Nine Dayak Nights – William R. Geddes (1957) (1st ed)

S$92.00

Nine Dayak Nights – William R. Geddes (1957) (1st ed)

S$92.00

Title: Nine Dayak Nights

Author: William R. Geddes

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1957. First edition.

Condition: Hardcover, with dust jacket. Good, with dust jacket in fine condition, wrapped in plastic. Printed writeups on dayaks and Geddes on dust jacket flap and ffep, frontispiece reattached to the book with no noticeable signs of restoration. With black and white photographic plates. 144pp., app 9″ by 6″.

About the book (from Goodreads):

This remarkable book provides a portrait of the lesser-known peoples of Sarawak, in Borneo: the Land Dayaks. Written by an anthropologist who came to know these people during a two-year stay in their remote village, the study–introduced by a folktale imparted to the author by the leading spirit-medium in the village–is a masterly analysis based on sound anthroplogical techniques and informed with understanding, affections, and humor. Geddes describes the life of the Land Dayaks–their traditions, beliefs, and their attitudes toward things around them–and reveals not only their differences from, but also their similarities to the greater world of humanity outside their community. Originally published in 1957, this study has lost none of its freshness or fascination.