THE SPECTRE OF COMPARISONS: NATIONALISM, SOUTHEAST ASIA, AND THE WORLD

London, England: Verso Books, 1998. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/No Dust Jacket, As Issued.. London, England: Verso Books, 1998. Hardcover. Fine/None, As Issued. First Edition/First Printing. 375 pages. 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.