Streetcar Days in Honolulu [Hardcover]

Mackinnon Simpson (Author), John Brizdle (Author), Simpson MacKinnon (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: J L B Pr; First Edition edition (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970621388
• ISBN-13: 978-0970621382
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,383,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Ride Back In Time, June 21, 2001

By 

Bruce S. Ho (Captain Cook, HI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Streetcar Days in Honolulu (Hardcover)

For anyone interested in the early days of Honolulu, or in the role that streetcars played in shaping urban life, this book is a wonderful experience. Through an amazing amount of detailed research, it recreates how the streetcar provided the focus for the everyday movement of residents around the city, and in fact was a determinant in how the city constantly expanded its boundaries. Accompany the fascinating story is a wealth of original photographs, many of them colorized in elegant and tasteful tones. It's a beautifully produced book of the highest quality. It will draw anyone who sees it to open it, and will delight anyone who ventures into its realm.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When paradise rode the rails, January 12, 2001

By 

James A. Husing - See all my reviews

This review is from: Streetcar Days in Honolulu (Hardcover)

Although I assisted in a small way in the research of this book, I can honestly say it is well worth obtaining. The book is about the streetcars that used to ply the streets of Honolulu from the turn of the century up to 1941. The company was HRT&L and later just HRT (Honolulu Rapid Transit). The streetcars were actually responsible for the expansion of the neighborhoods in Honolulu. The photos used are fabulous with many of them color tinted just for this book. There are several interviews of former HRT employees, and residents that remember riding the streetcars. The author and publisher did months of research, and hundreds of interviews to get the facts straight! This is a great book for anyone that loves to take a step back in time to a slower pace of life. It is especially enjoyable because it takes place in Hawaii which is my favorite place on the planet. There is also a chapter in the book on HRT trolley buses which replaced the streetcars. I highly recommend this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The title is Streetcar DAYS, April 13, 2008

By 

Tana L. Rebhan-kang (Aiea, Hawaii United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Streetcar Days in Honolulu (Hardcover)

According to Simpson:

"While the book is full of technical and historic details about streetcars, Simpson said that is not its primary focus.

"The title is 'Streetcar Days' and the 'Days' is important because it's really about people and the community, rather than the minutiae about rivets and car numbers. We were really more interested in the stories," he said. --- From an interview reported in a local paper (http://starbulletin.com/2000/12/22/features/story1.html)

I find the book to be an informative, enjoyable, and sometimes humorous read, with many memorable images.

Tana-Lee