No comments about The Pacific States: Smithsonian Guides (Smithsonian Guides to Historic America).

No comments about Adventures in Cheap Eating: Hawaii.

2 comments about Moon Handbooks: Oahu 4 Ed: Honolulu, Waikiki, and Beyond.

1. This book contains a lot of information about the island and its many beaches.
   
   I bought this book from AAA before my first visit to Hawaii. What really surprised me about this book was how the first few chapters were about the Land, Flora&Fauna, History, Government & Economy, and People of the island. From these pages I learned more about the island and its people than your average Hawaiian sun-worshipping tourist.
   
   The book also offers lots of ideas and information for Sports & Entertainment, Shopping, Food and Drinks. Each different area of the island is detailed with a map and minute details about the beaches.
   
   The book lacks the colorful touristy postcard pictures but makes up for it through the sheer amount of information (and good organization) for everyone, be they young or old, jocks or bums, artists or history-buffs, food-connoisseurs or Hawaiian-drink enthusiasts.
   
   Overall a great buy, and will use it on all future trips to O'ahu.
   
   NOTE: This book covers O'ahu island exclusively (and not any of the other 6 Hawaiian islands). There is information on how to reach the other islands though, but nothing beyond that.



2. This is a high quality guidebook from respected company Moon Handbooks. I love the smaller format, medium-small type, and thin pages, so when you tote this along, it is very lightweight. It's also very durable for a paperback--it's meant to be carried around in your backpack during your journeys.
   
   This covers just the island of Oahu, which is home to Waikiki and Honolulu. It's broken up into chapters on the land, the ecology, the history, arts & music, sporting & recreation, and so on. All of this makes great plane ride reading. The bulk of the book is a geographically-divided tour around the island, listing beaches, attractions, accomodations, food & drink, etc. I used this to get around Waikiki and found all the info to be up to date and very useful.

2 comments about Hawaii: True Stories of the Island Spirit (Travelers' Tales).

1. This is more of a suggestion for reading rather than a review: read the book from beginning to end because the editors have done a splendid job of organizing the essays to present a coherent and colorful view of Hawaii. I don't know of a better contemporary look into what has attracted tourists to the islands since the first Polynesians arrived. While not exactly a travel guide, it is a map for how one might travel. As a cultural anthropologist, I enjoyed hearing the many voices telling the stories of this Pacific crossroads. The book belongs to the best tradition of the Hawaiian impulse to talk story.



2. Like the title says, this is my favorite Hawai'i collection of stories. It manages to give many perspectives on the beauty and mystery of this chain of islands. If you're traveling to the islands, this is a great way to start to imagine the place you're going.

1 comments about Hawai'I Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites.

1. I wanted to find the best spots around Hawaii for a surf trip I was planning for my son and I. I thought this book would give a good explanation of the surf spots. I was disappointed. It only is a list with descrption/ location of all the parks in Hawaii.

No comments about Kokoro: Cherished Japanese Traditions in Hawaii.

No comments about Nightmare In Bangkok.

No comments about Oahu as Seen from the Skies.

No comments about Honolulu & Oahu: Great Destinations Hawaii: A Complete Guide (Great Destinations).

1 comments about The Hawaiian Archipelago: Six Months Among the Palm Groves, Coral Reefs and Volcanoes of the Sandwich Islands (Picador Travel Classics, 15).

1. This is a great eyewitness account of Hawaii in 1863, by one of the era's most intrepid travelers, after it had been impacted by its collision with the American and European powers but while it was still a robust independent Kingdom and before its forced assimilation into the USA. It really gives you a taste of the old Hawaii, if not the original Hawaii.