culturally pluralistic world where races, cultures and various religions could live together in harmony but with independence.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Around the World With a King is one of several historical reprints that Mutual Publishing provides to those readers interested in the social, cultural, and political history of the Hawaiian Islands. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

William N. Armstrong was a member of King Kalakoua's Cabinet and accompanied His Majesty on the circumnavigation.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (March 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804812152
• ISBN-13: 978-0804812153
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,085,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating story despite prejudices of author, April 26, 2004

By 

Scott P. Crawford (Hana, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Around the World With a King (Mass Market Paperback)

This book provides a fascinating insight into a historical adventure that most people are unaware of. King Kalakaua of Hawaii was the first monarch ever to circumnavigate the globe, visiting many of the countries with whom Hawaii had treaties. Kalakaua was a highly educated and intelligent man and an exceptional diplomat who spoke numerous languages including the Queen's English, and courts around the world were highly impressed with his character and knowledge. He also liked to party and could be a bit of a rascal, so there are some quite humorous scenes as well. The author, who travelled with Kalakaua, inserts some rather unfortunate racist judgments in his commentary, which can be hard to stomach, but if one can overlook those, the substance of the story itself is fascinating, and in my opinion would make a great movie!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is there anything more exotic than a Hawaiian King's travel?, July 20, 2004

By 

Jose A. Narbona (Jerez, Spain and Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Around the World with a King (Hardcover)

Wonderful historic document. You have to read it bearing in mind when the text was written (there are a lot of thoughts that are considered prejudices today) but apart from that, it's such a magical story! This poor Hawaiian king trying to learn from other monarchies in other countries and trying to convince the world that Hawaii also exists. I really recommend it to fans of traveling, Pacific cultures, monarchies or international affairs.