Waikiki has always been a special place to the people of Hawai'i, but in recent years its mana, or spirit, has been lost--or more correctly--forgotten. The restoration of mana, requires looking back to the history of the community. To this end, George Kanahele, one of Hawai'i's most distinguished historians, has written the first comprehensive history of Waikiki.

Dr. Kanahele describes the prehistoric origins of Waikiki and its cultural, economic, and political evolution. Once an important center of Hawaiian civilization, Waikiki collapsed in the wake of Westernization long before...