Duke: A Great Hawaiian (Hardcover)

by Sandra Kimberley Hall (Author) "Hawai'i-nei's most famous native son, after King Kamehameha the Great, is the full-blooded Duke Paoa Kahanamoku (1890-1968)..." (more)
Key Phrases: Duke Kahanamoku, Los Angeles, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Hawai'i's Ambassador of Aloha, Duke Kahanamoku, is remembered for his Olympic medals and as the Father of International Modern Surfing. But those who place leis on his statue in Waikiki equally honor him for his strength of character and the Hawaiian ideals he represented. In this moving tribute, filled with photos of Duke, his story and Hawai'i's are intertwined.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Bess Press (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573062308
• ISBN-13: 978-1573062305
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #599,150 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hawaii's Sovereign Of The Seas Remembered , April 15, 2005

By	J. E. Barnes (Bayridge, Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Until Joseph Brennan's Duke: The Life Story of Duke Kahanamoku (1994) is reprinted or another comparable book is made available, the sporting world's great interest in Duke Kahanamoku, Olympic star and the greatest surfing avatar of the 20th century, may be satisfied by Sandra Kimberley Hall's compact Duke: A Great Hawaiian (2004), a brief but beautifully illustrated overview of the champion's life.

Whether as a record-breaking swimmer, a surfer and surfboard innovator, an entrepreneur, an actor in early Holloywood, the Sheriff of Honolulu or as a janitor or garage mechanic during leaner periods of his existence, Duke Kahanamoku was, first and foremost, a gentleman and an ambassador of traditional Hawaiian good manners and 'aloha,' a word which, in addition to other meanings, encompasses a wide range of positive human feelings, from "love, affection, and compassion" to "grace and charity."

As such, Kahanamoku represented the kind of role model--both as a man and as an individual--that is completely lacking on the world stage today. With his humble manner, extraordinary talents, and magnificent physique, Kahanamoku was revered by men, desired by women, and almost universally loved and admired by all.

The photographs of Kahanamoku from different periods of his life are the great strength of Duke: A Great Hawaiian. Hall certainly seems to understand Kahanamoku's intrinsic value as a human being and as an individual, and conveys that understanding with warmth, enthusiasm, and ease.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fitting tribute to the father of modern surfing, September 17, 2004

By	Peter Robinson "www.thesurfingmuseum.co.uk" (Brighton, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This fantastic little book oozes aloha from every page. If the Duke is looking down on us, he'd be stoked, proud and humble to have a book like this written about him. The story of Duke Kahanamoku is a moving one and the author has captured the spirit of the man in these pages.
The quality of the production is beautiful with photos on each of the left hand pages and the text laid out in simple form on the right. The aloha print cover is a joy. If you're into surfing, or Hawaiian, history this is a must have book and a future collectable for sure. Aloha from England!
Pete Robinson www.thesurfingmuseum.co.uk

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enduring Aloha, October 17, 2004

By	Donald W. Gallagher (Lititz, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Y2K millennial issue of Surfer magazine featured on its cover the formal portrait of a young Duke Kahanamoku with the caption "Surfer of the Century." Perhaps you've been to Kuhio beach at Waikiki and visited the Duke statue; maybe even left a flower lei draped on his arms. Most people also take a few minutes to consider the inscription that's written there, imagining what Aloha could mean if we each lived our life that way.

I ordered a copy of this book before it was published. When it arrived in the mail I realized that I held a small volume, one of life's little primers, that might affect me in a big way -- and that's what happened. If you love the ocean like Duke did, then Sandra Kimberley Hall has written the thank you letter we all wish we could have given him.

Duke Kahanamoku lived from 1890 to 1968. It's been more than thirty years since he died, and people still speak of him as if he's here among us. This book will help you understand why swimmers/surfers/water polo teams/outrigger canoe clubs/open water paddlers... all EXPECT to meet the Duke. He's right there with us every time we greet another ocean enthusiast with the generous spirit of Aloha that was his gift to all.

I'm the guy who led a letter writing campaign resulting in the approval of a U.S. postage stamp honoring the Duke. Others had begun the process more than twenty years ago. Working as a volunteer for the Surfrider Foundation, I circulated a newsletter beginning in 1998. For four years thousands of people all across America responded by sending letters/petitions/postcards of support to Washington -- and we succeeded. The stamp was issued on the anniversary of Duke's birthday, August 24, 2002. More than 62 million stamps were printed, and the edition is now sold out.

The handsome, active and youthful image chosen to portray Duke on the stamp has invited many others to examine his life -- Olympic champion, Halls of Fame, years of public service to the Territory/State of Hawaii. He was a lifelong inspiration to those who met him personally, and also those who could only read about him (a skinny kid like me in the library at Beach Haven, NJ hoping maybe I could learn to ride the surf on my blue & yellow inflatable canvas raft).

We all know that very few of us will ever appear on a commemorative stamp. Those who took the time to write to the Postal Service felt that Duke Kahanamoku was one of those people who represents us at our very best. This book celebrates all the reasons why.


Respectfully submitted,

Don Gallagher
38 Green Acre Road, Lititz, PA 17543-8770