Book Review: Masks From Around the World by Garth Dahl

Title: Masks From Around the World – A Personal Collection
Author: Garth Dahl
Genre: Reference

Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Monthly Mixer Mele, Read and Review Challenge 2010, Read Your Own Books 2010, TBR Challenge 2010, Reading From My Shelves Project 2010, 100 + Reading Challenge, Pages Read 2010, A to Z challenge

Rating: 3/5
No. of Pages: 82
Published: 2006


Back Cover: Garth Dahl bought his first mask in Costa Rica in 1989 as a travel souvenir, and this book details his discoveries in mask buying that followed. Beautiful photographs bring out the visual energy of the masks that he assembled over 15 years, on five continents. Dahl shares valuable practical advice with beginners who might wish to collect masks themselves – in other countries, in Canada and on the internet.

The author’s interview with noted West Coast carver Reg Davidson reveals how a mask maker expresses culture through masks, and leads to Dahl witnessing a highly significant event in the history of the Haida nation of British Columbia.

Mine: What an interesting book about masks. I’ve always enjoyed looking at them at museums, but have never thought about the collecting part of it. The photographs are wonderful – they follow Dahl on his adventures around the world to find his prized masks. It’s interesting to see that almost every continent or area of the world has masks. My favorite masks are the “Head in the Air” that looks much like a giraffe and the Stone Faced with it’s beautiful mother of pearl.

This should be considered a wonderful starting resource about masks.