This book, written by a man who is not only an anthropologist but a psychoanalyst, presents an unusual material gleaned from field work among the Australian tribes and interpreted as a result of psychoanalytical experience. The work primarily is an inquiry into human origins, an interpretation of culture and civilization, and an examination of some of the theories which have dealt with these subjects. Some of the more significant material is included in the Addenda, where the problem of civilization is more especially discussed. While the author's conclusions are speculative and hypothetical in character and can therefore not be considered in any sense as final, they are exceedingly provocative, particularly