The Hawaiian Archipelago; Six Months Among The Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, and Volcanoes of the Sandwich Islands. By Isabella L. Bird. Published John Murray, 1890.
The works of Isabella Bird (1831–1904) remain among the most vivid and engaging travel narratives of the nineteenth century. The Hawaiian Archipelago is one of her most celebrated works, recounting her remarkable six-month journey through the islands in the 1870s, then widely known as the Sandwich Islands. Blending personal adventure with keen observation, Bird offers a richly detailed account of Hawaiian landscapes, society, and culture at a moment of profound transition. A pioneering British explorer and the first woman elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, she travelled extensively through regions including North America, Japan, Persia, and Korea, recording her experiences with clarity, independence of spirit, and a sharp eye for local life and landscape. Her writings combine immediacy with insight, offering both historical value and enduring literary appeal.
The Hawaiian Archipelago; Six Months Among The Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, and Volcanoes of the Sandwich Islands. By Isabella L. Bird.
Published by John Murray, London, 1890. Seventh Edition. With Illustrations.
A very good green cloth hardback with blind stamped borders to cover with gilt 'palm tree and hut' decal to centre. Gilt titles to spine. The covers are clean with light scuffing and the gilt is bright and shiny. With black endpapers inside, with the paper beginning to crack at gutter, but inner hinges intact.
Text is bright and clean throughout, with a few light spots to endpapers. Edges of text block with spotting to edges. Neat owner's inscription to first free endpaper, verso. Frontispiece with a marginal 1cm closed tear to top edge. A smart copy.
Text in English.
xv (including illustrated frontispiece) + (1) list of Illustrations + Fold-out map + 318pp + (2) advertisements + 32pp Publisher's advertisements. All illustrations present as called for.
Dimensions: approx 195mm high x 139mm wide x 27mm deep.
Weight: approx 514g (unpacked).