I have a simple recommendation. If you ever find yourself wondering what Hawaii was like in the “old” days and how it changed over time, an extremely useful reference is Robert Schmidt’s “Historical Statistics of Hawaii.”

Schmidt compiled the book when he was serving at state statistician. The book has 26 chapters covering different aspects of the community and economy, each with an introduction that surveys the history of the collection of data on that particular subject. It’s really a treasure trove of fascinating bits and pieces of history, although you’ll have to get comfortable looking at data presented in table form.

This is a huge printed book, running nearly 700 oversize pages. I once found a used copy in a thrift shop, and used hardcover copies can be found for about $25 from Amazon or the independent bookstores that sell via Alibris.com.

This weekend I was looking for data to illustrate the changes in post-WWII Hawaii. I ended up using data showing how the population shifted from rural to urban areas from the 1800s through to the late 1960s, and showed how the number of private cars doubled between 1945 and 1950, and then doubled again by 1962. Another chart that I used traced the changes in retail sales as both downtown Honolulu and small mom & pop stores were overtaken and overshadowed by Ala Moana Center, Kahala Mall, and other regional malls during the 1950s and 1960s.

In any case, an extremely useful and interesting resources.

But here’s the big hint. It’s also available for free as a 22MB pdf file from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

I’ve downloaded a copy and filed it for quick future reference.

You might want to do the same.