More November Book Events

In addition to book signings to celebrate the publication of Victoria Kneubuhl’s new mystery, Murder Leaves Its Mark, please note these other November events open to the public:

Historic Haleiwa Gym, November 4, 7-9 pm – The North Shore Chamber of Commerce’s Historic Preservation Committee presents “Hawaiian Surfing, Traditions from the Past,” an illustrated talk by author John Clark. $12 charge at the door;

The Hawai`inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge will celebrate the publication of the first volume of the Hawai‘inuiākea Monograph series, I Ulu I Ke Kumu, edited by Puakea Nogelmeier, on Saturday, November 19, 2-4 pm, at Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai‘i.

Perspectives on the Japanese Visual Arts, 1868-2000

Research outside Japan on the history and significance of the Japanese visual arts since the beginning of the Meiji period (1868) has been, with the exception of writings on modern and contemporary woodblock prints, a relatively unexplored area of inquiry. In recent years, however, the subject has begun to attract wide interest. As is evident from this volume, this period of roughly a century and a half produced an outpouring of art created in a bewildering number of genres and spanning a wide range of aims and accomplishments. Since Meiji: Perspectives on the Japanese Visual Arts, 1868-2000, edited by J. Thomas Rimer, is the first sustained effort in English to discuss in any depth a time when Japan, eager to join in the larger cultural developments in Europe and the U.S., went through a visual revolution. Indeed, this study of the visual arts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries suggests a fresh history of modern Japanese culture—one that until now has not been widely visible or thoroughly analyzed outside that country.

October 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3582-8 / $28.00 (PAPER)

Murder Leaves Its Mark Book Launch Events

The public is invited to Victoria Kneubuhl’s book-signings and appearances to mark the publication of her latest Mina Beckwithand Ned Manusia mystery, Murder Leaves Its Mark:

Sunday, October 23, 3-5 pm
Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai‘i, Ward Warehouse (phone: 596-8885)
This event will include a reading by the author and friends. Robyn Kneubuhl, of Maui’s beloved duo, The Hula Honeys, will perform music to transport the audience to 1930s Hawai‘i. Light refreshments and book-signing to follow.

Saturday, November 5, 2-4 pm
Daughters of Hawai‘i Book Day, Queen Emma Summer Palace, 2913 Pali Highway (phone: 595-6291)
Book Day event hours are 10 am-4 pm.

Saturday, November 12, 2-3 pm
Barnes & Noble-Kahala Mall (phone: 737-3323)

Monday, November 28, 6:30-7:30 pm
“Thinking Out Loud” radio show interview. Live broadcast from the KZOO-1240 AM Radio Studio in Shirokiya, Ala Moana Center (phone: 941-5966)
Please note: Currently, books are not expected to be available at this event.

New Catalog: Hawaii and the Pacific 2012

The UH Press Hawai‘i and the Pacific 2012 catalog is now available. To view the 4.6M PDF (the catalog is available online only), click on the cover image to the left.

Highlights include:

* An illustrated history of the ‘ukulele (The ‘Ukulele: A History)

* A handy guide to “power foods”: fruits, vegetables, and nuts that could save your life (Eat Smart, Stay Well)

* The story behind the conservation of the Big Island’s King Kamehameha statue and its meaning for the residents of Kapa‘au (The Painted King: Art, Activism, and Authenticity in Hawai‘i)

* Two histories of Kaluapapa/Makanalua: (Kalaupapa: A Collective Memory) and (Ma‘i Lepera: A History of Leprosy in Nineteenth-Century Hawai‘i)

* An illustrated compilation of traditional Hawaiian design (Links to the Past: The Work of Early Hawaiian Artisans)

* Two works offering invaluable insights into Hawaiian culture: (No Na Mamo: Traditional Contemporary Hawaiian Beliefs and Practices) and (I Ulu I Ke Kumu: The Hawai‘inuiakea Monograph)

* The autobiography of legendary Hawai‘i jazzman Gabe Baltazar Jr. (If It Swings, It’s Music: The Autobiography of Hawai‘i’s Gabe Baltazar Jr.)

* A trek into the past with Hawai‘i hiking expert Stuart Ball (Native Paths to Volunteer Trails: Hiking and Trail Building on O‘ahu)

* The most comprehensive and thoroughly illustrated treatment of loulu, the Hawaiian palm (Loulu: The Hawaiian Palm)

* A look at the complex interaction between lived sexualities and socio-legal mores at the turn of the 20th century (Queer Compulsions: Race, Nation, and Sexuality in the Affairs of Yone Noguchi)

* A posthumous work detailing the spiritual journey of a young Japanese scholar who immersed himself in Australian Indigenous culture (Gurindji Journey: A Japanese Historian in the Outback)

Spirits of the Place Now Available in Paperback

Spirits of the Place: Buddhism and Lao Religious Culture, by John Clifford Holt, is now available in paperback.

“This work fills a very real need in Buddhist studies (introduction of Lao Buddhism in general), religious studies (investigation and theorization of the disciplinary problem of ‘syncretism’), and regional studies of Southeast Asia. . . . [The book] represents a genuine and thus far unique contribution to all of these fields, engages with issues of enough centrality and importance to be of great interest to experts, and is written and organized in a manner accessible enough to be used for many classes.” —Journal of Religion

October 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3657-3 / $27.00 (PAPER)

The Living World of Ainu Shinyoshu

Indigenous peoples throughout the globe are custodians of a unique, priceless, and increasingly imperiled legacy of oral lore. Among them the Ainu, a people native to northeastern Asia, stand out for the exceptional scope and richness of their oral performance traditions. Yet despite this cultural wealth, nothing has appeared in English on the subject in over thirty years. Sarah Strong’s Ainu Spirits Singing: The Living World of Chiri Yukie’s Ainu Shin’yoshu breaks this decades-long silence with a nuanced study and English translation of the Ainu Shin’yoshu, the first written transcription of Ainu oral narratives by an ethnic Ainu.

“Ainu Spirits Singing is a unique fusion of geography and literature that offers a contextual grounding and engaging translation of Ainu oral stories passed down from ancient times. The author devotes several chapters to a detailed description and evocation of the physical and spiritual geography and cultural landscape that form the horizon of the tales themselves. The book, particularly helpful for readers unfamiliar with Ainu lore, offers a rich and nuanced reading of the tales.” —J. Scott Miller, Brigham Young University

October 2011 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3512-5 / $58.00 (CLOTH)