Mr. Taylor has utilized over two decades of research skills gained with an academic publisher and 30 books to his credit to bring together the first comprehensive collection of Spirit Dolls used throughout the world into a single publication for researchers, scholars, or anyone wishing to learn about Spirit Dolls and how they have helped to shape and define numerous cultural and religious practices in the world.
Mr. Taylor has utilized knowledgeable individuals representing many cultures and religions to collect the information presented in this book. Furthermore, Mr. Taylor has immersed himself in several Asian cultures since the late 1970s, giving him insight into the cultural aspects of some of the ceremonies and dolls described in his book, including trips to Japan during his time in the U.S. Navy.
Though the book reads more like an encyclopedia, it is filled with information not accumulated in one edition before. Mr. Taylor created the Doll’s Ten Commandments, drawing primarily from the Japanese traditions of honoring doll spirits, to fill the void of such guidelines in Western disposable culture.
Mr. Taylor has indicated that “I hope to have answered some questions. However, my primary goal is to inspire questions, not to have them answered. That would be the goal of this author.”