First published in 1987. This book began in Bali during 1970-72, during the author's Ph.D. research on the shadow theatre for the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. However, two subsequent trips to Bali in 1980 and 1984, when I studied other forms of dance-drama and ritual, greatly contributed to the work. The shadow theatre in Bali is described and its place in the society and culture explored. It is so called, as during the night performance puppets cast vibrant shadows against a white cotton screen which is illuminated by a flickering coconut-oil lamp.

Introduction and setting, Balinese society and culture, Background to the shadow theatre, The literary basis of the shadow theatre, The repertoire, The Adiparwa in relation to the shadow theatre, Main characters in the shadow theatre, Text in the shadow theatre, The puppets: construction, form and symbolism, Puppets and puppet collections, Puppet craftsmanship, The significance of the puppets' parts, The iconographic system, The audience and the performance, Audience and stage, The ritual activities of the dalang, The performance, Creativity and the servants, The place of the shadow theatre in Balinese culture and society, The significance of the performance, The shadow theatre in village life, The shadow theatre in relation to the other arts.