From Library Journal
Both extraordinary and overwhelming, this monumental two-volume anthology reprints 1,047 Papua folktales that originally appeared in native newspapers from 1972 to 1997. First printed in Tok Pilsin, the pidgin English of Papua, this exhaustive collection represents all of the island nation's provinces and 35 percent of its 700 language/culture groups. Slone, a Berkeley research scientist, includes tales that explore the spectrum of daily life occurrences e.g., birth, death, hunting and gathering, and familiar routines as well as encounters with spiritual beings, monstrous creatures, and more. Sources for each entry are thoroughly documented in headnotes. Aside from the tales, this work features exemplary indexes that identify major motifs and an extensive bibliography that enhances the text significantly. However, as these tales lack revealing comment, they will resonate primarily with the dedicated reader/scholar. Not an essential acquisition, this work will find a limited audience in exhaustive collections of world folklore or those focusing on the South Sea Island region. Richard K. Burns, MSLS, Hatboro, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Library Journal, February 15, 2002
"Both extraordinary and overwhelming", "monumental", "exemplary indexes"
