'This book well represents some of the richness of recent work on ritual, ceremonial, pomp, or whatever other term one chooses to use ... How power works is one of the oldest philosophical issues ... one of its most essential aspects, its self-presentation, is greatly illuminated by the essays in this book.' History 'This is ... a collection of fascinating studies, ranging from Babylon to twentieth-century Ghana, from China to Madagascar ... Professional historians of the modern period, as well as others, would do well to take ritual seriously.' London Review of Books
