In Haste with Aloha - Letters and Diaries of Queen Emma, 1881-1885

This ambitious volume assembled by scholar David W. Forbes features a collection of previously unpublished letters, as well as from two diaries, written between 1881 and 1885 by Hawaiian royal consort Queen Emma Kaleleonalani. In Haste with Aloha illuminates the last five years of the Queen’s life and makes available an important record of royal social life and customs in nineteenth-century Hawai‘i.

In her letters, almost all of which were written in English, Queen Emma provides a rare account of ali‘i (royal) perspective, endowing modern readers and researchers with insight far beyond the limited available documentation of public speeches or printed statements. Besides the nuances of correspondence between the Queen and her recipients, there is much to be considered and analyzed in her descriptions of ali`i, many of them relatives to Emma, including Bernice Pauahi Bishop and Ruth Ke‘elikolani.

In Haste with Aloha is a welcome addition, making accessible a preserved and treasured collection of documents drawn primarily from the Hawai`i State Archives, along with diaries in Bishop Museum Library and Archives. Fully transcribed and with annotation by Forbes, this text sheds light on the lives of Hawai`i’s ruling class in the decade leading up to climactic political transition.

David W. Forbes is an internationally recognized historian and bibliographer specializing in aspects of the history of Hawai‘i.