James M. Donovan's Legal Anthropology: An Introduction is a very useful, needy, and successful account that presents the various aspects of law, with a clear and balanced exposition of the major theories of legal scholars.

Leopold Pospisil, professor and curator emeritus, Yale Peabody Museum

Donovan's introduction is a book worth reading….His book succeeds in its function as a textbook….This book makes a well-written introduction to an important field of anthropology.

Anthropos

In a field where there are many good and some great monographs, critical overviews are few and far between, and James M. Donovan's comprehensive treatment of legal anthropology comes as a breath of fresh air. Legal Anthropology guides newcomers to the rich literature of law and anthropology, and provides more mature scholars with perspectives to debate.

Mack O'Barr, professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University and author of Just Words, Second Edition: Law, Language, and Power