Early Anthropologists: Raymond Firth, Audrey Richards, Lucy Mair, Meyer Fortes and Edmund Leach is the first time a collection of interviews is being published as a book. These interviews and talks have been conducted by one of England’s leading social anthropologists and historians, Professor Alan Macfarlane. Filmed over a period of 40 years, the five conversations and talks in this volume, are part of Social Science Press's series Creative Lives and Works. These transcriptions also form a part of a larger set of interviews that cut across various disciplines, from the social sciences, the sciences and to the performing and visual arts. The current volume is on five of England’s foremost social anthropologists. These conversations and talks are interlaced with rich ethnography and interpretations of distant civilizations and the very real practices that enable these tribal societies and cultures to thrive. There are several teaching moments in these engaging conversations which are further enriched by detailed personal experiences that the interviewees share. Sir Raymond Firth gives us an insight into his Polynesian experience, while Audrey Richards and Lucy Mair recall their days in the African hinterland. Meyer Fortes’s account of his tribal study, yet again in the African subcontinent, is mesmeric, while Sir Edmund Leach's Southeast Asian encounters are just as enthralling. Immensely riveting as conversations, this collection gives one a flavour of how tribal societies live and work. The book will be of enormous value not just to those interested in learning about tribal societies and cultures, and those interested in History, Culture Studies, but also to those curious to gather knowledge about other cultures. Contents: Transcriber’s Note Introduction Malinowski and Functionalism – Alan Macfarlane Part I Raymond Firth – In conversation with Alan Macfarlane Part II Audrey Richards – On Fieldwork – In conversation with Jack Goody Part III Lucy Mair – In conversation with Jean La Fontaine and Alan Macfarlane Part IV Meyer Fortes – Tallensi Divination – In conversation with Jack Goody My Encounter with Meyer Fortes – Alan Macfarlane Part V Edmund Leach – In conversation with Frank Kermode Appendix 1: Being There: Participant-Observation Fieldwork – Alan Macfarlane Appendix 2: Biographical Information – Compiled by Radha Béteille