Pocket Place Names of Hawai'i

"Pocket Place Names of Hawaii" is the abridged edition of Place Names of Hawaii which is a Hawaiian treasure. The pocket edition has only about 850 entries in its glossary and most of the entries have been condensed or abridged from the full edition of "Place Names of Hawaii." It is small enough to carry around in your pocket, whereas the full "Place Names of Hawaii" is much larger and has about 4,000 entries. I recommend the full edition over the pocket edition, mostly because it has almost five times more entries (that are usually more detailed), but also because the full edition has a 46 page appendix that makes interesting reading for Hawaiian language students and anyone who wants to delve a little deeper into Hawaiian place name study. Please read my review of Place Names of Hawaii. Get this abridged edition only if a reduced physical size for ease of transport is an overwhelming concern, but be aware you are getting only about 20% of the glossary content of the full edition. With 80% place name content NOT in the pocket edition, you might miss out on something. If you are just visiting Hawaii, the pocket edition might be just what you need; but if you live in Hawaii and want a book about Hawaiian place names, you should get the full edition.

Well, you know Kapahulu Street runs away from Waikiki beach, by the park and the zoo. And if you get your Hawaiian dictionary you'll find Kapa could mean a crotch, generally female. And hulu could mean lined with feathers, or hair. So does that mean you're walking down the street named after Female Pubic Hair?Actually, it's not Kapa-hulu, it turns out it's Ka (the) Pahulu (barren ground). Totally different. If you're visiting Hawai'i, and you want to have some idea of the history of where you are, this little pocket book makes for some interesting reading.