The Head-Hunters of Borneo

Southeast Asian History Ethnography Colonial History Regional History Anthropology Adventure Non-Fiction Travel Literature

First published in 1881 and re-issued in this collectible 1988 paperback, Carl Bock’s The Head-Hunters of Borneo remains the go-to primary source for anyone studying 19th-century Borneo. Bock—a Norwegian naturalist commissioned by the Dutch colonial government—spent months traveling the Mahakam and Barito river systems, recording detailed observations on the Dayak, Kayan, Kenyah and Punan peoples just before outside influence permanently altered their cultures. The text blends adventure narrative with ethnography, mapping village layouts, longhouse architecture, tattoo motifs, weaponry, and the ritual significance of head-hunting in a voice that is both respectful and vivid. For students, researchers, or arm-chair historians, this edition preserves the original illustrations and Bock’s hand-drawn maps, offering an unfiltered window into a world that no longer exists.

What makes the 1988 reprint especially desirable is its balance of readability and durability. The pages are sewn, not glued, so the binding stays tight even after repeated consultation, while the matte cover fits easily into a backpack for field reference. Light exterior scuffing and a gentle corner crease are the only signs of age—no underlining, stamps, or ex-library marks to distract from Bock’s first-hand accounts. Compared with fragile originals that command hundreds of dollars, this clean intermediate-level textbook provides an affordable, citation-ready copy for college courses on Southeast Asian history, regional studies, or post-colonial travel literature.

Collectors value the 1988 imprint because it reproduces the complete 1881 text and plates without the heavy abridgment found in later reprints. Keywords such as “Borneo head-hunters,” “19th-century Dayak ethnography,” “Carl Bock expedition,” and “Dutch East Indies exploration” consistently surface in academic bibliographies, making the title easy to resell or reference. Whether you are building a personal library on Indonesian history, preparing course readings, or hunting a narrative travelogue that still reads like an adventure story, this lightly worn paperback delivers the cultural detail and historical authenticity that high-quality used-book buyers actively search for online.

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