Review by Peter Armstrong Dec. 6, 2001

Hawaii's Early Territorial Days by Keith Steiner.
Volcano Group Partners, 2001.

If you are looking for the perfect Christmas gift for anyone who loves Hawaii whether it be a kamaaina or a malahini, look no further. Keith Steiner has come up with a wonderful evocation of an era that has disappeared. Filled with nostalgia for the bygone days of turn of the century Hawaii, it is clear that Steiner loved the era in particular as well as all things Hawaiian.

This is no dry historical tome. There is not a single page (literally!) that is not filled with full color photos and art work. It tells its story in 142 pages that provide just enough text to tell the story without bogging down the reader in unnecessary detail.

Steiner takes a unique approach in presenting his book. A third generation Hawaiian, his grandfather came to the Islands in the 1880s and opened a curio store. Before the time when tourists arrived in Hawaii armed with personal cameras, everyone purchased postcards as mementos of their visit. A well known philatelist, Steiner has collected a large number of postcards of that era, the vast bulk of them products which his grandfather had produced and sold in his store. Thus, we see the real Hawaii through the record of these postcards.

And there they all are - postcards of hula dancers, lei makers, luaus, taro peddlers, hukilaus, Waikiki Beach (in an era where visitors walked along its shores in three piece suits but never went into the water!), big board surf riders, the Hawaiian hotel with its broad sweeping verandahs, the Pali lookout (when it was all but devoid of trees), pa u riders, the outer islands, and the flora and fauna of Hawaii.

In short, the book is a beauty which will be enjoyed by a wide audience from professional philatelists to anyone who loves Hawaii. No expense was spared in producing this book, yet it is surprisingly inexpensive. Available in all bookstores at about $25. – Peter Armstrong.

[The author has taught at Iolani School for the past 21 years.]