'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