Page:Legends of gods and ghosts (Hawaiian mythology).djvu/308

 PRESS NOTICES LEGENDS OF OLD HONOLULU. By William Drake Westervelt. (Published July, 1915.) Press of Geo. H. Ellis Co., Boston. i2rao. $1.50. Lovers of legendary lore may feast upon this collection of traditional tales of the Hawaiian people and their origin as first told by the old Hawaiians and sometimes touched up and added to by the Hawaiian story-teller. The author was president of the Hawaiian Historical Society for some time, and is a resident of Honolulu. The tales found in this handsomely illustrated volume have already for the most part seen print in papers, magazines, and society reports, and they are well worthy of preservation in this permanent form. The legends tell of many things in heaven and on earth, of the creation of man, the gods who found water, the great dog Ku, the Cannibal Dog-man, the water of life of Kane. Transcript, Boston, Mass., Aug. n, 1915. "Legends of Old Honolulu," collected and translated by W. D. Westervelt, author of several other fine literary works, is an interesting and fascinating volume in which we are told with beauty of language and colorful description the weird and mysterious folk-lore of these distant people who live in a charmed atmosphere and whose life is one long summer day. These legends have been gathered from Hawaiian traditions by W. D. Westervelt, who resides in Honolulu, and who is particularly equipped for giving them to the reading public. They are illustrated with many sepia pictures taken from original photographs, and these add greatly to the charm of the book. . . . The author has not lost the simplicity of style in translation, and this makes these tales all the more delightful. "The Great Dog Ku" is captivating in its unusual depic- tion. "The Wonderful Shell" is a veritable prose poem, and there is magic and wonderful imagery about "Pikoi the Rat-Killer" which will enthrall the youngsters and entertain their elders. All these legends have their own particular appeal, and this book may be classed among the rare offerings of the year. Courier, Bujfalo, N.Y., Aug. 29, 1915.