Explores the cultures of the various coastal peoples of British Columbia and Alaska. Even though this might seem a relatively small and specific area, the diversity of these cultures is boundless. This book focuses on the aspects of ceremonial masks and the meanings they depict. The masks, as they are used to communicate with neighboring tribes, provide a context for assessing their comparative belief systems. Most interesting is that so little geography can yield such a diversity of myth, ceremony, values and beliefs. Maps and charts scattered throughout the text showing the relative proximity of the tribes to each other and to natural resources further serve to illustrate this point. Much of the lore and artifacts are relatively recent in the greater scheme of world history but spring from sources that date back to prehistory. SA

Publisher: University of Washington
Paperback: 249 pages
Illustrated

Social-science theory demonstrated by real-life example. “Focuses on how enemies are perceived, or constructed, in the minds of a group or society at large.” The standoff at Ruby Ridge is used as “a study in the mutual construction of enemies,” and the lives of several neo-Nazis are gleaned for their myth-constructing details. “The author discusses three paradoxes—the inseparability of evil from good, the unifying function of enemies, and the dual nature of the enemy (living both ‘out there’ and deep inside ourselves.) The processes by which social groups identify an enemy are discussed with reference to sociological studies as well as religious and mythological works offering insights on war, peace and the role of the scapegoat.” Also shows how an enemy can be “deconstructed” or transcended. GR

Publisher: University of Washington
Hardback: 208 pages
Illustrated

“These men and women saved the planet from aliens, behemoths, monsters, zombies and other bloated, stumbling threats—in the movies, at least—and now they tell their stories… They also discuss the impact ‘monster fighting’ had on their careers and what they are doing now.”

Publisher: University of Washington
Hardback: 328 pages
Illustrated

This series is the last work of Japanese master woodblock-print artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, expressing his personal fascination with the supernatural by illustrating traditional Japanese ghost stories. Prints—such as Kiyomori Sees Hundreds of Skulls at Fukuhara, Tametomo’s Ferocity Drives Away the Smallpox Demons, The Old Woman Retrieving Her Arm, and “The autumn wind blows, there is nothing more to say, grass grows through the eye-sockets of Ono’s skull.”—Narihira—are reproduced in this collection in full color, one per page countered by text which explains the supernatural tale being illustrated.

Publisher: University of Washington
Hardback: 92 pages
Illustrated