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Recommended an open-air life from an early age as a cure for physical and nervous difficulties, the indefatigable Isabella Bird (1831-1904) toured the United States and Canada, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, the Far East, India, Turkey, Persia and Kurdistan. Her accounts of her travels, written in the form of letters to her sister, were bestsellers. In 1875 she published her account of six months in the Hawaiian archipelago. During this time she explored the islands on horseback, visiting volcanos, climbing mountains, and living with the natives. The book includes considerable detail about the lifestyles, customs, and habits of the people she encountered, and of the geography and geology of the islands. Her enthusiasm for Hawaii and its people is evident from her vivid descriptions, but she disliked the restrictive atmosphere of the foreign settlements. The book includes outlines of the history and economy of the islands.… (more)
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Bird, an
This is an intricately written account of a peaceful Hawaii just a few decades before the overthrow of the monarchy and its eventual annexation. It is rich in historical detail – heck, every detail - and is as lush as the islands themselves.
It ends on a thoroughly bittersweet note:
“Those readers who have become interested in the Sandwich Islands through the foregoing Letters, will join me in the earnest wish that this people, which has advanced from heathenism and barbarism to Christianity and civilization in the short space of a single generation, may enjoy peace and prosperity under King Kalakaua, that the extinction which threatens the nation may be averted, and that under a gracious Divine Providence, Hawaii may still remain the inheritance of the Hawaiians.” - Isabella Bird, Six Months in the Sandwich Islands
A gem of a book and recommended for anyone with an interest in Hawaiian history or independent 19th century women.
I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading of unusual adventures, as well as those who love the Hawaiian islands.
For my research purposes, her descriptions of Hilo and Kilauea are fabulous. She obviously loves plant life, and goes into detail about the plants around her, mentioning the Latin names if she can.
Bird's book is in public domain and available from various small publishers. I wish my copy had been typeset a bit differently, but it didn't strain my eyes and the binding is fine. I wouldn't mind reading more of Bird's books--she was quite a bestseller in the late 19th century--as she has really gained my respect.
Because there were few roads, travel was by horse using Mexican style saddles which Bird had to adapt to from her English style riding experience. Adapt she did as she road the east coast of the Big Island through rain swollen streams almost drowning her horse and herself. She rode to the top of Mauna Kea. On another trip she rode to the Halemaumau Crater where she & her companion stood so close to the edge they suddenly realized that it was hollow under their feet and if the ledge collapsed, they would fall into the caldera. They also had to dance around to keep their boots from burning on the hot rocks. She rode and slept in sub-zero temperatures.
Her Scottish conservative religious background made her frown on the dress, morals and laziness of Hawaiians but the longer she stayed, the more she realize that Hawaiians were a happy people who really did not have to work as food was plentiful and mainly free to be picked.
I have been to Hawai'i several times and found this volume fascinating as she describe what Hawai'i looked like in the late 19th Century compared to what it is like in the 21st Century. A plus is her prose is extremely readable making the pages turn quickly.