-30% ✨ New The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion by Frazer, James George

The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion — photo 1

The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion — photo 2

📖 Read this book?

Your review will encourage others to read it

−30%

The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion

Name: The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion
Price: 18.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Frazer, James George
ISBN: 9780199538829

✍️ Frazer, James George

☆ Reader reviews: none yet — be the first

18 $ ~~26 $~~ Discount 8 $

📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Unearth humanity's ancient spiritual roots, from primal magic to modern thought.

James George Frazer's monumental work offers a sweeping examination of human beliefs and institutions, tracing their evolution from archaic magical practices through the development of religious systems to the eventual emergence of scientific reasoning. This groundbreaking study fundamentally shaped modern anthropology and comparative religion. This particular edition is vital as it restores Frazer's original, more audacious theories, including previously omitted discussions concerning the Crucifixion, making available the complete intellectual journey for a contemporary audience. It's an indispensable volume for any serious scholar or curious mind exploring the origins of human spiritual and intellectual life.

Key themes

{'title': 'Progression of Thought', 'body': "Frazer meticulously charts humanity's intellectual journey, illustrating how societies transitioned from belief in magical manipulation to the complex doctrines of religion, ultimately paving the way for scientific inquiry. The book argues for a grand evolutionary path of human understanding."} {'title': 'Comparative Mythology & Ritual', 'body': 'This study delves into countless myths, rituals, and customs from diverse cultures across the globe, revealing common threads and universal patterns in human responses to nature, death, and the divine. It highlights the shared foundations of human spiritual experience.'} {'title': 'Restored Controversial Theories', 'body': "Crucially, this edition reinstates Frazer's bolder, once-censored speculations, notably his provocative interpretations surrounding the Crucifixion. It offers readers an unfiltered look at the more daring aspects of his original scholarship, essential for a complete understanding of his work."}

🏛 Oxford University Press 📅 2009 📖 912 pages 🌐 en 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9780199538829

In stock — ready to ship

Fun fact

Frazer's "The Golden Bough" is a monumental, if sometimes sprawling, intellectual endeavor. This edition, with its restored content, truly offers the complete vision of a scholar grappling with humanity's deepest beliefs. It excels in its ambitious scope and the sheer volume of comparative data. However, those seeking a concise narrative or entirely modern anthropological methodology may find its colonial-era perspectives challenging. It remains, nonetheless, a cornerstone for anyone serious about the history of human thought on magic, myth, and religion.

📝 Description: The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion

A classic study of the beliefs and institutions of mankind, and the progress through magic and religion to scientific thought, The Golden Bough has a unique status in modern anthropology and literature. First published in 1890, The Golden Bough was eventually issued in a twelve-volume edition (1906-15) which was abridged in 1922 by the author and his wife. That abridgement has never been reconsidered for a modern audience. In it some of the more controversial passages were dropped, including Frazer's daring speculations on the Crucifixion of Christ. For the first time this one-volume edition restores Frazer's bolder theories and sets them within the framework of a valuable introduction and notes. With new, modern packaging this new edition is a valuable classic to add to your bookshelf.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books — add yours →

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

If you're fascinated by the origins of human belief, the intersection of magic and religion, or the intellectual history of our species, this book is essential. Scholars of anthropology, comparative religion, and cultural studies will find it foundational reading.

Reader rating

Reviews yet. Be the first!

❓ Frequently asked questions

This edition is particularly valuable because it restores passages and theories that were controversially omitted from earlier abridgements, including Frazer's more speculative analyses of Christian history, offering a complete text.

While some of Frazer's methodologies and conclusions have been debated and refined by subsequent generations of scholars, "The Golden Bough" remains a foundational text. It continues to provoke thought and serves as a crucial historical document in the study of human culture and religion.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Progression of Thought

Frazer meticulously charts humanity's intellectual journey, illustrating how societies transitioned from belief in magical manipulation to the complex doctrines of religion, ultimately paving the way for scientific inquiry. The book argues for a grand evolutionary path of human understanding.

Comparative Mythology & Ritual

This study delves into countless myths, rituals, and customs from diverse cultures across the globe, revealing common threads and universal patterns in human responses to nature, death, and the divine. It highlights the shared foundations of human spiritual experience.

Restored Controversial Theories

Crucially, this edition reinstates Frazer's bolder, once-censored speculations, notably his provocative interpretations surrounding the Crucifixion. It offers readers an unfiltered look at the more daring aspects of his original scholarship, essential for a complete understanding of his work.

💬 Quotes from the book

«The king must die that the land may live, a primal sacrifice echoing through countless myths and rituals across the globe.»

«Before the priest and the philosopher, there stood the magician, manipulating nature with sympathetic bonds, a testament to humanity's earliest attempts at control.»

📜 Historical context

First appearing in 1890, "The Golden Bough" stands as a towering achievement of late 19th and early 20th-century anthropology. It epitomizes the grand, comparative approach prevalent at the time, seeking universal laws in cultural evolution. Despite subsequent critical reappraisals, its influence on fields from literature to psychology remains profound.

📚 Glossary

Comparative Religion
Magick Studies
Abridgement

📔 Questions to reflect on

Reflect on Frazer's proposed progression from magic to religion to science. Can you identify contemporary examples where these distinct modes of thought still intersect or conflict?
Consider how Frazer's study of ancient rituals might illuminate your understanding of modern holidays or cultural practices. What underlying beliefs might they share?
Frazer suggested universal patterns in human myths. Choose a myth from your own cultural background and compare it to a myth from a vastly different culture. What common themes emerge?