Legends of the South Sea: The world of the Polynesians seen through their myths and legends, poetry and art. By Antony Alpers
Legends of the South Sea: The world of the Polynesians seen through their myths and legends, poetry and art. By Antony Alpers
Hardback, very good condition, no annotations, foxed spots to ends, and end papers. Dust jacket, unclipped scuffed, chipped, and tiny closed tears to edges.
Generously illustrated in black and white. Topaz cloth with royal blue spine lettering, bluegreen tinted top edge, map endpapers, illustrated frontis, 416 pages with extensive reference section and index, color illustrated dustjacket
Many Westerners have formed a picture of Polynesia based on the paintings of Gauguin and the fiction of writers like Somerset Maugham and Herman Melville. The land and its people seem to embody many of our most cherished illusions--especially those of the "noble savage" and the unspoiled island paradise. But the Polynesians possess a rich culture in their own right, a way of life that finds its greatest reflection in their diverse oral literature. This book collects, in modern English, Polynesian myth, legend, folk-tales, and poetry. It also includes 80 photographs--of Polynesian flora and fauna, artifacts, and contemporary Polynesian people.
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