Tregaskis, Moana (text) & Wayne Levin & Paul Chesley
(photogs.) Hawai'i. Compass American Guides, dist. by
Publishers Group West. (Discover America). 1992. c.362p. maps.
bibliog. index. LC 92-29037. ISBN 1-878867-24-5. $22.95; pap ISBN
1-878867 -23-7. $15.95
[TRAVEL]
Many travel books do a great disservice to their readers
by inundating them with bargain this, cheap that, save a dollar
here, etc., and forget to describe adequately the traveler's
destination. Fortunately, this isn't one of those. Tregaskis does
a good job of describing the islands and includes history,
geography, geology, and climate in a readable and enjoyable text.
The author presents a wide selection of other voices in this
guide, some historical and some contemporary; excerpts of Captain
Cook's journals, Mark Twain's description of Kilauea Volcano,
accounts of Hawaiian historian S.M. Kamakau, Isabella Bird's
commentary on early Kaua'i, and selections from Bamboo Ridge
(the Hawaiian writers' quarterly) are included, along with
others. Tregaskis's attention to the correct spelling of Hawaiian
words is commendable; however, Hawaiian kahakô (macrons) are not
represented here and should have been in the book were to be
considered an authoritative resource; identically, spelled words
have completely different, and in some cases, opposite meanings
with and without the macron. An excellent bibliography is
included. All in all, this is a fine guide and welcome addition
to travel collections. Aloha.
Kevin M. Roddy, University of Hawai'i at Hilo