This book is about fantasy. It s a depiction of Hawaii that was developed over a period of about 40 years by people who were promoting the islands. During this time---from about 1910 up through the 1950s---an imaginary version of Hawaii was fabricated by the businesses that really needed to make the rest of the country and the world aware of the islands: the steamship companies and airlines, the tour guide and car rental firms, and even the pineapple growers and aloha wear manufacturers. They (and the Territory of Hawaii itself) all came to increasingly depend on tourism for their economic well being, and everyone knew that creating a good reputation and keeping it strong were essential for success. They were selling romance, not just repeating facts, in the torrent of printed matter on the subject; from hand-tinted postcards to small brochures to large colorful booklets, all extolling Hawaii and its products. The hope is that the words and illustrations collected here will manage to transport you to a tropical island heaven where hula girls strum their ukuleles under the moonlit palms, and
