Searching for Don the Beachcomber is a 208-page hardback published by Korero Press. Written by tiki historian, co-founder of the Hukilau, and author of Mai-Kai, Tim “Swanky” Glazner, it tells the tell of Donn Beach, father of the tiki culture and the inventor of the tiki bar and is now officially released in the UK.
As a tiki aficionado myself (if on the wane), I was keen to take a gander at this book and jumped at the chance when offered a review copy from Korero.
I suggested to the Korero folks I’d mention the book on All Consumed, the podcast I co-host, and indeed I intend to do so. But it might be a while before our next episode is ‘in the can’. So, I thought I’d go ahead and give it a mention here.
Searching for Don the Beachcomber is a super fun read – authoritative enough for hardcore lovers of Polynesian pop but still inviting and intriguing for anyone else just looking for a fun story about a mysterious man with plan – and hell of a lot of swagger, initiative and entrepreneurial flair. Glazner infuses his personality into the book without letting any ego get in the way but allowing readers to experience some of the challenges involved with getting to the truth of who Donn Beach even was as well as one author’s drive to write a book.
Glazner’s not just an ace researcher and author though, he’s actually the custodian of the Donn Beach archives. He uses this unique access to interweave a rich and vibrant assortment of images throughout the book: personal photos from Donn’s life, design sketches of projects (some never realised), promotional material and ephemera from restaurants and bars, and plenty more tidbits and eye candy.
As someone with vivid childhood memories of tikis, who traveled around the world in my own search for tiki bars as well as authentic Polynesian culture, and who once had an awesome home tiki bar in the house where I lived for about four years during the early 2000s (that I pine for somewhat regularly), I am thoroughly enjoying this book!
Mahalo.
Links:
https://donn-beach.com/
https://www.koreropress.com/searching-for-don-the-beachcomber/
