Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #271296 in Books
• Published on: 1991-02-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

A good, thorough introduction to a complex field.
This is a good, thorough introduction to a complex and difficult subject matter. Dr. Mallory has assembled material from linguistics, archeology, and historical accounts to document the many aspects and issues in this hotly-contested area. While readers searching to fuel political programs will find little fodder here, serious students can trust both the majority of the details and the major conclusions of the author. He also follows the professional custom of summarizing major alternative interpretations when discussing issues still in dispute within the field.

Undoubtedly, some will find the entire concept of Indo-European origins offensive; for them the best course might be to look elsewhere. This book is not about polemics, but about rational, careful scholarship; even if the very premise of Indo- European language were called into question, the historical and archeological detail would be fascinating.

A fine Introductory Book
In this book Mallory attempts to cover a great deal of information and does a sterling job. The text begins by looking at all of the serious (and perhaps even the not so serious) ideas on IE origins and then looks at the material used to make these assumptions. Finally, Mallory attempts to use what we know about the Linguistic, Archaeological, religious etc. aspects of the various IE culturial groups to come to a "best guess" resoultion of IE origins. I know of course that mass migration ideas have come under fire in the PC arena that is academics today, however, even in the historic period we see such large movements of people spreading thier language and culture with them. Many will not like the book because they think it is Euro-centric etc. however, facts can not be dismissed and all Mallory does in this book is present facts as best he can and try to produce at least the beginnings of an answer to the IE question. I feel he does a fine job and can only suggest that the nay-sayers be disregarded and this book read with an open mind.

An excellent survey of the problem and the scholarship.
Mallory comprehensively surveys the problem and the scholarship in a manner designed to be both accessible to the lay reader and useful to the specialist--a most difficult undertaking! Most of the negative reviews appear to be the work of revisionists who evidently doubt that folk migrations occurred in prehistoric times, an untenable position. Mallory's work is marred only by his doubtless prudent decision to eschew discussion of the PIE maennerbund.