In a volume that is intended to be both geo-historically and theoretically exemplary of the contemporary breadth of the field (rather than encyclopedic), Mittman (art and art history, California State U.) and Dendle (English, Pennsylvania State U.), present 18 papers that explore monsters and monstrosities in human culture, with the exact understanding of what defines monstrous left up to the particular contributor. The first 12 essays explore the history of monstrosity in the Caribbean, early modern Europe, Africa, Ancient Greece and Rome, modern Japan, the Islamic visual tradition, and Mayan civilization, among others. The remaining six papers address critical approaches to monstrosity from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including race, gender, and postcolonial theory. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)