Nov 21 at 12:00 PM - Sale 2687 -

Sale 2687 - Lot 149

Estimate: $ 1,500 - $ 2,500
(HAWAII.) Lilia K. Dominis. He Mele Lahui Hawaii. 3 pages including hand-colored lithographed front page, 12 x 9¼ inches, on one folding sheet; unbound, horizontal fold, minimal wear and foxing. Honolulu, HI: H.M. Whitney, 1872
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Additional Details

Second printing. This national anthem of Hawaii was written by the woman who later gained greater fame as Queen Lili'uokalani. It was first published in 1867. The illustration was drawn by Robert W. Andrews, son of a missionary, and lithographed by Robert Newcomb of Honolulu, with the main text and illustration in black. It was undated and did not name a publisher.

This second known separate printing was in 1872 from the original 1867 lithographer's stone. The present edition is distinguished mainly by the addition of "published by H.M. Whitney, 1872" underneath "Honolulu" on the title page, and by the addition of a background tint block which sets off the lettering in white.

We find no examples of the 1867 first edition in OCLC or at auction, but the Hawaii Historical Society's copy is described and illustrated in Forbes, Treasures of Hawaiian History, 79. This 1872 edition is similarly scarce; we find only one example in OCLC, in Australia at the State Library of New South Wales. Another example with hand coloring is held by Johns Hopkins University. We also find it mentioned in the 18 September 1872 issue of the Auckland Evening Star of New Zealand. Another uncolored copy sold at Swann, 27 June 2024, lot 143.

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