?Three things must be said at the outset about this book: first, that it is far more than its explanatory subtitle implies, secondly, that it is likely to be for a long time one of the standard works on the parts of the Pacific with which it deals, thirdly, that it is written by an anthropologist who is at the same time an economist, a discerning analyst of politicosocial institutions and, what is perhaps equally important, a humanist.?-Times (London) Literary Supplement