Not since William A. Bryan's 1915 landmark compendium, Hawaiian Natural History, has there been a single-volume
work that offers such extensive coverage of this complex but fascinating subject. Illustrated with more than two
dozen color plates and a hundred photographs and line drawings, Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution
updates both the earlier publication and subsequent works by compiling and synthesizing in a uniform and accessible
fashion the widely scattered information now available.
Readers can trace the natural history of the Hawaiian Archipelago through the book's twenty-eight chapters or focus
on specific topics such as island formation by plate tectonics, plant and animal evolution, flightless birds and
their fossil sites, Polynesian migrational history and ecology, the effects of humans and exotic animals on the
environment, current conservation efforts, and the contributions of the many naturalists who visited the islands
over the centuries and the stories behind their discoveries. An extensive annotated bibliography and a list of
audio-visual materials will help readers locate additional sources of information. Those interested in Hawaiian
natural history will find this a thoroughly enjoyable overview and a valuable reference. Instructors and students
will benefit from its up-to-date summary and synthesis of the subject.