The Circle of Life: Rituals from the Human Family Album

"We are born, grow, become adult, marry and die. At each of these points there is a breaking with the old, stable ways of life, and then we experience an opening into a world of greater awareness for a time, whether of spiritual things or simply unfamiliar possiblities. THE CIRCLE OF LIFE brilliantly captures these manifold expressions of change and will teach the public better than any academic tome the meaning of ritual." Edith Turner, Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia

"Since its discovery, photography has been most powerful when capturing the pivotal moments of life. The photographs in THE CIRCLE OF LIFE through their range and brilliance give us a greater awareness of the human family to which we all belong." Peter Howe, Director of Photography, LIFE Magazine

"THE CIRCLE OF LIFE editors chose photographs that illustrate in a most striking manner the ritualized modes of personal development.... A person seeking to encounter the human in process of dynamic change can come to these pictures and be fulfilled."
Christopher Vecsey, Chairman, Department of Philosophy and Religion, Colgate University