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Rare and early title from Honolulu...
Rare and early title from Honolulu...
Item # 719823
August 31, 1844
THE POLYNESIAN, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands, Aug. 31, 1844
* Very rare 19th century Hawaiian publication
One of the earliest newspapers we have offered from Hawaii, and fourteen years earlier than the few of this title we offered in recent years.
The "first series" of this title existed for just 1 1/2 years from 1840 to 1841. It proved unprofitable and was shut down. The editor reestablished the paper under the same title in May, 1844. Two months later it become the "Official Journal of the Hawaiian Government" and remained so until 1861. The Polynesian was the leading paper on Oahu in the mid-1800's. Issues of this era very rarely surface.
This is issue #15 under the "new series". Over half of the front page is taken up with: "Mexico - Report on its Finances Under the Spanish Government Since its Independence, and Prospects of their Improvement Under the Presidency of His Excellency Don Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna...".
Over half of page 2 has: "Order In Council of His Hawaiian Majesty, Prescribing a Code of Etiquette".
Four pages, 12 by 18 inches, nice condition.
AI notes: Original issues of The Polynesian are considered quite rare, as it was a mid-19th century newspaper with limited circulation in Honolulu during the Hawaiian Kingdom, and relatively few copies have survived the passage of time. Many of the surviving issues are fragile and preserved in institutional collections such as libraries, archives, and museums, often under controlled conditions to prevent deterioration. Their rarity is enhanced by the paper’s historical significance as the official publication of the Hawaiian government, documenting laws, official notices, and contemporary events, as well as local and international news. Because of this combination of age, scarcity, and historical value, original copies are highly collectible and sought after by historians, researchers, and rare-document collectors, though most access today is via digitized archives rather than physical copies.
Category: Pre-Civil War
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$480.00
