This uniquely broad survey reconstructs the nonwestern world as it was before the main onslaught of European imperialism. It offers a systematic overview rather than an idiosyncratic selection of particular cultures. The author minimizes redundancy with a scheme of nested cultural units he calls Domains, Zones, and Areas. Having made generalizations about a Domain, King then takes these as given and emphasizes the distinctive features of each Zone within the Domain. The same approach is used for each Zone and its constituent Areas. Comparison is facilitated by using the same categories in describing every cultural unit: material culture, social relations, and knowledge and expression. In addition to providing an overview of traditional cultures, the book imparts an appreciation for the diversity of human experience and achievement. It also gives the reader a foundation for understanding traditions that survive today, illuminating topics such as the meaning of gambling to Native Americans and the significance of female seclusion in Middle Eastern cultures.

Highly organized and concise, King’s systematic approach will help students learn and retain a large amount of material they can apply to other anthropology courses, other disciplines, and to the world around them. The material is presented as objectively as possible so that instructors can emphasize any theoretical or topical perspective.