Wall Sculptures of Abomey

In my salad days, collectors of foreign stamps, which included this reviewer, often specialised on what were described as French colonials. Numbered among these was Dahomey, now known as the Republic of Benin. The country is not well‐off in resources, though it is one of the most heavily populated in West Africa, and is home to more than 40 ethnic groups, the largest of which is the Fon tribe. The capital of Benin is now Porto Novo, though that of the former Dahomey was Abomey, the locale of this book.

The volume is the result of collaboration between the Getty...