The Hawaiian Shirt: Its Art and History (Recollectibles)

Rating:
Summary: Great pictures, bad historically
Review: Apparently the author was a collector on the US mainland since he apparently did not do much historical research in Hawaii. The dates are usually off about ten years. Also from his book you'd think all Hawaii produced were rayon shirts when cottons, in Asian prints, have been most common!

Rating:
Summary: It's "ukulele" NOT "ukelele"
Review: I agree with the other reviews so I won't duplicate that. The author really should've gotten his facts -- and spelling -- right before publishing. He had a great opportunity to put out a good and wanted product, but he blew it. I was thinking maybe it's better than nothing, but no, I'd rather have nothing. Thank goodness there are more things available now.

Rating:
Summary: It's "ukulele" NOT "ukelele"
Review: I've been told Steele's take on history is somewhat spotty; I'm not an expert so I can't confirm or deny that. To be honest, I've never even read the text. But the photos are numerous and great; there are over 125 full shirts in full color, many of them full-page as well. That makes the book perfect as an painting resource, which is what I use it for. If you're a fabric designer, costumer or artist, or just dreaming of the islands in their jet-set days of Lana Turner and Elvis Presley, this book is a good resource.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty pictures; not terribly informative
Review: I've been told Steele's take on history is somewhat spotty; I'm not an expert so I can't confirm or deny that. To be honest, I've never even read the text. But the photos are numerous and great; there are over 125 full shirts in full color, many of them full-page as well. That makes the book perfect as an painting resource, which is what I use it for. If you're a fabric designer, costumer or artist, or just dreaming of the islands in their jet-set days of Lana Turner and Elvis Presley, this book is a good resource.

Rating:
Summary: Historically, this is terribly inaccurate
Review: Unfortunately, many of the dates presented in this book are wrong, and this book has perpetuated several myths and inaccuracies with regard to the history and evolution of the Aloha shirt. I am a historian who does research on Hawaii, and am curator of the world's largest collection of Hawaiian apparel. It is sad to say that this book and others written by collectors have proven to be a real problem because whatever research Mr. Steele did, was not only incomplete but flawed. As the first book published on the topic of Hawaiian clothing, this book is often cited and the inaccuracies are accepted as correct when they are not.

Rating:
Summary: Historically, this is terribly inaccurate
Review: While the photos of the classic "silkies"
are fine, and most of the text is correct,
there are some historical inaccuracies.

Rating:
Summary: Good color pictures, some inaccuracies in the text.
Review: While the photos of the classic "silkies"
are fine, and most of the text is correct,
there are some historical inaccuracies.