The Gift of Thanks: The Roots, Persistence, and Paradoxical Meanings of a Social Ritual
by Margaret Visser
- Used
- Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Good/good
- ISBN 10
- 0002007886
- ISBN 13
- 9780002007887
- Seller
-
Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Harper Collins, 2008. Hardcover. Good/good.
Synopsis
Known as an ‘anthropologist of everyday life,’ Margaret Visser has, in five award-winning books, uncovered and illuminated the intriguing and unexpected meanings of everyday objects and habits. Now she turns her keen eye to another custom so frequently encountered that it often escapes notice: saying ‘Thank you.’ What do we really mean by these two simple words? This fascinating inquiry into all aspects of gratitude ranges from the unusual determination with which parents teach their children to thank, to the difference between speaking the words and feeling them, to the ways different cultures handle the complex matters of giving, receiving, and returning favors and presents. Visser illuminates the fundamental opposition in our own culture between gift-giving and commodity exchange, and the similarities between gratitude and its opposite, vengefulness. The Gift of Thanks considers cultural history, including the modern battle of social scientists to pin down the notion of thankfulness and account for it, and the newly awakened scientific interest in the biological and evolutionary roots of emotions. With her engaging combination of curiosity and erudition, Visser once again reveals the extraordinary in the everyday.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Endless Shores Books
(CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 113174
- Title
- The Gift of Thanks: The Roots, Persistence, and Paradoxical Meanings of a Social Ritual
- Author
- Margaret Visser
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Jacket Condition
- good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- ISBN 10
- 0002007886
- ISBN 13
- 9780002007887
- Publisher
- Harper Collins
- Place of Publication
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Date Published
- 2008
- Bookseller catalogs
- Current Events;
Terms of Sale
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About the Seller
Endless Shores Books
Biblio member since 2010
Bridgetown, Nova Scotia
About Endless Shores Books
We are a family owned Canadian business in the small town of Bridgetown in the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Our shop tries to carry something for everyone, from children's board books to mysteries, thrillers and antiquarian and out-of-print books as well as music and movies.
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