THE SPECTRE OF COMPARISONS: NATIONALISM, SOUTHEAST ASIA, AND THE WORLD - Rare Fine Copy of The First Hardcover Edition/First Printing

Anderson, Benedict R. O. G.

ISBN 10: 1859848133 / ISBN 13: 9781859848135

Published by London, England: Verso Books, 1998, 1998

About this Item

1st Printing. 375 pages. Published in 1998. Retrospective collection of essays and occasional journalism. Benedict Anderson's most accessible, elegant, and engaging book. The First Hardcover Edition. The true first. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the Softcover Edition. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. Issued with and without DJ editions, as is typical of the publisher. Without DJ, as issued. The First Edition is now rare. Presents Benedict Anderson's "The Spectre of Comparisons: Nationalism, Southeast Asia, And The World". His best book since "Imagined Communities: Reflections On The Origin And Spread of Nationalism" (1983). "His most telling and incisive interventions have been his essays. Those collected in this book span a range of subjects: From Aquino's Philippines, where the horses on the haciendas ate better than the stable-hands, to political assassination in contemporary Thailand, where government posts have become so lucrative that to gain them, candidates will kill their rivals. The subtle imbrication of politics, national imaginings, bureaucracy, modernization, and its agents (particularly print culture) is brought out in all its complexity and richness. 'The spectre of comparisons' was a phrase by the Filipino nationalist and novelist Jose Rizal (1861-96) whose work and fate in the national imagination are discussed. Contains important theoretical and historical considerations about nationalism, national literature and memory, modernization, and the prospects for the Left in what Anderson dubs 'The New World Disorder' " (Publisher's blurb). An absolute "must-have" title for Benedict Anderson collectors. This title is great collection. This is one of few copies of the true First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (Verso) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Precedes and should NOT be confused with the Softcover Edition. Copies available online have very serious flaws. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare copy thus. One of the most important and influential historian/thinkers of the 20th century. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER BENEDICT ANDERSON TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 1859848133.

Seller Inventory # 23120

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE SPECTRE OF COMPARISONS: NATIONALISM, SOUTHEAST ASIA, AND THE WORLD - Rare Fine Copy of The First Hardcover Edition/First Printing
• Publisher: London, England: Verso Books, 1998
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1859848133
• ISBN 13: 9781859848135
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: None, As Issued
• Signed: no

About this title

Synopsis

A controversial collection from the author of the celebrated Imagined Communities. While Benedict Anderson is best known for his classic book on nationalism, Imagined Communities, many of his most telling and incisive interventions have been made in his essays. Those collected in this new book span a range of subjects: from Aquino's Philippines, where the horses on the haciendas ate better than the stable-hands, to political assassination in contemporary Thailand, where government posts have become so lucrative that to gain them candidates will kill their rivals. In these writing, the subtle imbrication of politics, national imaginings, bureaucracy, modernization and its agents (particularly print culture) is brought out in all its complexity and richness. "The spectre of comparisons" was a phrase used by the celebrated Filipino nationalist and novelist Jose Rizal (1861-96), whose work and fate in the national imagination are discussed in these pages. In his finely wrought observations on Southeast Asian societies, Anderson raises deep questions concerning this spectre, about how, for instance, Manila is changed when it can no longer be seen through a comparison with European capitals, and how, more broadly, nationalism is produce by the process of increasing global connection. The Spectre of Comparisons is an indispensable resource for those interested in South-East Asia. But it also contains important theoretical and historical considerations about nationalism, national literature and memory, modernization, and the prospects for the Left in what Anderson dubs 'The New World Disorder'.

About the Author

Benedict Anderson is Aaron L. Binenkorp Professor of International Studies Emeritus at Cornell University. He is editor of the journal Indonesia and author of Java in a Time of Revolution, The Spectre of Comparisons: Nationalism, Southeast Asia, and the World and Imagined Communities.