Margaret B. Duda

Almost everyone is familiar with Japanese toggles (known to the world as netsuke), but until this volume, few will have even been aware of the existence of Chinese toggles. Except for the author, of course, who has been collecting and photographing, researching, cataloging and writing about them to share with the world.

Toggles are absolutely fascinating in their own right as they come in all sizes and shapes, created from stone, ivory, wood, metal, crystal, bone, seeds, etc., but the insights they give into the everyday world of the symbols, myths, legends, and concerns of China is breathtaking. The toggles themselves are miniature carvings of mushrooms, figurines, musical instruments, birds, gods, animals...and their diverse subject matter is meticulously used by author as an entree to introducing the iconographic palette of traditional (and in many cases, modern) China.

Reading this book is like sitting side-by-side with the author as she shares her collection with you--explaining the substance and meaning of each toggle while enriching your knowledge of China piece by piece. There are hundreds of fascinating stories and explanations as well as much good and practical advice ranging from how to distinguish genuine elephant tusks from mammoth tusks, to explaining the properties of the materials each carver chose to work in.

Special praise must also be given the photographer Paul Duda for the beautiful, perfect four-color photographs that are found on every page. It is no mean feat to photograph such miniature items, yet each is photographed crisply and perfectly and from the best perspective to show off the carver's material, skill and the subject matter chosen.

Anyone interested in Chinese motifs and symbols, superstitions and charms, folk art and crafts, or looking for an insight into the folk life of China, will appreciate this book. I am confident that this beautiful volume will endure the test of time and remain for many years to come, the definitive resource on this fascinating topic.… (mais)