Yesterday in Hawai'i: A Voyage Through Time

by Scott C.S. Stone

Yesterday in A Voyage Through Time is a descriptive account of Hawaii's long and colorful history shown through historical illustrations, photographs and modern-day photographs of Hawaii. Hawaii's history is a turbulent as it is colorful—developing from a group of chiefdoms into a kingdom, a provisional government, a republic, a territory and finally into a state of the United States. Its fragile ecosystem is filled with volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunami, but yet it is somehow enduring. Yesterday in Hawaii welcomes you to take "a voyage through time" through the snapshots of the people and events that help illuminate Hawaii's yesterdays.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

121 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Born in rural East Tennessee of Norwegian, Highland Scots, and Cherokee-Shawnee ancestry, Stone attended Tennessee public schools and graduated in 1957 from East Tennessee State University with a bachelor's degree in English. Knighted in 1994, in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Papal Order in direct descent from Crusader knights, he also bears the hereditary titles of Lord of Cullen and Lord of Drumtariff, both ancient Gaelic feudal fiefdoms of Baronial rank.

Stone has maintained a residence in Hawai'i since 1958. He lives in Volcano with his wife, Walelu Stone.

Stone is the author of 27 books. His first, The Coasts of War (1966, Pyramid) was the first Vietnam war novel. In 1969, The Dragon's Eye (Fawcett and five foreign publishers), a novel of Indochina, won the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award as the best original softcover suspense novel published in America. In addition to novels, many of his books are non-fiction, covering a wide range of topics, including Hawai'i's military history, a history of Honolulu, biographies of prominent islanders, and due for publication in 2002, a book with the biographies of 50 outstanding Japanese-American women of the 20th century in Hawai'i.

The island of Hawai'i, where Stone has lived for many years, is the subject of several of his books, including The Tsunami of 1946 and 1960 and the Devastation of Hilo Town (2000, Island Heritage), written with Dr. Walt Dudley, UH Hilo professor of marine geology and oceanography. Stone has also written on Hawai'i's volcanoes and other travel topics, as well as an economic overview entitled The Island of Hawai'i/from Sail to Space (1997, Donning Company Publishers).

Reviews

[Stacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, the choppiness of it threw me a little, but once I got used to it, it was fine. I saw this book often displayed in gift shops & other areas with tourists (I picked up my copy in the Honolulu airport as we traveled between islands), & I decided it does a good job serving its audience: giving a tourist a big-picture, chronological overview of some major highlights of Hawaiian history, along with many nice photos & illustrations. Each chapter is just a few pages (including plenty of photos/art/white space), making it perfect reading for a tourist who might snatch a few moments to read here & there but who doesn't want to concentrate on a lengthy tome or long storyline. (Maybe it helps to think of each chapter as a separate magazine article since they stand-alone more than they flow together.) Some of the topics mentioned might prompt the reader to seek additional, more in-depth info from other sources. Worth reading if you're traveling in Hawaii & are interested in a quick overview of Hawaiian history.

[Sherri Dub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully done book.
I love the photos, lithos and engravings from all the various sea voyages through time, which expressed the earlier years of Hawaiian life.
This book is a must have for anyone who appreciates the pure beauty & non-bias view of the way Hawaii became a state. It isn't a book with a political agenda, but a book that gives you an inside glimpse at the way Hawaii was visited, expanded and formed into the beautiful Island it is today.
I live on the Big Island, and I absolutely endorse this book.

[Annie van Hilst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well organized and includes a comprehensive history of the Hawaiian Islands. The photographs and illustrations in this book are remarkable. Loved it!

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic illustrated history of the islands from tribal chief days to current era. The historic photographs are the reason to "read" this book; it seems the scanty text was written around the photos. But I learned the ukulele came from Portuguese in the Pacific Azores and Hawaiian cowboys used to "swim" cattle roped to longboats
through shark infested water. Hawaii is a remarkable poly-cultural place. One can't help but wonder how it would have developed without the interference of missionaries (no naked hula!) and greedy haole businessmen and politicians. This book doesn't "go" there, so just enjoy the photos and dig into the history elsewhere.

[Mamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a nice overview of Hawaiian history with beautiful illustrations. It starts mainly with Western contact and goes from there. Personally, I would've liked more information about the time before that and traditions from that time. Also, there were other places where I would've liked a little more of an explanation. For a brief overview as a travel souvenir, though, it was a wonderful book--especially with it's emphasis on peace, diversity, and pride in Hawaiian culture. It definitely sparked my interest to look into other resources about Hawaiian history and culture.

[Christine McCloud · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good first taste of Hawaiian history, full of illustrations & photos. I think it could have used a glossary (I had to Google “kapu”, which was used throughout the book) and a map so I could know where in Hawaii some of these places were.
The parts about the 1800s and Hawaiian royalty made me want to know more, but I felt that the final 2-3 chapters kind of read like a tourism brochure.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright, I guess, just kind of boring. But for a historical perspective, it met its objective. I think it would have been better if it had included some color shots and a bit more about recent events in the 50th state.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, well illustrated, short history of Hawaii. I read it on the plane coming home and enjoyed it.

[Jacob Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want a slightly whitewashed, incredibly brief, and competently written history of Hawaii, this is the book for you.

[Pam Ela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick history of Hawaii

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wished there had been more about all the islands not just Oahu.

[Jennifer]

The lay out of the book seem strange and some events are rather glossed over or gentrified, but it does give a broad over view of many different subjects that the reader may want to delve deeper into reading about. The main reason I picked-up the book was all the wonderful illustrations & photos, they don't disappoint.