Hawaiiana: The Best of Hawaiian Design [Hardcover]

Mark Blackburn (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Schiffer Book for Collectors | Publication Date: January 1, 2000

This beautifully illustrated book contains over 600 color photographs and an instructional text that capture the romance and allure of the Hawaiian Islands during their years as a Territory of the United States, from 1900 to 1959. The objects shown in the book all are from collections in Hawaii: Aloha attire, jewelry, paper goods and prints, dolls, woodenware, and souvenirs. This is the first comprehensive overview of Hawaiian objects and designs to be published, containing both the typical and the inspired patterns that are so eagerly sought after world-wide by collectors and designers alike; from Hawaii--the paradise of the Pacific., 600+ color photos, 8 1/2" x 11", Price Guide

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

If you thought that Hawaiian war gods and ukuleles were a thing of the past, think again. They're just as collectible as they were in the 1940s, when U.S. servicemen returned home from the South Pacific laden with treasures. Hawaiian shirts which have always retained a devoted following, as documented in The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands (LJ 12/00) were one of the most obvious symbols of the Islands, but knickknacks of all kinds were bought by this newfound "tourist" trade. The development of air travel created another source of souvenir hunters and thus continued the fascination with all things Polynesian. In the last few years, Schiffer, a firm specializing in guides to antiques and collectibles, has turned out several books on Hawaiiana, and these two are the latest to document this enduring craze. The title of Pfouts's book pretty much tells it all. Look here for images of grass-skirted hula girls (some more naughty than nice) and, in the last 15 pages or so, those stylized idols known as Tiki gods. The text throughout is breezy and perhaps a little flippant, and, characteristically, most of the objects shown are on the kitschy side. Nonetheless, there is no discounting their popularity. Items shown include everything from postcards, matchbooks, and album covers to furniture, lamps, mugs, jewelry, and tattoos. By contrast, Blackburn's book, written by a Hawaii-based antiques dealer, features items that are considerably more upscale, such as traditional native quilts, vintage travel brochures and posters, paintings, textiles, and, yes, even ukuleles. As in Pfouts's book, values are often included, but the text is much more informative, with historical data included in each chapter. For libraries with decorative arts collections, both come highly recommended. Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Author Mark Blackburn, a major collector of Hawaiiana from Hilo, Hawaii, identifies and values the items individually, making this a useful as well as a beautiful book. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Pub Ltd (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764301098
• ISBN-13: 978-0764301094
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,765,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful History!, March 31, 2000

By 

Teresa Tucker-Davies (Santa Barbara, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hawaiiana: The Best of Hawaiian Design (Hardcover)

I came across this book in my hotel lounge on the North Shore of Kaui last week, and couldn't put it down. So I've come looking to buy it here. Although it's designed for collectors (which I am not), and places emphasis on the values of the artifacts pictured, it's also designed to chronicle the unique history of our exotic Hawaiian Islands. Beautifully laid out, it includes images of picture postcards, Hawaiin shirt designs, garment labels, wood carvings, and glorious Hawaiian quilts - all accompanied by just enough historical lore to make it a very smart picture book indeed!

12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Useless New Edition, May 23, 2002

By 

Gary L. Campbell "Designer" (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hawaiiana: The Best of Hawaiian Design (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Hardcover)

Sixty dollars spent for a new cover, some corrections in the index and a general increase in values is about all that is new in this edition. If you have the older one, don't bother! I felt cheated.

12 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sooooo Many Mistakes in this book - shame shame shame!, May 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Hawaiiana: The Best of Hawaiian Design (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Hardcover)

This instant-expert in Hawaiiana is evidently one of those people who move to Hawaii and think "it's much too good for the Hawaiians so I'll sell as much of it as I can". The photography is good but so many of the descriptions are soooooo wrong that I looked through it in slack-jawed amazement. Don't fall for this phoney-baloney aloha - the real Hawaii is not for sale, no matter how many books you write badly about it.