Customer Reviews

Night of the Tiki: The Art of Shag, Schmaltz, and Selected Primitive Oceanic Carvings

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're a die-hard fan of tiki culture and art, this book will make a nice addition to your collection, but I've seen better. The book was filled with a LOT of photos of ethnic carvings... many of them not too tiki-like in nature. The back of the book, however, has several terrific, whimsical Shag art prints, so that makes it worth a look.

This is the best tiki book I have ever read, period.

Finally a book about tiki that is both entertaining, informative, and visually stunning. It approaches tiki from several different viewpoints, putting them all into perspective: the lounge-hipster scene, Art, Anthropology, etc.

The author is able to pull this off becuase he is a Cultural Anthropologist and a major player in the "New Brow" art scene as an owner of one of the most important LA area galleries in this catagory.

He and Shag, whose art is shown liberally in the book, have worked together for years.

The same can be said of his relationship with Leroy Schmaltz, the man who is responsible for much of what we in the Continental U.S. view as defining "Tiki", through his designs for Trader Vic's, et al. Much of his work is shown in the book.

The author is a world traveler, collector, and skilled photographer. His cultural photos are shown together with an abundant sampling of the authentic native artwork he has collected over the years.

Anyone interested in tiki from ANY standpoint, will certainly enjoy this book (even if they do nothing but look at the pictures).

A good read and a great look! Wonderful photos of the "real" tikis as well as contemporary re-incarnations in sculpture of Schmaltz and popular paintings by Shag. In a refreshingly non-academic style, the short readable essays offer lots of facts about the lovable, fascinating tiki icon past and present.

Night of the Tiki provides an insightful look into the world of tiki culture. Nason presents the path of tiki from tribal cutures into Americana by detailing the influence of primitive work on Leroy Schmaltz (in the 1950s and 1960s) and Shag (present-day tiki cool).
Visually, the photography in NOTT is top notch while the writing is informative, interesting, and entertaining.
This book is great for anyone who ever thought tiki was cool, hip, and enjoyable and is a must have if you're a Shag fan.

This book is beautifully produced, and contains a lot of great information. It's been the starter of many a conversation an discussion of all manner of topics.

Night of the Tiki will enlighten you to all the sensorial beauty, mystery, and majesty of this
ancient art form. It will also show you the Tiki's place in current culture and its influence of
various art genres. The book tells this tale with beautiful photography and poetic
words.

It is a purely entertaining, enjoyable read into the privative world of tribal art that still has a
place in toady's world.

A comprehensive and enjoyable read. Spectacular visuals, ranging from a pictorial history to pure fun. A must-have for anyone interested in tiki culture.

Night of the Tiki is the best tiki book ever and I say that having only had four or five martinis. But seriously I love Shag and Leroy Schmaltz and add to it the text and fabulous photography of the Polynesian art-its fantastic! Rumour has it that's Mr Nason in The Sepik Explorer. He's so dreamy. I'd like to buy him a drink!