Even baskets of everyday use, such as cooking baskets and seedbeaters, exhibit an astoundingly sophisticated level of design, while specially made gift baskets adorned with bird feathers and beads are objects of pure exuberance. Some of them are over 150 years old, while others were made within the last few years.

Color photographs of each basket are accompanied by insightful commentary not only from art historians and knowledgeable academic scholars, but also from prominent native weavers and California Indian artists in other media. Their eye for native aesthetics shows us how to look at the baskets in a new and exciting way.

This strong combination of visual beauty and knowledgeable insight makes _The Fine Art of California Indian Basketry_ one of the most important books ever published on the subject.

It covers all basketry traditions from the various geographical areas in California, looks at differences between and within tribal styles, includes utility as well as art or "tourist" baskets, discusses baskets by makers both unknown and extremely famous, and it doesn't ignore baskets made by *male* weavers. No tradition is marginalized in favor of another in this work, and that's unusual!

What makes this book really great, though, are the mini-interviews with contemporary Native California weavers and other artists (including the late Vivien Hailstone and Harry Fonseca) about the individual pieces reproduced in the book. These people give the reader insights into weaving that would otherwise be missed. It's nice to see a book on Native America where the Indian voice is so fundamentally present.