The Last Heathen : Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in Melanesia
by Montgomery, Charles
- Used
- as new
- Paperback
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- As New
- ISBN 10
- 1553650727
- ISBN 13
- 9781553650720
- Seller
-
Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
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
- Samuel S Lin (CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 004148
- Title
- The Last Heathen : Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in Melanesia
- Author
- Montgomery, Charles
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- New
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 1553650727
- ISBN 13
- 9781553650720
- Publisher
- Douglas & McIntyre
- Place of Publication
- Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Date Published
- 2004
- Keywords
- MISSIONS_OCEANIA OCEANIA_DESCRIPTION AND TRAVEL OCEANIA_RELIGION
Terms of Sale
Samuel S Lin
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About the Seller
Samuel S Lin
About Samuel S Lin
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...
- 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...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Half Title
- The blank front page which appears just prior to the title page, and typically contains only the title of the book, although, at...
- Trade Paperback
- Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover...