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The Last Heathen: Encounters With Ghosts and Ancestors in Melanesia
by Montgomery, Charles
- Used
- Near Fine
- Paperback
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/No Jacket as Issued
- ISBN 10
- 1553650727
- ISBN 13
- 9781553650720
- Seller
-
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2004. Book. Near Fine. Soft cover. Signed by Author(s). Canadian First. First edition, first printing as evidenced by a complete number line from 1 to 5; signed by Charles Montgomery on the title page with no inscription; French flaps edition; a solid, clean copy in collectable condition..
Synopsis
When Charles Montgomery was ten years old, he stumbled upon the memoirs of his great-grandfather, a seafaring missionary in the South Pacific. Poring over the faint text and faded pictures, he was entranced by the world of black magic and savagery the bishop described, and couldn't help but wonder what drove the Victorian to risk his life among people who had shot, drowned, or clubbed to death so many of his predecessors.Twenty years later and a century after that journey, Montgomery sets out for the reefs and atolls of Melanesia in search of the very spirits and myths the missionaries had sought to destroy. He retraces his ancestor's path through the far-flung islands, exploring the bond between faith and magic, the eerie persistence of the spirit world, and the heavy footprints of Empire.What he discovers is a world of sorcery and shark worship, where the lines between Christian and pagan rituals are as blurred as the frontiers of fact, fantasy, and faith. After confrontations with a bizarre cast of cult leaders, militants, and mystics, the author, in his quest for ancient magic, is led to an island in crisis -- and to a new myth with the power to destroy or to save its people forever.Alternately terrifying, moving, and hilarious, with overtones of Melville and Conrad, The Shark God is Montgomery's extraordinary and piercingly intelligent account of both Melanesia's transformation and his own. This defiantly original blend of history and memoir, anthropology and travel writing, marks the debut of a singular new talent.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Hourglass Books
(CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 000564
- Title
- The Last Heathen: Encounters With Ghosts and Ancestors in Melanesia
- Author
- Montgomery, Charles
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- No Jacket as Issued
- Edition
- Canadian First
- ISBN 10
- 1553650727
- ISBN 13
- 9781553650720
- Publisher
- Douglas & McIntyre
- Place of Publication
- Vancouver
- Date Published
- 2004
Terms of Sale
Hourglass Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Hourglass Books
Biblio member since 2018
Vancouver, British Columbia
About Hourglass Books
I list a wide range of materials from both modern firsts to antiquarian books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Number Line
- A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Flap(s)
- The portion of a book cover or cover jacket that folds into the book from front to back. The flap can contain biographical...
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