Bishop Museum Press
Established in 1892, Bishop Museum Press remains a leader in the publishing of trade and scholarly works on topics related to Hawaii and the Pacific. We specialize in developing and producing works, for young and old alike, which celebrate our collective understanding and appreciation of Hawaii’s rich cultural and natural history.
1525 Bernice Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
Ph: (808) 848-4135 Fax: (808) 847-8260
E-Mail: press@bishopmuseum.org
Web: www.bishopmuseum.org/press
Events
Book Signings for Mai Pa‘a I Ka Leo
Book Signings for Legend of the Gourd
New Releases
Mai Pa‘a I Ka Leo
Historical Voice in Hawaiian Primary Materials, Looking Forward and Listening Back
Legend of the Gourd
Award-Winning Titles
Naupaka
The American Folklore Society Aesop Prize for Children's Folklore
Pulelehua and Mamaki
Ka Palapala Po'okela Award - Excellence in Children's Literature
Amy Greenwell Garden Ethnobotanical Guide to Native Hawaiian Plants & Polynesian-Introduced Plants
Ka Palapala Po'okela Award - Excellence in Natural Science
The Hawaiian Grass House in Bishop Museum
August 20th, 2010
One of the last surviving authentic traditional Hawaiian dwellings was reconstructed at the turn of the century (1902) and is preserved at Bishop Museum. The posts and rafters are from an abandoned house built before 1800 in Miloli‘i Valley, Kaua‘i. Other materians used in the house are from various places on the islands of Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i.Catherine Summers has documented the history of this house, thatched with pili grass. Included are sketches of lashing and thatching techniques, along with revelaing photographs taken du [...]
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Heart of a Hero: Charles Reed Bishop
August 20th, 2010
Charles Reed Bishop, fondly remembered as the husband of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, was also one of Hawai‘i's great philanthropists in the 19th century. From his early years in New York, to his time in the islands, and his final years in San Francisco, Bishop lived a life of faith, hard work, caring, and service to others. His noble deeds and worthy achievements touched the lives of numerous people in his time, and that legacy continues on today in varoius organizations and establishments. In Heart of a Hero, author Peter Galuteria [...]Read the rest of this entry »
Hokuloa: The British 1874 Transit of Venus Expedition to Hawai‘i
August 20th, 2010
Spanning several centuries and connecting two distant (and very different) island nations, Hokuloa: The British 1874 Transit of Venus Expedition to Hawai‘i provokes political and military maneuvering, confronts death and disappointment, descends into madness, and rises to heroism—all in pursuit of what was considered the most important astronomical observation of the 19th century—a transit of Venus that would yield calculation of the elusive astronomical unit (AU). Exactly how far was the Sun from Earth? And could an eclipse-like "transit [...]Read the rest of this entry »
Material Culture: The J. S. Emerson Collection of Hawaiian Artifacts
August 18th, 2010
The J.S. Emerson collection of Hawaiian artifacts is among Bishop Museums's largest Hawaiian ethnological collections and includes some of the finest examples of pre- and post-contact objects. Much of its value lies in Emerson's faithful recording of circumstances in which he recollected the objects and as much as he could learn of their history, construction, and use.This volume gives educators and students of Hawaiian history and culture, anthropologists, ethnologists, archaeologists, and curators a broad view into the everyday act [...]
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Huakai Makaikai a Kaupo, Maui (A Visit ot Kaupo, Maui)
August 18th, 2010
Huakai Makaikai a Kaupo, Maui is a narrative of a journey to a time and place little known in our histories. It is the record of a 1922 trek through rural maui by Bishop Museum anthropologist Kenneth P. Emory and his native Hawaiian guide, Thomas K. Manunupau. Written in the Hawaiian language by Manunupau, it is a document rich in details of Hawaiian culture and history, while also serving as a record of the youthful friendship and cooperation of Manunupau and Emory to preserve that precious cultural knowledge fo [...]Read the rest of this entry »
Huahine: Island of the Lost Canoe
August 18th, 2010
A tidal wave sweeps the South Pacific island of Huahine and destroys a coastal village of Polynesian canoe builders. The craftsmen and a canoe nearing completion are swept inland and then back to sea by the receding wave. But a strange twist of fate preserves the canoe under tons of swampy soil for a thousand years or more.Huahine: Island of the Lost Canoe details the first methodical field survey of Huahine conducted by Dr. Yoshiko H. Sinoto, renowned Bishop Museum anthropologist. Sinoto's archaeological digs and his study and res [...]
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Hawai‘i's Pioneer Botanist Dr. William Hillebrand
August 18th, 2010
Many foreigners came to the Hawaiian Islands, but only a few left a legacy as far-reaching as German physician and botanist Dr. William Hillebrand. Who was this man who worked tirelessly to beautify Honolulu and to improve the islands' agriculture? The author guides us through Hillebrand's twenty-one years in Hawai‘i, from his arrival in 1850 to his departure in 1871, and his continuing influence from abroad. Hillebrand was an accomplished medical doctor, having been chief physician at Queen's Hospital and personal physician to Kamehameha V. [...]Read the rest of this entry »
Discovery: The Hawaiian Odyssey
August 16th, 2010
Winner of numerous awars for design, photography, and writing, Discovery chronicles the dramatic saga of Polynesian exploration, celebrating the genius of anicent navigators and the triumph of Hawaiian civilization.As the world traveled closer to the distant archipelago, and many travelers landed on Hawai‘i's hospitable shores, Discovery documents that fateful convergence, and vividly portrays the pressures and possibilities driving Hawai‘i into the 21st century.
One hundred fourteen photographs by Hawai‘i's most ac [...]
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The Indestructable Square-Rigger Falls of Clyde
August 16th, 2010
The Falls of Clyde is an integral part of Hawai‘i maritime history. The 125-year-old vessel is the only surviving full-rigged, four masted ship in the world; the only surviving sail-driven oil tanker; and the only surviving original member of the Matson fleet. Told through the eyes of the sailors and passengers, with many photographs, The Indestructable Square-Rigger Falls of Clyde: 324 Voyages Under Sail takes us along on the ship's voyages as she circles the globe and calls at every continent in the world.Bob Krauss spearheaded [...]
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Bishop Museum and the Changing World of Hawai‘i
August 16th, 2010
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum was founded in Honolulu in 1889. Today, as the museum moves into its second century, this unique institution continues its commitment to gather and share knowledge of Hawai‘i and Pacific with all the world.Hawai‘i is the most isolated land on earth, yet neither its wildlife nor its culture evolved in a vacuum. They derived from life elsewhere, and have always been affected by developments on other shores. The museum's world-renowned research collections in zoology, entomology, botany, and anthropology [...]
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Pacific Island Names: a Map and Name Guide to the New Pacific
August 16th, 2010
First published in 1986 by Bishop Museum Press, Pacific Island Names has become an essential reference and the official source for standard rendering of the names of the myriad islands of the oceanic Pacific. This fully revised second edition features new island maps throughout, now in color. The familiar format, with a "Political Guide" listing the islands by group followed by a comprehensive index, remains unchanged. Name changes since the first edition are called out for each group in the "Special Notes" section. The index is p [...]Read the rest of this entry »
La‘au Hawai‘i: Traditional Uses of Hawaiian Plants
August 16th, 2010
The renaissance of Hawaiian culture has revived many traditional arts, including hula, music, lei, and herbal medicine. In one way or another, all of these arts are intimately related to plant life, and their resurgence has called attention to the vital link between the flora and culture of Hawaii.Intended for a general audience, this award-winning book provides the first comprehensive description of Hawaiian plant use. It shows how Hawaiians cultivated and used plants for food, clothing, shelter, transport and tools, as well as reli [...]
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Sites of Oahu
August 16th, 2010
Sites of Oahu is widely considered the definitive study of archaeological and historical sites of Oahu. In addition to the locating of archaeological sites, the material consists of history, tradition, legends, place names, and land descriptions because of the great importance of these things to the Hawaiian way of life and because of the close relationship to the sites in general.The information includes materials reprinted from the 1920's and 1930's, myths and legends associated with natural landmarks and traditional sites, extract [...]
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Hawaiian Cordage
August 13th, 2010
Before the arrival of Captain Cook in1778, the Hawaiians fastened things with cordage, for they had no nails, bolts, or screws. They used cordage to bind the parts of their houses and canoes, their two-piece fishhooks and hafted adzes, to mend cracks in wood and gourd articles. They also used it to make various nets and fishlines.This thorough examination of Hawaiian cordage adds considerably to our knowledge of traditional Hawaiian material and is an indespensable resource for both scholars and the artisan of today who wish to fa [...]
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Tales and Traditons of the People of Old (Na Mo‘olelo a Ka Po‘e Kahiko)
August 13th, 2010
Tales and Traditions of the People of Old completes a trilogy based on a series of articles Kamakau wrote in 1868 and 1870 for the Hawaiian Language newspaper Ke Au ‘Oko‘a. In this final volume, Kamakau takes the reader on a tour of the islands, stopping along the way to tell tales associated with various sites. The stories, some fuill of mischief, bring to life the ancestral chiefs and gods of Hawai‘i. Kamakau describes the origins of Hawai‘i and its people, taking pains to trace the genealogies of the chiefs.Translate [...]
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