This book gathers 15 contributions written by the most distinguished international scholars in the field of kinship. It provides an extensive view on methodological and theoretical advances in kinship studies, as well as several in-depth case studies that illustrate how those methods and concepts might be applied.

One main strength of the book is to present a perspective that is at the same time formal (with an emphasis on mathematical concepts and measures), and historical. In other words, unlike many quantitative kinship studies, those papers are respective of the richness of ethnographic information, and do not dismiss the peculiarities of contexts or time periods. Quite to the contrary, actions and decisions regarding kinship are seen as "embedded in specific nexus of social relations" (p. 1). Houseman and White, for instance, in their reanalysis of Leach's classical study on Pul Eliya, are able to show how matrimonial alliances are explained by a theory of practice grounded in the circumstances of the material environment and the social network (p. 83), which are historical in nature. Considering social constraints as emerging interactional realities enables the authors to defy structural determinism, while keeping the project of scientific explanation.

Conceptual and methodological advances are numerous. Duran Bell's article, for instance, suggests to reinterpret bridewealth, dowry and marriage exchange, in relation with corporate groups, and provides an interesting alternative to an analytical perspective in which reciprocity is the elementary unit of social action. One methodological advance that will undoubtedly excite people interested in kinship is the PGRAPH kinship graph, developed by Douglas White, one of the editors, along with Paul Jorion. Unlike conventional genealogical graphs, PGRAPH considers couples as nodes, and individuals as edges, thus providing a very straightforward representation of the kinship space, that enables one to discover relational structures, in cases where conventional genealogical graphs are of very limited help. The software producing PGRAPHS can be downloaded from Douglas White's home page.

In addition to the presentation of methodological and conceptual advances, readers will enjoy reading fascinating case studies, ranging from Papua New Guinea, India, to Mediterranean communities. Thus, this book satisfied my appetite for rigorous and up to date formal analysis, while providing this touch of exoticism that makes good Anthropology books.

This book is a great reminder of how the internet world can be today. Thomas did a wonderful job of collecting facts, ideas, and views of all the danger that the public is facing today. I recently spoke with a member of a group mentioned in the book that I happen to know, and he referred it to me. It was a great way to pass the time and help learn about mistakes that you could make.