Spirits speak : a celebration of African masks /

German independent scholar and curator Stepan reminds us that, although the African objects he writes about "attest to the outstanding mastery of mask carvers," their work is utilitarian. Once they are no longer in performance, African masks become awe-inspiring but mute artifacts. In his insightful essay for Spirits Speak, Stephan encapsulates historical and contemporary scholarship on African art into accessible language with footnotes. The bibliography is limited to works published within the last 25 years, specifically related to African masks and masking traditions. The true value of this slim volume is the 126 world-class examples of African masks adeptly photographed in large format (several with additional detailed illustrations). Many are familiar works, owned by major museums, such as the Central Pende mbangu mask in The Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, and the small Benin ivory pendant mask in The British Museum, London. This is a useful pictorial reference guide to keystone iconography for traditional masks found across the continent. Each mask is catalogued by color thumbnail photographs and a brief description written by German ethnologist Hahner, who has edited a number of African art exhibition catalogs. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates; professionals. M. R. Vendryes York College, CUNY