Primitives And The Supernatural

Lucien Levy-Bruhl; Authorized Translation by Lillian A. Clare

Verlag: E. P. Dutton & Co., New York, 1935

Stated First Edition. First American Edition. This book was previously owned by the renowned sociologist, Daniel Bell. However, he did not write his name in the book or make any markings. You can see the green covers in the photos. They are quite clean. There is some rubbing, and a touch of fraying, at the spine ends. Also a small loss at the bottom one. The spine has a few surface scratches and the gilt lettering there is no longer bright. The cover edges are in very good shape. There's a little bit of light rubbing at the corners. There is a small crease just below the front top corner. The middle page edge is deckled or rough-cut. They did a very good job. The book is square and the spine is straight. The binding is very solid from cover to cover with nicely tight pages throughout and nicely tight covers as well. The pages are exceptionally clean. Scrolling through, I haven't found any soiling at all. The crease at the top corner of the front cover created only a small, mild crease at the top corners of the first ten or so pages, disappearing before the Introduction. I didn't see any other creasing. There are no markings in the book. There are no attachments of any kind. And no one has written their name or anything else anywhere. Google Books: 'A classic work in its field. This is a comprehensive anthropological study of occult beliefs among primitive peoples.' From an abstract of a paper I found on the Internet: 'Lucien Levy-Bruhl adds to his previous studies of the primitive mind an examination of its reactions when confronted with the supernatural. As is well known, in his conception, the working of the primitive mind is so far removed from the logic of developed reasoning as to warrant regarding its processes as belonging to a different order. It has no conception of the world of abstract thought, of causation, of categories and the like. Its cosmos is unpredictable and unstable; it is a realm under the control of spirits, both good and evil, who are to be propitiated and if possible controlled. In these conditions it seems difficult to draw the line between normal and supernormal, natural and supernatural. M. Levy-Bruhl, whose knowledge of the literature of the subject is stupendous, here passes in review the ceremonies and rites, and the beliefs and customs relating to omens, amulets, ancestor worship, purification and the like, whereby primitive man has endeavoured to ensure that the course of events either shall turn to his advantage or at least not be to his detriment.'. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 005089

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Primitives And The Supernatural
Verlag: E. P. Dutton & Co., New York
Erscheinungsdatum: 1935
Einband: Hardcover
Zustand: Very Good
Auflage: 1st Edition