In his early twenties, John Blofeld spent what he describes as "three exquisitely happy years" in Peking during the era of the last emperor, when the breathtaking greatness of China's ancient traditions was still everywhere evident. Arriving in 1934, he found a city imbued with the atmosphere of the recent imperial past and haunted by the powerful spirit of the late Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi. He entered a world of magnificent palaces and temples ...

My thinking was set in motion by those who, knowing I was a parish minister for many years, have asked me for advice about ceremonies and celebrations. They wanted words to use at graduations, funerals, and the welcoming of children. They inquired about grace at family meals, the reaffirmation of wedding vows, and ways to heal wounds suffered in personal conflict. People requested help with the rituals of solitude, such as meditation, prayer, ...

Introduces various cultures and people from around the world with native recipes, music, games, and activities. ...

The contents of this edition all pertain to interesting customs observed by the Chinese, and to special days of the year. The bulk of the material was gathered at first hand from the Chinese one meets every day, as well as some books suggested to the author for their contents. The customs discussed within are chiefly those observed in Peking. ...

Opening with the sensational 1905 Absinthe Murders, Baker offers a cultural history of absinthe, from its modest origins as an herbal tonic through its luxuriantly morbid heyday in the late 19th century. Illustrations. ...

This study of the embroideries and dress of the Rabaris of Western India synthesises folk art and culture history and anthropology.
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Found in this volume is the history of circumcision, moral & practical reasons for its performance, with a history of eunuchism, hermaphrodism, etc. and of the different operations practiced upon the prepuce. It represents No. 11 in the Physicians' & Students' Ready Reference Series. Sample contents: antiquity of circumcision; theories as to the origins of circumcision; attempts to abolish circumcision; infibulation, muzzling & other ...

1885. While best known for his translations of classical literature and as a collector of folk and fairy tales, Lang also wrote poetry, biographies, histories, novels, literary criticisms and even children's books. Lang was one of the first to apply anthropological findings to the study of myth and folklore. His versatility was also shown in his valuable works on folklore and on primitive religion. The earliest of these works was Custom and Myth. ...

In the highly instructive map published by the French Minister of Instruction, Franche-Comte is marked white and Brittany black, thus denoting the antipodes of intellectual enlightenment and darkness to be found in the two countries. Here, indeed, we find ourselves in a wholly different world, so utterly has a spirit of inquiry revolutionized Eastern France, so long has her Western province been held in the grip of the priest. Furthermore, we ...

American Alice Mabel Bacon lived in Japan for many years before writing this famous study, a diary-like essay that explains many social customs that are still alive in the present day. "It is of the neglected half (of Japan) that I have written, in the hope that the whole fabric of Japanese social life will be better comprehended when the women of the country, also the homes that they make, are better known and understood." Contents: Childhood ...