I was scouring the background of images to see what was on the shelves of Donn’s home. This is just from 2 images, one in Encino and the other his Waikiki home. I was interested in carvings and Oceanic Art. It then dawned on me there were books and records. I know there are many who will be interested and some who can help ID the books. Here are the large images of a couple of photos for you to squint at.
Not much to see there.
I’m sure we all know Jerry Thomas’ book “How to Mix Drinks.” On the far right is “Let God Be True”. On the right side is “How to Own a Dog and ???” I’m guessing.
“Justice is a Woman” is easy to tell, but what author?
Records (turned vertical to read easier) … All 78s in these albums, but to the right of this is a huge stack of records out of their covers. Of note is his own set of “Don the Beachcomber Music”
“Ghost Dog” for sure.
“The Hawaiian Kingdom”
“The Shell Book” by Rogers, “To the South Seas” by Gifford Pinchot, “Strange Sea Shells and Their Stories” by Verrill, “Voyage to Windward” by Stevenson, “Two Came By Sea” by Stone, “The Far Lands” by Hall, “Vikings of the Sunrise” by Buck, “Danger Is My Business” by Craig, “Smugglers’ Paradise” by Were.
“Ancient Tahiti” by Teuira Henry, “To The South Seas” by Pinchot, “A Lion In The Summer“?, “Good Night, Sweet Prince” by Fowler, “Pacific Adventure”?, “The Confession of a Beachcomber” by Banfield, “The Poems and Plays of Tennyson“, “Flotsam” by Remarque, “Anything Can Happen” by Papashvily, “Lodging For a Night” by Duncan Hines, “Hawaii”, “God Has A Long Face” by Wilder
“Secret History of the American Revolution” by Van Doren, “A Treasury of Biography” by Johnson, “Dark Justice” by Tressungar, “Get It right”, “Army Talk”, “Berlin Diary” by Shirer, “Great Russian Short Stories” by Graham, “The Strange Woman” by Williams
These carvings he kept his entire life. First seen in 1946 at his home.
Looks like maybe an adze with the musical gourd.
Little man on the shelf.
A nice u’ u’ club.
The mascot Cannibal Trio.
And this massive custom cannibal carving.
The songs on that Don the Beachcomber 78s collection were:
1. Ke kali nei au – George Kainapau, George Archer and the Pagans
2. Kolopa – George Kainapau, George Archer and the Pagans
3. E mama ea – George Kainapau, George Archer and the Pagans
4. Ua no like a like – George “Tautu” Archer and the Pagans
5. Akaka Falls – Alvin Kaleolani Isaacs and his Royal Hawaiians
6. Anapau – Josephine N. Ikuwa Singers
7. Makalapua – Randy Oness’ select Hawaiian Serenaders
8. Maururu a vau – George “Tautu” Archer and his Pagans
I personaly believe that since Don was reading Jerry Thomas book, there is no doubt I think he created Mai Tai and not Trader Vics, because he had to practice and had knowledge about Knickerbocker cocktail from Jerry Thomas /father of mai tai/ substiture raspberry to almond and voila. Mai Tai is born.
“Justice is a Woman” I’m on it! ?
In the last photo of books, there’s Vikings of the Sunrise, about the discovery and settlement of Polynesia in ancient times (https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/150th-anniversary/tetakarangi/vikings-of-the-sunrisepeter-h-buck-1938) and My Country and My People by Lin Yutang (https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.176176).
Vikings of the Sunrise was later retitled Vikings of the Pacific (https://archive.org/details/vikingsofpacific00buck/mode/2up).
The book to the left of Secret History of the American Revolution looks like it might be The Shell Book by Julia Ellen Rogers (https://archive.org/details/shellbook00roge/page/n9/mode/2up). The one to the right looks like Hawaiian ??? ??? & Collectibles.
The book “Looking for a night” is actually Duncan Hines’ 1948 travel guide “Lodging for a Night.”
Thanks for posting these – I’ve started a reading list and have already spent too much on eBay as a result.
Any information on the Cannibal trio in these pictures? I have a set that looks like an exact match and just looking for more information
The best info is that they originally came from Bora Bora in the 1920s. There is no clear origin. They do not seem to be from an ancient source. They were copied many times later as Don the Beachcomber used them, and then the Mai-Kai. The copies are very obvious in their awkward design which seems to have come from photos and not the original carvings.