1960 Ernest Dudley Chase Pictorial Map of the Hawaiian Islands

This is a scarce 1960 Ernest Dudley Chase and Doris Riemann pictorial map of Hawaii, a visually rich and educational celebration of the archipelago a year after statehood. This is one of the scarcer Chase maps, especially as here, in its Hawaiian edition.

A Closer Look

The map details the major Hawaiian Islands, with dense textual and pictorial elements celebrating Hawaiian culture, history, folklore, and natural beauty. Volcanoes, lava flows, natural wonders, indigenous artifacts, regional activities (hunting, fishing, surfing), and important modern landmarks (airports, Mormon Temple, etc.) are illustrated pictorially. Surrounding the map are vignette illustrations of significant sites and aquatic fauna. To either side of the decorative cartouche, coordinate tables identify several hundred locations.

Doris Riemann

This map was commissioned and published by Doris Riemann in Hawaii. According to Clark Fair of the 'Mouth of Kenai' blog:

Russ and Doris Riemann, who came to Alaska in 1953 when Russ agreed to take over the managerial duties for a floundering Alaska News Agency, which was headquartered in Anchorage. In the late 1950s, the Riemanns parlayed their knowledge of the wholesale distribution of reading materials into a new retail establishment - The Book Cache - which would become Alaska's preeminent bookselling business for the next three decades. Among its many retail outlets, The Book Cache included popular and profitable stores in the Carrs Mall in Kenai and the Central Peninsula Mall in Soldotna. When the Riemanns sold the business in the late 1980s, The Book Cache chain comprised 17 outlets, including two in Maui, Hawaii.

A New State

In 1960, Hawaii was still adjusting to its new status as the 50th state of the United States, having officially joined the union in 1959. The islands were experiencing a period of rapid growth and modernization as tourism began to flourish, spurred by the development of new hotels and infrastructure. This influx of visitors helped transform Hawaii's economy from one primarily based on agriculture - such as sugar and pineapple plantations - to one increasingly focused on tourism and services. The cultural landscape of Hawaii in 1960 was a vibrant blend of Native Hawaiian traditions and the influences of the many different ethnic groups that had settled in the islands over the years.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn and compiled by Ernest Dudley Chase from his offices in West Harwich, Massachusetts, and published in Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, by Doris Riemann. There are at least three variant editions: this one, published in Hawaii by Riemann; a variant with a yellow background, published by Chase in Massachusetts; and a third monochrome variant also published by Chase, likely later. In its various editions, we see just 3 examples in OCLC. This edition, published in Hawaii, may be the first and is the scarcest.