The Dictionary of Anthropology

Barfield provides concise but fairly nuanced summaries of a broad selection of significant terms and themes in sociocultural anthropology. I have recommended it as a supplementary resource for upper-level undergraduates in classical theory as well as thematic courses for several years. It hasn't been updated since 1997, which is a shame, but it is nonetheless an excellent desk reference. I'd love to see a new edition of this book. Note that the cross-references at the end of most entries point the reader to additional pages that often provide relevant information.

I have found this book to be extremely helpful in my graduate studies in anthropology (M.A., Ph.D. at Michigan State University). I don't know what the reviewer means by calling this book an "[...] attempt to legitimize anthropology." Those of us practicing anthropology (not to mention all those that have practiced it in the last 100 years or so), know that anthropology is very "legitimate" and essential to the future of the social sciences within the modern academy. No general reference book is perfect, but I highly recommend this as a refresher for general anthropological concepts.

I have this book since I purchased in April 1999 and has been a very handy resource for me whenever I need it. This dictionary has been very helpful for me to pinpoint terminologies which sometimes left vauge in my mind since I left the department of anthropologies during my graduate studies quite a long time ago. As a reference book I don't use it every day but it's always a part of my collection and ready whenever I need it.This morning I discovered that something is missing in this book. All dictionaries I have alway started from A to Z. Whatever happened to this book, by accident or by design, this dictionary doesn't have any word started with letter X, Y and Z. It has only words from A to W which reminds me to a brand name of Rootbeer A & W. I checked the page number on the last word of letter W. It is page 501. Then on page 502 it starts with Bibliografy and ends on page 626, a long 124 pages of A to Z author's name.My question to the Editor Thomas Barfield and/or the Publisher Blackwell Publisher, Ltd is what's happening to the words starting with X, Y, and Z?