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KA HELE MALIHINI ANA MAI KEIA AO AKU A HIKI I KELA AO; HE OLELONANE I HOOHALIKEIA ME HE MOEUHANE LA by [Hawaii]: Bunyan, John:
Description
Honolulu: Mea paipalapala a na Misionari, 1842.. 418pp., plus seven woodcut plates. Frontis. 12mo. Mid-19th-century gilt- tooled calf, evidently an Hawaiian binding, spine gilt. Boards a bit rubbed, slight wear at extremities. Later pencil notes on endpapers and pastedowns. A few instances of light, scattered foxing. Very good. The rare first edition in Hawaiian of Bunyan's PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, and the first printing in Hawaiian of an English literary classic. The Hawaiian title translates as THE TRAVELER FROM THIS WORLD TO THAT WHICH IS TO COME. In 1840 the American Tract Society in Honolulu hoped to published an abridged edition of Bunyan if a translator could be found, and in 1841 Artemas Bishop took on the task, promising the Society that "it will prove one of the most popular works in the Hawaiian Language." Unfortunately for Artemas and the Society, the book flopped and the 10,000 copies that were printed were remaindered in unbound sheets, most of which were disposed of to Chinese vegetable peddlers for wrapping produce. For copies that survived this, the rate of attrition, as with all early Hawaiian works of this type, remained very high, and the book is quite scarce today. The work failed to impact the Hawaiians as the English allusions lost all meaning when translated. The names of the extensive cast of characters became incomprehensible - Mr. Lechery became Kekowale (literally, lust + only), and Mrs. Filth became Pelapela (decayed flesh). Some of the surviving unbound sheetsof this book were bound into limp suede in 1910. This copy, on the other hand, is in a contemporary Hawaiian binding of the mid-nineteenth century, which is most unusual and notably rare. See David Forbes, BUNIANA (San Francisco, 1984), for an extensive discussion of the book. FORBES 1351. JUDD, HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE IMPRINTS 237.
boards : Common term for the covers of a hardbound book.
spine : The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf. Also known as the back.
12mo : An abbreviation for duodecimo, a book size describing a book which is approximately 7 by 4.5 inches.
gilt : Decorative patterns imbedded into the affected portion of a book. Often appears on the boards or the spine, and may be very simple, to elegant, to ludicrous.
calf : Leather binding made from calfskin. Most common form of leather binding.
plates : Full page illustrations or photographs. Plates are printed separately from the text of the book, and bound in at production. I.e., they are not sewn as parts of gatherings.
Unbound : A book or pamphlet which does not have a covering binding, sometimes by original design, sometimes used to describe a book in which the cover has become removed. Also, the name of the Biblio.com monthly ezine for book lovers and collectors.
endpapers : The first and last two pages (verso and recto) from the front and back of a book.
A.N. : When used to describe the condition of a book refers to As New, "the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was published. There can be no defects, no missing pages, no library stamps, etc., and the dust jacket (if it was issued with one) must be perfect without any tears," as defined by AB Bookman's Weekly
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