Review by Choice Review
Neich (anthropology, Univ. of Aukland) has prepared a very dense, scholarly study of a prolific and influential group of sculptors of the Maori people of New Zealand. There have been a large number of elaborately illustrated and quite beautiful books on Maori art over the years, including Sidney M. Mead's The Art of Maori Carving (1961), several books by W.J. Phillips in the 1950s, and exhibition catalogs from museums in the US and New Zealand. This book is far more focused in its subject and far more detailed than others this reviewer knows. The profusion of Maori personal, clan, and geographical names makes this heavy reading for the novice scholar of Maori art. However, the book does make it possible for the reader to understand the history of Maori sculpture in much greater detail than has been possible up to now outside of New Zealand. There are excellent chapters on the history of the Ngati Trawhai people from the 18th century to the present, on individual carvers and their styles, changes in European and Maori patronage over the years, and the impact of tourists and the creation of tourist art. Profusely illustrated with excellent black-and-white and color photographs; very extensive bibliography. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Graduate students; faculty. C. D. Roy University of Iowa
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
