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Article: White Rajah: a biography of Sir James Brooke.(General)(Book Review)
- Article from:
- Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
- Article date:
- June 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Royal Anthropological Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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BARLEY, NIGEL. White Rajah: a biography of Sir James Brooke, viii, 262 pp., maps, illus., bibliogr. London: Little, Brown, 2002, [pounds sterling]16.99 (cloth)
This gossipy, entertaining book should really be called A Sarawak miscellany. The biographical equivalent of a shaggy-dog story, it meanders through constant digressions, coy asides, vaguely relevant information, amusing descriptions, and throwaway lines. Beginning with the birth and ending with the death of James Brooke, first Rajah of Sarawak, it peters out with an episode in which Nigel Barley tells present-day Biyanduh Dayaks and Malays that their respected Rajah really was gay--just as they are.
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