Hawaiiana

Printing on the Hawaiian islands was never easy. Though a printing press came with the first group of U.S. and Hawaiian Protestant missionaries in 1820, it was not put to use until 1822. Shortages of type (especially accented letters and 'k's and 'a's necessary for printing in the Hawaiian language), expensive paper, and lack of training in binding or copper engraving all increased the difficulty of the endeavor. Despite the challenges, the people of Hawai'i expressed such an intense desire for palapala (reading and writing) that according to the Protestant missionaries' estimates an astounding 30 million pages were printed in both English and Hawaiian in a little more than a decade.

While many of the works were religious, many others had more practical purposes.

• Hawaiian Engravings
• Hawaiian Books
• Hawaiian Newspapers and Periodicals
• People