NEW CALEDONIA. Fritz SARASIN - Lot 99

NEW CALEDONIA. Fritz SARASIN Ethnography of the Kanak of New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands (1911–1912). Paris, Ibis Press, 2009. Preface by Déwé Görödé. Introduction by Christian Kaufmann. Translation and notes by Raymond Ammann and Bernard Gasser. In-4 format, 297 pages, atlas of 73 plates (nearly 700 objects), 19 color plates, cloth-bound, vignette pasted on the front cover, slipcase (slight soiling). Deluxe edition numbered in a run of 120 copies (No. 109). First French edition of the German work published in 1929. A reference work on the ethnography of New Caledonia. Dr. Fritz Sara’s work is a comprehensive collection of data on Kanak culture and civilization in the early 20th century. Thanks to the richness of its illustrations, the precision of its text, and the scientific objectivity of its analysis, it is the definitive reference work. Nearly a century ago, Fritz Sarasin and Jean Roux, two Swiss zoologists who had previously undertaken exploratory trips to Indonesia, turned their attention to New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands. Their research focused on the fundamental aspects of natural and cultural history. They began by conducting a comprehensive survey of natural diversity from various perspectives and undertook a detailed study of the human phenotype, classified according to the criteria of physical anthropology. They also studied material culture in all its variety—tools, architectural elements, and ritual objects—with great precision. It is this part of their research that is published here. A collection of illustrations selected and documented by Roger Boulay confirms the exceptional quality of Sarasin and Roux’s collection.