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The first use of the word 'anthropology' in English was recorded in 1593, but its modern use to indicate the study and science of humanity became current in the late nineteenth century. At that time a separate discipline had begun to evolve from many component strands (including history, archaeology, linguistics, biology and anatomy), and the study of so-called 'primitive' peoples was given impetus not only by the reports of individual explorers but also by the need of colonial powers to define and classify the unfamiliar populations which they governed. From the ethnographic writings of early explorers to the 1898 Cambridge expedition to the Torres Straits, often regarded as the first truly 'anthropological' field research, these books provide eye-witness information on often vanished peoples and ways of life, as well as evidence for the development of a new scientific discipline.

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43 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Anthropology

Page 1 of 3

Observations on Popular Antiquities
  • Chiefly Illustrating the Origin of our Vulgar Customs, Ceremonies and Superstitions
  • Volume 1
  • John Brand
  • Edited by Henry Ellis
  • Published online:
    05 November 2015
    Print publication:
    08 December 2011
    First published in:
    1813
  • John Brand (1744–1806), secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, first published his widely popular Observations on Popular Antiquities in 1777. This fascinating two-volume almanac of British superstitions and customs was in fact a heavily revised and annotated version of Henry Bourne's Antiquitates vulgares (1725). Beginning with New Year's Eve, Volume 1 describes the origins and practices of British calendar festivals including religious holidays, saints' days, seasonal celebrations such as May Day and the Summer Solstice, and obscurer festivities such as the Feast of Sheep Shearing. Following the success of the book's initial reception, Brand continued to research English folklore with the intention of publishing fuller information. This two-volume version, published posthumously in 1813, was edited and expanded by Sir Henry Ellis, Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum, and further revisions also appeared in 1841 and 1870. Brand's book is regarded as the foundation for folklore studies in England.

At Home with the Patagonians
  • A Year's Wanderings over Untrodden Ground from the Straits of Magellan to the Rio Negro
  • George Chaworth Musters
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    31 October 2013
  • Orphaned by the age of four, George Chaworth Musters (1841–79) joined the Royal Navy at thirteen, served with distinction during the Crimean War, and reached the rank of commander. Having been stationed on the coast of South America, during which time he read up on Darwin's voyage in the Beagle, he pursued in 1869 his aim of travelling through the south of the continent. In this 1871 publication, which earned him the nickname 'the king of Patagonia', Musters records the year he spent among native Patagonians, covering almost 1,400 miles. He gives a detailed account of their customs and daily life, particularly the manners, dress, hunting practices and methods of battle of the Tehuelche people. Featuring a number of vivid engravings, the book did much to reveal this land to Europeans. It remains an instructive text in the history of South American exploration and anthropology.

The Ama-Xosa
  • Life and Customs
  • John Henderson Soga
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    21 November 2013
  • Son of Tiyo Soga, the first black South African to be ordained, John Henderson Soga (1860–1941) was a Xhosa minister and scholar. Like his father, he was one of the first of his people to be educated in Europe and to marry a European woman. His perspective on his people's history and culture is therefore distinctive. Conscious of the effects of modernity on Xhosa traditions, he published this work of social anthropology in 1932 to record their way of life as distinct from other tribal communities in South Africa. Soga traces the historical development of their clan system and laws, while offering uniquely informed insights into their beliefs and practices, such as the function of witch doctors and the customs of circumcision, lobola or 'bride price', and polygamy. The South-Eastern Bantu (1930), Soga's earlier survey of three branches of the Bantu family, is also reissued in this series.

The Origin of Civilisation and the Primitive Condition of Man
  • Mental and Social Condition of Savages
  • John Lubbock
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    23 January 2014
  • Though professionally a banker and politician, John Lubbock (1834–1913) is best remembered for his scientific writings. As a boy, he was tutored by his father's friend, Charles Darwin, in natural history. He went on to make contributions to archaeology, anthropology and entomology. In this illustrated anthropological treatise, Lubbock applies evolutionary theory to the development of human civilisations, outlining the progression from ancient forms of art, relationships, religion, ethics, language and law to their counterparts in the present day. He argues that the social structures of ancient cultures can be interpreted through interaction with contemporary primitive cultures. Published in book form in 1870, the material for this work was first delivered as a lecture series at the Royal Institution. Lubbock's Pre-historic Times as Illustrated by Ancient Remains, and the Manners and Customs of Modern Savages (1865), in which he coined the terms Palaeolithic and Neolithic, is also reissued in this series.

The South-Eastern Bantu
  • Abe-Nguni, Aba-Mbo, Ama-Lala
  • John Henderson Soga
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    31 October 2013
  • Son of Tiyo Soga, the first black South African to be ordained, John Henderson Soga (1860–1941) was a Xhosa minister and scholar. Like his father, he was one of the first of his people to receive an education in Europe and to marry a European woman. His perspective on his people's history is therefore distinctive. Driven by a desire to record Xhosa traditions before they were lost in a changing world, Soga collected oral histories during his work at mission stations in South Africa, producing this historical survey of three branches of the Bantu family. Including genealogies of the main tribes, and tracing their traditions, beliefs and conflicts, the work first appeared in this English version in 1930, having been translated by the author from his native language. His equally authoritative work of social anthropology, The Ama-Xosa: Life and Customs (1932), is also reissued in this series.

Teutonic Mythology
  • Volume 1
  • Jacob Grimm
  • Translated by James Steven Stallybrass
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1880
  • The linguist and philologist Jacob Grimm (1785–1863) is best remembered as co-editor, with his brother Wilhelm, of Grimm's Fairy Tales, though their great Deutsches Wörterbuch remains an influential reference work. Grimm's exhaustive study in comparative mythology and religion, Deutsche Mythologie, was first published in German in 1835: this English translation, published between 1880 and 1888, is of the posthumous fourth German edition of 1875. Drawing on his knowledge of language and world mythology, Grimm outlines a wide variety of themes in Germanic folklore (such as time, creation, destiny and the soul), comparing them to classical and oriental tales as well as charting the influence of Christianity on legends and on Pagan religion. Volume 1 focuses on religion, worship and the portrayal of gods and their powers. Erudite and full of insight, this is an invaluable resource for scholars of mythology and religion as well as of German cultural history.

The Right Hand: Left-Handedness
  • Daniel Wilson
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    11 October 2012
    First published in:
    1891
  • Throughout history, left-handedness has been viewed as being the mark of the devil, as evidence of mental retardation or neurosis, as showing a predisposition to criminality, or as being linked to every perceived social ill. Even into the nineteenth century, many scientists were of the opinion that left-handedness was the sign of a sinister personality. An eminent ethnologist and one of the first scientific archaeologists, Daniel Wilson (1816–92), who introduced into English the word 'prehistoric', became aware of the fact that there were as many left-handed Stone Age implements as right. As a left-hander himself, he was fascinated by these discoveries. Published in 1891, his last major work gives the results of his studies of left-handedness, which he concludes is hereditary and relates to the dominance of one hemisphere of the brain.

Teutonic Mythology
  • Volume 2
  • Jacob Grimm
  • Translated by James Steven Stallybrass
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1883
  • The linguist and philologist Jacob Grimm (1785–1863) is best remembered as co-editor, with his brother Wilhelm, of Grimm's Fairy Tales, though their great Deutsches Wörterbuch remains an influential reference work. Grimm's exhaustive study in comparative mythology and religion, Deutsche Mythologie, was first published in German in 1835: this English translation, published between 1880 and 1888, is of the posthumous fourth German edition of 1875. Drawing on his broad knowledge of language and world mythology, Grimm outlines a wide variety of themes in Germanic folklore (such as time, creation, destiny and the soul), comparing them to classical and oriental tales as well as charting the influence of Christianity on legends and on Pagan religion. Volume 2 focuses on legendary creatures such as giants, elves, dwarves and sprites. Erudite and full of insight, this is an invaluable resource for scholars of mythology and religion as well as of German cultural history.

Teutonic Mythology
  • Volume 3
  • Jacob Grimm
  • Translated by James Steven Stallybrass
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1883
  • The linguist and philologist Jacob Grimm (1785–1863) is best remembered as co-editor, with his brother Wilhelm, of Grimm's Fairy Tales, though their great Deutsches Wörterbuch remains an influential etymological reference work. Grimm's exhaustive study in comparative mythology and religion, Deutsche Mythologie, was first published in German in 1835: this English translation, published between 1880 and 1888, is of the posthumous fourth German edition of 1875. Drawing on his broad knowledge of language and world mythology, Grimm outlines a wide variety of themes in Germanic folklore (such as time, creation, destiny and the soul), comparing them to classical and oriental tales as well as charting the influence of Christianity on legends and on Pagan religion. Volume 3 focuses on the pre-Christian view of evil, and the concept of the devil. Erudite and full of detailed insight, this is a resource for scholars of mythology, religion and German cultural history.

The Kachins
  • Their Customs and Traditions
  • Ola Hanson
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1913
  • Ola Hanson (1864–1927) was a Swedish-American missionary from Minnesota, posted to northern Burma in 1890. He lived with the Kachin people and became fluent in their language, compiling a word-list and eventually producing a Kachin–English dictionary. Their own culture and complex belief system were orally transmitted: Hanson therefore devised an alphabetical transcription for his translation of the Bible into Kachin, and this writing system later became widespread in Burma. First published in 1913, this book was written after Hanson had lived with the Kachins for over twenty years, and offers a unique insight into their culture at this time. It outlines their origins, dialects, law and weapons, as well as the details of Kachin religious beliefs and ceremonies for births, marriage and death. This book is valuable as both an ethnography of the Kachin and as an example of the perspective of an early twentieth-century missionary.

Teutonic Mythology
  • Volume 4
  • Jacob Grimm
  • Translated by James Steven Stallybrass
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1888
  • The linguist and philologist Jacob Grimm (1785–1863) is best remembered as co-editor, with his brother Wilhelm, of Grimm's Fairy Tales, though their great Deutsches Wörterbuch remains an influential etymological reference work. Grimm's exhaustive study in comparative mythology and religion, Deutsche Mythologie, was first published in German in 1835: this English translation, published between 1880 and 1888, is of the posthumous fourth German edition of 1875. Drawing on his broad knowledge of language and world mythology, Grimm outlines a wide variety of themes in Germanic folklore (such as time, creation, destiny and the soul), comparing them to classical and oriental tales as well as charting the influence of Christianity on legends and on Pagan religion. Volume 4 contains supplementary material for the previous volumes and three appendices. Erudite and full of insight, this is an invaluable resource for scholars of mythology and religion as well as of German cultural history.

Life with the Esquimaux
  • The Narrative of Captain Charles Francis Hall of the Whaling Barque George Henry from the 29th May, 1860, to the 13th September, 1862
  • Volume 2
  • Charles Francis Hall
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    29 December 2011
    First published in:
    1864
  • In 1860, Charles Francis Hall (1821–71), the American explorer, embarked on the first of two voyages to the Canadian Arctic region aimed at investigating the fate of Sir John Franklin's lost expedition of 1847. During his time in the Arctic, Hall lived amongst the Inuit community, learning their language and embracing their everyday life. First published in 1864, Hall's two-volume work remains of great interest to anthropologists, sociologists and geographers. His eye-witness accounts of the indigenous people's dwellings, hunting pursuits, birth and death rites, transportation, interpersonal relationships, and survival strategies in severe weather conditions provide an insight into Inuit culture in the nineteenth century. In Volume 2 he tells of his discovery in Frobisher Bay of artefacts from Martin Frobisher's sixteenth-century mining venture; the survival of these relics, together with his understanding of Inuit memory systems, convinces him that traces of Franklin and his crew may yet be found.

The History of Free Masonry, Drawn from Authentic Sources of Information
  • With an Account of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, from its Institution in 1736, to the Present Time
  • David Brewster
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    28 June 2012
    First published in:
    1804
  • The Scottish natural philosopher and historian of science Sir David Brewster (1781–1868), best remembered as a friend of Sir Walter Scott and the inventor of the kaleidoscope, contributed reviews and articles on a huge variety of subjects to such periodicals as the Edinburgh Review and Fraser's Magazine. (His Letters on Natural Magic Addressed to Sir Walter Scott and his two-volume life of Isaac Newton are also reissued in this series). In this work, published in 1804, Brewster is determined to refute the allegations often directed against the Freemasons, as representing 'caverns of darkness, in which the most detestable schemes have been hatched'. He does so by tracing the history of the 'peaceful institution' of Freemasonry from antiquity until the end of the eighteenth century. He then describes the history of the Grand Lodge of Scotland from its institution in 1736, basing his account on the records of the Lodge.

The Races of Man and their Distribution
  • Alfred Cort Haddon
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    10 May 2012
    First published in:
    1909
  • The Cambridge anthropological expedition of 1898–9 to the Torres Strait and New Guinea, led by the zoologist and anthropologist Alfred Cort Haddon (1855–1940), marked an epoch in field methodology. This edition, published in 1924, examines some of the major physical differences between human beings that Haddon used to distinguish race, looking at skin colour, hair, stature, nose, face and head form, and is thorough and wide-ranging in offering examples from throughout the world. He also suggests some reasons for the geographical distribution of the races. This was a new approach, though Haddon's findings are necessarily condensed here, providing a valuable work of reference rather than a full study. Forming the basis for a larger work, this book is is an important example of early scientific anthropology, while Haddon's curatorial work in the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Cambridge made this a primary centre for anthropological study and research.

The Lore of the Whare-wānanga
  • Or Teachings of the Maori College on Religion, Cosmogony, and History
  • Volume 2, Te Kauwae-raro or ‘Things Terrestrial'
  • H. T. Whatahoro
  • Translated by S. Percy Smith
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    08 November 2011
    First published in:
    1915
  • Stephenson Percy Smith (1840–1922) arrived in New Zealand as a boy, and soon became fascinated by Maori culture. After retiring in 1900 from his career as a government surveyor, Smith devoted himself to the study of the Maori and co-founded the Polynesian Society, which published this two-volume study in 1913–15. The book contains the Maori text of an important body of beliefs and traditions which had been committed to writing over fifty years earlier, when the young W. H. Whatahoro had acted as scribe for a group of senior elders concerned to preserve this ancient and sacred knowledge. Only long afterwards was Whatahoro willing to divulge it to Europeans, and he personally assisted Smith with the translation provided here. Volume 2 focuses on traditions relating to the history and migrations of the Maori people and their arrival in New Zealand in the 'Great Fleet'.

The Lore of the Whare-wānanga
  • H. T. Whatahoro
  • Translated by S. Percy Smith
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    08 November 2011
    First published in:
    1913
  • Stephenson Percy Smith (1840–1922) arrived in New Zealand as a boy, and soon became fascinated by Maori culture. After retiring in 1900 from his career as a government surveyor, Smith devoted himself to the study of the Maori and co-founded the Polynesian Society, which published this two-volume study in 1913–15. The book contains the Maori text of an important body of beliefs and traditions which had been committed to writing over fifty years earlier, when the young W. H. Whatahoro had acted as scribe for a group of senior elders concerned to preserve this ancient and sacred knowledge. Only long afterwards was Whatahoro willing to divulge it to Europeans, and he personally assisted Smith with the translation provided here. Although Smith's interpretative notes and 'comparative mythology' agenda are typical of their time, this pioneering work laid foundations for later research. Volume 1 focuses on the gods and creation myths.

Observations on Popular Antiquities
  • Chiefly Illustrating the Origin of our Vulgar Customs, Ceremonies and Superstitions
  • Volume 2
  • John Brand
  • Edited by Henry Ellis
  • Published online:
    05 December 2012
    Print publication:
    08 December 2011
    First published in:
    1813
  • John Brand (1744–1806), secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, first published his widely popular Observations on Popular Antiquities in 1777. This fascinating two-volume almanac of British superstitions and customs was in fact a heavily revised and annotated version of Henry Bourne's Antiquitates vulgares (1725). Volume 2 of Brand's almanac concerns the origins and practices of British customs and ceremonies including marriage customs, death rites, belief in fairies, witchcraft, omens, and divination. The volume also provides explanations for obscure but common phrases and expressions. Following the success of the book's initial reception, Brand continued to research English folklore with the intention of publishing fuller information. This two-volume version, published posthumously in 1813, was edited and expanded by Sir Henry Ellis, Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum, and further revisions also appeared in 1841 and 1870. Brand's book is regarded as the foundation for folklore studies in England.

Life with the Esquimaux
  • The Narrative of Captain Charles Francis Hall of the Whaling Barque George Henry from the 29th May, 1860, to the 13th September, 1862
  • Volume 1
  • Charles Francis Hall
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    29 December 2011
    First published in:
    1864
  • In 1860, Charles Francis Hall (1821–71), the American polar explorer, embarked on the first of two voyages to the Canadian Arctic region aimed at investigating the fate of Sir John Franklin's lost expedition of 1847. During his time in the Arctic, Hall lived amongst the Inuit community, learning their language and embracing their everyday life. First published in 1864, Hall's recollections remain of great interest to anthropologists, sociologists and geographers. His eye-witness accounts of the indigenous people's dwellings, interpersonal relationships, hunting pursuits, birth and death rites, methods of transport, and survival strategies in severe weather conditions provide an insight into Inuit culture in the nineteenth century. Volume 1 describes Hall's journey north, arrival at Holsteinborg, the Danish administrative centre in Greenland, and onward voyage to Baffin Island, where his search for traces of Franklin, and his experience of Inuit life, began.

Maori Religion and Mythology
  • Illustrated by Translations of Traditions, Karakia, etc
  • Edward Shortland
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    01 December 2011
    First published in:
    1882
  • First published in 1882, Edward Shortland's study is an important account of Maori mythology, religion and concepts of authority. Shortland (1812–93), an English-born physician and ethnographer, first arrived in New Zealand in 1841 to work for the newly formed colonial government. He later served as a government interpreter, Sub-Protector of Aborigines, and Native Secretary during his time in New Zealand and spent much of his career interacting with Maori. This concise book is the result of years of careful research into Maori beliefs and customs, based on narratives and songs dictated to Shortland, or written down for him to translate. It includes a particularly detailed account of Maori cosmogony, lists of Maori vocabulary relating to kinship and to the spirit world, several karakia (prayers) and extensive notes on the naming and claiming of land and the Maori understanding of land tenure.

The Southern Districts of New Zealand
  • A Journal, with Passing Notices of the Customs of the Aborigines
  • Edward Shortland
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    29 December 2011
    First published in:
    1851
  • The physician and ethnographer Edward Shortland (1812–93) first travelled to New Zealand in 1841, a year after the Treaty of Waitangi. He became private secretary to Governor William Hobson, and quickly learned the Maori language. First published in 1851, this book describes Shortland's experiences on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island while conducting a census of the local Maori settlements in 1843. It documents South Island Maori myths, traditions and everyday life, and includes genealogical tables and a short word-list of the local dialect. It also describes a French Company agent at Akaroa reporting the successful introduction of French vines, the Scottish settlement at Dunedin, and the productivity of several whaling stations. Shortland reminds prospective settlers of the importance of understanding the 'ideas and prejudices' of the Maori, whose many qualities including 'natural bravery and love of freedom' guarantee them continuing 'political weight in their own country'.

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