From the inside front cover: "Unknown to Hawaiians before missionaries decreed that "heathen nakedness" should be covered with a drab forerunner (which irrepressible natives soon decorated by hand with traditional tapa cloth motifs), the genuine Hawaiian shirt is now regarded as a work of art and avidly sought out by collectors. In this beautiful little book - illustrated with dozens of historic shirts - H. Thomas Steele tells the story of this remarkable art form, details its different varieties, discusses the materials, designers, and manufacturers, and presents the fine points that make a shirt collectible."