《西洋的航海者》是馬林諾夫斯基的驚世之作，在人類學史上具有裡程碑式意義。它以志的寫作手法記錄了新幾內亞東部區域所特有的庫拉貿易及運作規則。在書中，作者以庫拉為主線，對伴隨庫拉的巫術、神話、日常用品交易及食物分派行了詳細的描述括對土著人社會關繫及社會組織的深入探討。作者在導論繫統介紹了自己的志方法，該方法後來一直主導著當代人類學的走向，為後世人類學研究確立了科學的田野工作範式。

導語
PREFACE BY SIR.JAMES G. FRAZER
FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION: THE SUBJECT, METHOD AND SCOPE OF THIS INQUIRY
CHAPTER I THE COUNTRY AND INHABITANTS OF THE KULA DISTRICT
CHAPTER II THE NATIVES OF THE TROBRIAND ISLANDS
CHAPTER III THE ESSENTIALS OF THE KULA
CHAPTER IV CANOES AND SAILING
CHAPTER V THE CEREMONIAL BUILDING OF A WAGA
CHAPTER VI LAUNCHING OF A CANOE AND CEREMONIAL VISITING -- TRIBAL ECONOMICS IN THE TROBRIANDS
CHAPTER VII THE DEPARTURE OF AN OVERSEAS EXPEDITION
CHAPTER VIII THE FIRST HALT OF THE FLEET ON MUWA
CHAPTER IX SAILING ON THE SEA-ARM OF PILOLU
CHAPTER X THE STORY OF SHIPWRECK
CHAPTER XI IN THE AMPHLETTS -- SOCIOLOGY OF THE KULA
CHAPTER XII IN TEWARA AND SANAROA -- MYTHOLOGY OF THE KULA
CHAPTER XIII ON THE BEACH OF SARUBWOYNA
CHAPTER XIV THE KULA IN DOBU -- TECHNICALITIES OF THE EXCHANGE
CHAPTER XV THE.JOURNEY HOME -- THE FISHING AND
WORKING OF THE KALOMA SHELL
CHAPTER XVI THE RETURN VISIT OF THE DOBUANS TO SINAKETA
CHAPTER XVII MAGIC AND THE KULA
CHAPTER XVIII THE POWER OF WORDS IN MAGIC SOME LINGUISTIC DATA
CHAPTER XIX THE INLAND KULA
CHAPTER XX EXPEDITIONS BETWEEN KIRIWINA AND KITAVA
CHAPTER XXI THE REMAINING BRANCHES AND OFFSHOOTS OF THE KULA
CHAPTER XXII THE MEANING OF THE KULA
術語彙編與簡釋

馬林諾夫斯基在《西洋的航海者》中以志的寫作手法記錄了新幾內亞東部區域所特有的庫拉貿易及運作規則，還用大量篇幅記錄了特羅布裡恩群島土著人的生活、神話和巫術。本書為當代讀者迫切了解上不同人的生活提供了一個很好的契機和窗口。閱讀本書，讀者不僅可以略微了解馬林諾夫斯基du創的田野工作方法，更能感受到社會學家對人類的關懷。

   馬林諾夫斯基，英國的讓會人類學家，建構了以客觀志記載田野調查研究成果的方式，並開創了最早的社會人類學課程，故被譽為“志之父”。