LIHUE — A quirky cookbook containing 100 years of family recipes. A gorgeous green- and gold-bound, first edition copy of “Hawaii’s Story” by Queen Liliuokalani. Pamphlets opposing Hawaii’s annexation. These treasures and more will be up for grabs Friday at
LIHUE — A quirky cookbook containing 100 years of family recipes. A gorgeous green- and gold-bound, first edition copy of “Hawaii’s Story” by Queen Liliuokalani. Pamphlets opposing Hawaii’s annexation.
These treasures and more will be up for grabs Friday at Kauai Historical Society’s vintage book sale. The event will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. at the historical society’s office on the first floor of the Historic County Building.
The books and pamphlets, totaling more than 100, were written between the early 1800s and the early 1900s by explorers, tourists and missionaries in Hawaii and the Pacific Basin. The books include journals, etchings of people and places, and maps.
Some books are spotted and damaged, but the delicate illustrations inside still endure.
“It’s so cool to see how these people viewed Hawaii and the Pacific, because in the 1800s it was just being explored,” said Donna Stewart of the historical society. “There are a lot of memoirs by people who were explorers on ships and also by missionaries who were sent here to live, so they wrote their memoirs about what life was like.”
The books are expertly priced by age, condition and rareness. Prices range from $10 to $350.
Most of the books are duplicates of volumes already contained in the historical society’s library. A number of them are from the library of book collector and former Coco Palms hotel manager Grace Buscher Guslander. Many were donated by community members who, while organizing, cleaning out or packing up their homes here on Kauai, found old, rare and first edition books and decided that the historical society should have them.
There are scholarly papers on marine life. A book signed by Kamehameha IV. A book of historic homes.
“Some of the books have some damage on the covers, but when you open them up there are still beautiful illustrations,” Stewart said. “There is a book that is so old and spotted but inside there is this very fine pen and ink drawing of Queen Emma. The illustrations inside are so beautifully done and preserved.”
A list of the available books can be found online at kauaihistoricalsociety.com. Potential buyers may preview them in person at the historical society from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.
Apart from books, other items for sale Friday include china tea cups and saucers and the historical society’s new 2016 “Plantation Days” calendar. Calendars cost $15 each, or $12 for members.
Payment can be made by cash, personal check or major credit card.
