Customer Reviews

Spirits Speak: A Celebration of African Masks

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The gorgeous Spirits Speak: A Celebration Of African Masks edited by Peter Stepan with contributions by Iris Hahner gathers a representative sampling of African masks from the world's leading museums and private collections, choosing samples which reflect powerful artistry and spiritual meaning alike. The power in Spirits Speak lies in full-page color photos of each mask making for a catalog which pairs an introductory section of history and cultural insight with plates which pack a visual punch.

This book is breathtakingly beautiful, AND contains massive amounts of well-organized scholarship on African Masks. Stepan begins with a beautifully written section that, besides tackling the misunderstandings the early collectors had of these masks, reconnects the masks with the communities who created them and the ceremonies in which they were (and still are) intimately connected. The plates that follow are exquisite and fill three-quarters of the book. But, in addition to all that, each mask which is presented on a full-color, full-page plate (the pages in this book are HUGE) is then explained in the Catalogue entries (by Iris Hahner). There is also a poster map of Africa showing the masks' places of origin. I am a professor of Humanities and borrowed this book from the library a few times . . . but then HAD to have one of my own.

A wonderful book filled with great photographs and well wirtten text. Photographs illistrated, to allow the viewer to see every detail of each mask. A very informative book, almost like a museum tour, with the exception that the viewer will never see as many examples of African Masks in one place at one time. 100% Satisfaction

The book is an excellent introduction the beauty of African masks for the beginning enthusiast, presenting excellent photographs of arguably some of the most beautiful examples of masks of the various tribes of Africa. For the more advanced enthusiast the book is a let-down - most of the images are recycled from other publications. There is a scarcity of new material and new examples. I can therefore recommend this book only for those who want to get a first visual impression of the wonderful arts of Africa, without getting into much ethnography or cultural background.

This book is a very nice review of African masks. I great majority of the images I have never seen before and thus makes this book a great resource for the subject. I have been researching masks for my own artistic endeavors, and this book has inspired me to explore more deeply the forms, colors and materials used in African maskmaking. The images are rich and large, so the details and craftsmanship are very evident. I highly recommend this book as a visual reference only, as not much is offered for literary commentary.

I was looking for more in-depth information than was provided. It claims to be a superlative collection of the very best examples, but tells us little about the artwork and the selections are aesthetically arbitrary. A different smaller book,"African Masks" has many of the same pictures, is just as photographically comprehensive, and much more informative. This large book is redundant, but I suppose it is a nice coffee table book. I would rather have the space.

This is another wonderful book if you're interested about african masks. The pictures - they are plenty - are amazing. Some examples are even very rare to find in other publications (see Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Tanzania sections). This is mainly a photographic book, but there are some right informations at the end of the book about each mask. I bought this book to know how to recognize a surface of an ancient mask from a modern (or even fake) one, and I'm fully satisfied. The images are detailed enough to see very well even the most hidden part of the mask. A very good purchase.