Book excerpt: (Book). This book recounts the story of all the electric steel guitars or electric "Hawaiian" guitars, as they were called during most of their tenure that were built by Gibson between 1935 and 1967. Hawaiian guitars were the most popular form of electric guitars until the 1950s, and they contributed to some crucial developments in pickups and amplification in addition to lending their voice to the earliest solid body electrics. Aesthetically, the early postwar instruments are also amongst the coolest designs ever produced by Gibson. *Over 450 illustrations, including a wealth of color pictures, catalog reproductions, and patent drawings * A comprehensive section on dating instruments as well as detailed shipping totals for the 1935-1967 period.