The Last Heathen : Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in Melanesia
by Montgomery, Charles
- Used
- Paperback
- first
- Condition
- Fine with no dust jacket
- ISBN 10
- 1553650727
- ISBN 13
- 9781553650720
- Seller
-
Wheatfield, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
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
- A Good Read (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 39350
- Title
- The Last Heathen : Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in Melanesia
- Author
- Montgomery, Charles
- Format/Binding
- Softcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine with no dust jacket
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 1553650727
- ISBN 13
- 9781553650720
- Publisher
- Douglas & McIntyre, Limited
- Place of Publication
- Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Date Published
- 2004
- Keywords
- 1553650727, MISSIONS_OCEANIA, OCEANIA_DESCRIPTION, TRAVEL, OCEANIA_RELIGION
- Bookseller catalogs
- Travel;
Terms of Sale
A Good Read
Refunds issued for all items returned within 30 days undamaged. Returns resulting from the item received by the buyer being different from the one described in the Biblio listing will result in a refund of the book value and all related shipping costs upon return of the item. Books returned for any other reason within 30 days will result in a refund of the book value only.
About the Seller
A Good Read
About A Good Read
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...