Ride Theory reviewed Tiki Style (Icons) by Sven A. Kirsten
Tiki Pop
4 stars
This is described on the title page as "a pocket bible version of The Book of Tiki." Essentially, it's a bowdlerized version of a larger book, with the female nudity and phallic wood carvings removed so it could be sold at Old Navy clothing stores.
The text gives a decent overview of the history of Polynesian fantasy pop culture of the 1950s, but the full-color images (on every page!) are uncaptioned, so you're never quite sure who you're looking at -- is that Trader Vic or Don the Beachcomber? Who are those five people drinking from a gigantic bowl with long straws? Much of the emphasis is on Tiki bars and their decorations, with a few chapters on other things, like the actual god Tiki, Exotica music, and the Polynesian influence on mainland architecture. Did you know there were Tiki-themed apartment buildings?
Includes German and French versions of the text …
This is described on the title page as "a pocket bible version of The Book of Tiki." Essentially, it's a bowdlerized version of a larger book, with the female nudity and phallic wood carvings removed so it could be sold at Old Navy clothing stores.
The text gives a decent overview of the history of Polynesian fantasy pop culture of the 1950s, but the full-color images (on every page!) are uncaptioned, so you're never quite sure who you're looking at -- is that Trader Vic or Don the Beachcomber? Who are those five people drinking from a gigantic bowl with long straws? Much of the emphasis is on Tiki bars and their decorations, with a few chapters on other things, like the actual god Tiki, Exotica music, and the Polynesian influence on mainland architecture. Did you know there were Tiki-themed apartment buildings?
Includes German and French versions of the text in the last pages.