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Marcel Mauss
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The Gift; Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies Hardcover – October 26, 2022

by Marcel Mauss (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 58 ratings
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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    154 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Legare Street Press
  4. Publication date
    October 26, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    6.14 x 0.44 x 9.21 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1015479723
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1015479722
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Legare Street Press (October 26, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 154 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1015479723
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1015479722
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.44 x 9.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 58 ratings

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Marcel Mauss

Marcel Mauss

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
58 global ratings
Inexpensive but illegible
1 Star
Inexpensive but illegible
This book is very cheap, so some might not care, but I found it almost impossible to read, because of the garbled words that appeared with great regularity (examples attached as photos). I would recommend paying a little extra for a more readable copy.
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Top reviews from the United States

Ed Brenegar
5.0 out of 5 stars An important contribution to a contemporary discussion of the exchange ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2014
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An important contribution to a contemporary discussion of the exchange of value between humans. If you are interested in philosophical works related to human life and relationships, then is an important book to read.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars great reprint at affordable price
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2016
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great reprint at affordable price
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Landon Shultz
4.0 out of 5 stars VERY INTERESTING BOOK
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2012
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This book reports on the traditions and obligations surrounding gift exchanges in primitive societies. Very interesting, although the author's style is somewhat stilted. The idea that objects have their own "personalities" and "want" to be exchanged was intriguing. The obligations surrounding gift exchanges in primitive societies were similar to our current obsession with giving equally valuable Christmas gifts, though much more extensive.
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Anna Taft
1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible text recognition software was used, making it very difficult to read
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021
Verified Purchase
The text was apparently made electronic using very poor text recognition software. As a consequence, there are multiple errors in each paragraph, the paragraph breaks are all off, and there are strange symbols scattered throughout the text. This makes it nearly impossible to read.
2 people found this helpful
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Maya
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2015
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Not actual book
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Briana Wong
1.0 out of 5 stars Inexpensive but illegible
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book is very cheap, so some might not care, but I found it almost impossible to read, because of the garbled words that appeared with great regularity (examples attached as photos). I would recommend paying a little extra for a more readable copy.
Customer image
Briana Wong
1.0 out of 5 stars Inexpensive but illegible
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019
This book is very cheap, so some might not care, but I found it almost impossible to read, because of the garbled words that appeared with great regularity (examples attached as photos). I would recommend paying a little extra for a more readable copy.
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image
Customer imageCustomer image
8 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars BAD COPY. DONT BUY THE DIGITAL VERSION.
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2016
Verified Purchase
Half of the words are messed up and copied incorrectly. Strings of symbols replace actual words in places.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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TanTan
4.0 out of 5 stars Cute
Reviewed in Italy on July 11, 2020
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cute, but I thought it different
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PEDRO LUJAN
5.0 out of 5 stars joyita
Reviewed in Spain on May 18, 2019
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un joyita
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Felipe Carvalho
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, lots of anthropological insight on the homo ...
Reviewed in Canada on January 27, 2016
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Great book, lots of anthropological insight on the homo economicus. Marcel Mauss is one of the greats and this work is nothing short of his proven standard.
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Georgios Samakovitis
5.0 out of 5 stars Against Frigid Utilitarian Calculation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2016
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In this magnificent piece of research carried out over 50 years ago, Mauss offers a sociological analysis of material exchange as a form, function and essential part of the social, political and economic fabric of society since the very early days of human history. Gift-giving and receiving is discussed across the global geography and social anthropology, surfacing an outstanding resemblance of archaic exchange to current process and practice in modern western civilisation.
Drilling-down to ancient notions of generosity, honour, social obligation and money, Mauss leads us to rich conclusions and solid parallels drawn between the archaic traditions on material exchange (often aimed to shaping societal structure) with those of today, where still gifts and the obligation to return gifts, function as mechanisms to establish and maintain social hierarchies, but also to support economic balance.
The role of money as we know it, and our perception of its value is enriched through that significant role we give it as a means of acquiring material artefacts or organising social rituals whose sole purpose is social: to demonstrate our status; reciprocate others’ gestures of generosity and oblige others to reciprocate; broadcast our magnanimity to our social circles and, ultimately participate in a competitive interaction where material wealth is consumed in exchange for social standing.
The balancing role of such function is obvious and both moral and economic: our obligation to adopt the multiple functions of wealth (such as gift-giving, charity, or other) sobers the natural tendency to hoard and pursue wealth for the sake of it; similarly, the same culture encourages the flow of wealth within a society and across societies as bonding material, above and beyond trade or any other profit-seeking endeavour.
More than anything, the work of Mauss highlights that today, as much as ever, money in its capacity as the means to acquiring wealth is an integral part of our cultural, legal, ethical, social, economic and political frameworks that have been driving the existence and shape of human civilisations.
3 people found this helpful
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Daniel Salas
5.0 out of 5 stars Good edition a very influential work
Reviewed in Canada on September 26, 2015
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The classic anthropology masterpiece. Good edition of the book, good binding and paper. Buy confidently.
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