Adds substantially to the ethnography of Melanesian mortuary ritual. . . . The cumulative result is a forceful demonstration of how mortuary ritual can organize and channel the flow of Melanesian social life.

Table of Contents
Introduction: Frederick H. Damon
To Eat for the Dead: Kaduwagan Mortuary Events: Susan P. Montague
A Vakutan Mortuary Cycle: Shirley Campbell
The Muyuw Lo'un and the End of Marriage: Frederick H. Damon
Death and Kinship in Molima: Ann Chowning
The Triumph of the Susu: Mortuary Exchanges on Tubetube: Martha Macintyre
Death and Matrilineal Reincorporation on Normanby Island: Carl Thune
"Eating the Dead": Mortuary Transactions in Bwaidoka, Goodenough Island: Michael W. Young
Death and Exchange: Mortuary Ritual on Vanatinai (Sudest Island): Maria Lepowsky
The Day of Reckoning on Rossel Island: John Liep
Conclusion: The Exchange of Context of the Kula: Roy Wagner
Bibliography

Wagner is brilliant in his understanding of the Daribi. Well written and well worth the read.

This book is actually titled "Plumes from Paradise". Excellent maps, readable text covering the trade in Bird of Paradise feathers and other contacts in the colonial and pre-colonial periods.

I read this book as a required text for my Middle East Politics class which was taught by one of the authors, Prof. Seibert. I think it gives an accurate walkthrough to the history of Middle East Politics. It stays clear of any bias while trying to examine and integrate economic, social and political factors together. I enjoyed reading and discussing this work immensely. I would strongly recommend it.

I bought this translation after I bought Wolfgang Sawallisch's excellent live Ring on EMI-- which, obviously, did not include a libretto. I did not realize until I read the introduction that Andrew Porter's translation was for an English version of The Ring staged some years back. I would only want to hear The Ring in the original German, but I must say Porter does a fabulous job in capturing both the sense and the rhythms of Wagner's language. He is forced to give up some of the alliterative quality in order to be more literal, but what makes this book so intriguing is that one can follow along with the music and practically hear the English text in each note, syllable by syllable. That's because Porter did the impossible by pretty much matching the meaning of each word (and each part of a word) with the intended note, setting it apart from those clumsy German translations of Mozart's Da Ponte operas, and so forth. However, I did feel like I was missing out on some of Wagner's meaning, and so I sought out a more literal (and less poetic) translation. I found that in Barry Millington's text-- in hardcover, and therefore more expensive, but with excellent notes and a few essays (as well as photos of older productions). So, unless one wants to know how Wagner might sound in English (and the Chandos cycle on CD does just that), I suggest finding another translation for listening purposes.

Andrew Porter's English translation of the 'Ring' was written to be sung. It has been used in performances of the 'Ring' cycle at English National Opera and elsewhere. When reading this translation, and perhaps using it to follow a recording or broadcast of any of these operas in the original German, you should keep in mind that it is not a *literal* translation. Porter has taken some liberties with the meaning of the original text, in order to match the rhythms of his English as closely as possible to those of Wagner's archaic German. The translator has also attempted to capture some of the alliteration that is characteristic of Wagner's *stabreim*.

It is clear that Andrew Porter understands the text of the 'Ring' well enough that he was able to make this "poetic" translation without distorting the meaning of the original text. For a literal, accurate translation, the only one currently available is by Stewart Spencer (Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung: The full German text with a new translation and commentaries, Thames and Hudson, 1993). You might also be able to find in a library or for sale used, the William Mann translation (Centurion Press Ltd, 1964).

If you collect audio "Ring" CDs, throw out all the libretti that may have come with your CDs and buy porter's book! The nice thing about this translation is that it (a) is understandable, and (b) is easy to follow along to an audio performance because it matches the singing syllable to syllable. Care was also taken in the translation so that the english words occur in the appropriate places where the motif occurs in the music. Also, proper names match up one for one with the German. So, for example when someone refers to "Siegmund", on a recording, the English text at that point is "Siegmund"! Awesome synchronization!

I'm afraid the reviewer below is overly generous. The late Kane was an artist of extraordinary talent and intellect who unfortunately rarely showed his full potential. Thomas, too, is a fine writer, especially when one considers that he was a protoge of Stan "The Man" Lee. I don't know how the two of them came to collaborate on this project, but, whereas one might think they would have really gone to town (being freed from the absurd constraints of the technicolor long-johns genre), Kane's art is only pretty-good at best, and downright shoddy at worst. Thomas, too, seems to lose steam halfway through, and the excellent writing of the first issues gives way to writing which is merely adequate. Most disturbing in the art is the Barbie-and-Ken-type depiction of the gods and goddesses. The "monsters" seem drawn with much more passion and care. Perhaps Kane intended this ironically, since the gods and goddesses are largely contemptible, whereas the monsters have a certain sympathetic appeal. Having said all that, I still think this is far better than the huge majority of comics, and it is a must-have for anyone who is an admirer of either Kane or Thomas.

Unfortunately, one of the negative aftershocks that usually accompanies a towering, controversial work-of-art is the sheer amount of pretentious [stuff] written about it. Considering that Der Ring des Nibelungen is quite possibly the most stupendous artistic achievement ever devised by one single individual, please feel free to multiply the previous statement by twelve.

Here, however, we something refreshingly straightforward. The Ring's four operas are well-represented by Thomas' & Kane's comic-book format. The graphics are mostly well-done and the writing appropriately archaic-sounding.

Alberich, Mime, Fasolt & Fafner (giant version) are all drawn to be exceedingly gross, yet strangely sympathetic (this is especially true of Mime). Wotan looks like the most convincing 80-year-old bodybuilder you've ever seen, while Hagen & Hunding look truly menacing. Donner is a hybrid of Hercules & Thor, the Rhinemaidens seem to have lost their clothing somewhere downstream, and Brunnhilde is exquisite. Siegmund & Siegfried are regrettably a little too "Masters of the Universe," but Fafner (dragon version) is brilliant!

There's also an introduction written by the editor of "Opera News" basically giving the intellectual "all clear" for enjoying this format. Aside from the graphics, the book's primary appeal is making the somewhat convoluted story of the Ring accessible in one gulp. Therein lies the value of this volume: instead of daunting the reader with hundreds of pages of musical analysis & the presumed hidden meanings of the Ring, it unassumingly invites the reader to experience one of the greatest journeys in Western music.

In a major departure of theme, Comix Art God, Gil Kane took on no less than The Ring Cycle from Alberecht's theft of the Ring of Power all the way through The Immolation and downfall of The Gods. Only an artist as confident as Kane could have ever gotten away with such a gutsy move. He is aided by a fairly tight and concise rendering of the story by Roy Thomas, no slouch himself. The magic of this pairing is that Thomas clearly knows when to leave certain elements of the story to Kane and his visual mastery. Every panel is kinetic with movement and the art is far more mature as it ought to be. Below there are reviews with silly warnings about the nudity in these books as if you would give your five year old a story about a Hero (sigfried)having passionate relations with his sister(brunhilde)! Laughable. The Ring Cycle is a very adult story by nature and Kane/Thomas treat it with the respect that a story for thinking individuals deserves. If you were expecting GOODNIGHT MOON, you are on the wrong page pal. However, I think any kid old enough to watch Discovery Channel unsupervised could be trusted with this material. In fact, this rendering of the RING is far more comprehensible than a Cliff Notes version they will inevitably buy in Highschool and far more entertaining.

Sadly, with Kane's death a year ago, we will not be treated to any more of his insightful and original treatments of timeless material. If you only know his Superhero stuff, you really need this book and you must also track down a used copy of the now out of print BLACKMARK. Kane's THE RING is simply a treasure for the art, the way the art tells the story and the succinct summary of a complex and lengthy Literature Classic. Too bad he couldn't have also done WAR & PEACE since his version would have been much more interesting.