Honolulu is fast becoming a favorite tourist land, and particularly since the tremendous popularity of a recent Hawaiian volcano play, a good many people have taken to humming pensively the native farewell song and discoursing wistfully of the Eden-like qualities of the islands. In view of this increasing interest, W. D. Westervelt's book of the legends of Honolulu is especially timely, although such a work always has value. During his residence in Honolulu this writer has collected and translated from the Hawaiian all the available legends of the region, retelling them with singular success.
To mention but an instance, every one of them has a tale relating the creation of man. This haunting similarity is one of the fascinations of legend study. Mr. Westervelt has made a noteworthy contribution to that branch of literature.—Bellman, Minneapolis, Minn., Sept. 25, 1915.
These legends will prove of unusual interest to the general reader and especially to the scholar, thinker, and poet. They describe vividly and strongly the triumphs and the wanderings of the people of Hawaii. The legends of old Honolulu proper have been compiled from stories told by old Hawaiians still living; others, furnished by the pioneer American missionaries, who began their work on the islands early in the last century. The writer has lived among this remnant of a great race for many years, and through his sympathy and deep appreciation of native hopes and native aspirations has been able to familiarize himself with their inner life.
Price, buckram, 12mo., $1.50; also in kapa. Press of Geo. H. Ellis Co., Boston, Mass.—Overland Monthly, San Francisco, Cal., Oct. 1, 1915.
"Legends of Old Honolulu" is an interesting summary of what is known about the Hawaiian Islands, their people, and the origin of their race.
As soon as the Hawaiian alphabet was prepared, in 1821, native writers began delving into their past, finding there a treasure-mine of romantic stories and of valuable ethnological and historical facts in regard to the Polynesian race. These stories were written originally in Hawaiian, for native news-papers, and have been collected and translated by Mr. W. D. Westervelt, author of previous volumes on this same subject.
While the book will be of special interest to students of ethnology and to those who have visited Honolulu, the romantic charm which pervades this Pacific archipelago gives its history a universal attraction for the reading public.