4e de couverture: The societies of Melanesia have been a constant stimulus to anthropological theory. In this collection of essays, anthropologists who have worked in all parts of the Melanesian region of the Pacific bring their expertise to bear on a single theoretical issue. This is a hypothesis formulated by Maurice Godelier concerning the relationship between power, kinship and wealth. Although tightly focused on Godelier's work, the book opens up a major enquiry into the constitution of society in a part of the world where men of prominence come to personify the nature of power. 'Big men', entrepreneurs of exchanges, and 'great men', who flourish in societies characterised by restricted exchanges and ritual complexity, appear to belong to quite different systems. This book considers how substantial the difference between them really is. There are many accounts of political systems in Melanesia, but nothing quite like the comparative synthesis offered here. This exercise also raises more general issues concerning the unity of Melanesia, and about the potential of the comparative method in anthropology.

This book presents a detailed account of the lives of the Baruya, a tribal society in highlands of Papua New Guinea and will interest scholars and students of anthropology.

In 1994, the Pacific island village of Matupit was partially destroyed by a volcanic eruption. This study focuses on the subsequent reconstruction and contests over the morality of exchanges that are generative of new forms of social stratification. Such new dynamics of stratification are central to contemporary processes of globalization in the Pacific, and more widely. Through detailed ethnography of the transactions that a displaced people entered into in seeking to rebuild their lives, this book analyses how people re-make sociality in an era of post-colonial neoliberalism without taking either the transformative power of globalization or the resilience of indigenous culture as its starting point. It also contributes to the understanding of the problems of post-disaster reconstruction and development projects.

He thinks he's too big for me. I like a challenge.On my 25th birthday, I received a letter. My mother had left me a piece of land in her will-- the farm I grew up on as a child. Her last request was that I restore it... and how could I say no?So I returned to my little town full of big memories. Nothing has changed here.Except for Grant Werther.When we were kids, I barely saw him. Now I can't miss him. The guy is HUGE; all muscle and beard, like some hardened mountain man. He's intimidating... and definitely sexy, in an alpha-male-cowboy kind of way.Turns out his dad owns part of my farm and he's got the papers to prove it. That means I can't do anything without Grant's approval. On top of that, this jerk says I'm too "city girl" to be here.And the way he openly stares at my ass in my cut-off jeans makes it clear what he thinks I'd be good at.He's the biggest man I've ever seen and I admit, I'm curious what he's hiding in his boxers.I didn't know he'd catch me peeking.Now he won't stop teasing me. He keeps saying I could never handle him, that he'd break me in two. I know I don't have to prove him wrong...But I want to.

A collection of American tall tales featuring such legendary characters as Davy Crockett, Paul Bunyan, and Pecos Bill.

A thematic look at the current political, social, and economic conditions of Africa through examination of its leaders. From Mobutu Sese Seko, the "King of Kleptocracy," to F.W. De Klerk, "The last white patriarch," the author presents profiles of the rulers of the continent based on his personal encounters with them. He explains how these "big men" have influenced Africa and what their leadership might mean for the future, concluding that while it is premature to speak of a current "African Renaissance," there is still hope to be found in the dreams of the people. Written for a general audience. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

National Bestseller and Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Oscar Feldman, the renowned figurative painter, has passed away. As his obituary notes, Oscar is survived by his wife, Abigail, their son, Ethan, and his sister, the well-known abstract painter Maxine Feldman. What the obituary does not note, however, is that Oscar is also survived by his longtime mistress, Teddy St. Cloud, and their daughters. As two biographers interview the women in an attempt to set the record straight, the open secret of his affair reaches a boiling point and a devastating skeleton threatens to come to light. From the acclaimed author of The Epicure's Lament, a scintillating novel of secrets, love, and legacy in the New York art world. "Mischievous...funny, astute...As unexpectedly generous as it is entertaining.... Christensen is a witty observer of the art universe." —The New York Times