Close to 50 years ago now, the New Zealand historian Michael King went on a trip with a photographer to document the last few Māori women - all of whom were elderly - who had the moko, a traditional tattoo on the chin and lips. That part of Māori culture was sinking fast (I'm happy to say that it seems to be making a resurgence) and so this book, which has been in print in New Zealand ever since, was a sort of last gasp attempt to document what was then a dying art. There are a few short chapters on the history, design, and application of moko, and honestly I would have liked there to have been more of this. For the most part, however, the book consists of photographs, mostly close-ups of these women's faces. The photographs themselves are striking. They're not studio portraits or anything like that. Marti Friedlander, the photographer, took the photos in the women's homes, and with only the available light at that home, so there's nothing staged about any of them. Kids, cats, whoever was there at the time, they're all included.

It's a sensitive, fascinating artistic and cultural record.