The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia

A landmark in the history of anthropology, The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia is Bronislaw Malinowski’s groundbreaking ethnographic study of love, courtship, marriage, and family life among the Trobriand Islanders of British New Guinea. First published in 1929, this is the Third Edition with a special foreword. The book remains a foundational text in cultural anthropology and human sexuality studies.

Based on Malinowski’s immersive fieldwork during his time in the Trobriand Islands, the book offers a richly detailed account of indigenous social structures and intimate life, challenging early 20th-century Western assumptions about sexuality and “primitive” cultures. Malinowski’s pioneering use of participant observation and vivid, often sympathetic prose made this work both scientifically influential and widely readable.

This edition includes a thoughtful preface by Havelock Ellis, a noted scholar of sexology, and features photographic plates and diagrams that further illuminate Trobriand society.