“These twenty-four essays and articles by George Murdock cover almost the entire range of cultural anthropology. . . . Revealing the development of Dr. Murdock’s theoretical orientation, the range of his interests, and the variety of his contributions, these essays should be of interest to the layman as well as the student of culture.”
—Southwestern Art

“A distillate of the research and theory of a major figure in contemporary American anthropology. . . . A partial list of the topics discussed in particular papers illustrates Murdock’s breadth of interest:  waging baseball on Truk; anthropology and public health; political moieties among southeastern American Indians and North African Berbers and in modern democratic states; universal features of culture; Haida rank and potlatch; cultural evolution; and cross-language parallels in parental kin terms.”
—Science

“Because of the celebrity achieved by his book Social Structure (1949) and by the Human Relations Area Files from which it derived, Professor Murdock’s future reputation is likely to be especially associated with a particular style in cross-cultural comparison. This book is a valuable reminder that Six-Gun Pete has had other aces up his sleeve.”
—American Anthropologist