I'll skip reviewing the content and speak to book's edition. This is the one that was abridged by the author from a multi-volume, earlier edition. In later years, the tome was watered down and censored due to authorial speculation on the nature of Jesus. All the controversial ideas are present in this particular edition, so it is safe to purchase it and not feel cheated. --By A. D. Sian on July 4, 2007
In The Golden Bough, James George Frazer, an expert social anthropologist, explains the ancient origins of the world's myths, rituals, and religions. He shows the similarities between many cultures' strange superstitions, such as animal and human sacrifice, fertility ritual, community cleansing rituals, and others. He begins with the question of why, at Nemi in prehistoric Greek times, a warrior priest known as the King of the Wood kept his position by fighting for his life, which could be threatened at any time by his successor and murderer. By attempting to explain this ancient tradition, Frazer examines similarities between religious beliefs and shows how the belief in magic and the worship of nature was gradually transformed into the worship of religious kings and gods. Controversially, many elements of Christianity are included, such as Christ's crucifixion and the fact that many Christian holidays coincide with the dates of prehistoric pagan rituals. For the diligent skeptic of Frazer's ideas, I would advise reading the full, multi-volume edition, which includes the archeological evidence for the theories. --By translucenc on May 28, 2010
Sir James George Frazer (1854-1941) is rightly regarded as one of the founders of modern anthropology. The Golden Bough, his masterpiece, appeared in twelve volumes between 1890 and 1915. This volume is the author's own abridgement of his great work, and was first published in 1922.
Remarkable for its vast assembly of facts and its charm of presentation, it offers the thesis that man progresses from magic through religious belief to scientific thought. It discusses fertility rites, human sacrifice, the dying god, the scapegoat and many other symbols and practices which have influenced a whole generation of 20th century writers, including D.H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot.
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Vendeur : Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, Royaume-Uni
Etat : Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. N° de réf. du vendeur 434023-6
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Vendeur : ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, Etats-Unis
Paperback. Etat : Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. N° de réf. du vendeur G0333096290I5N00
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Vendeur : ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, Etats-Unis
Paperback. Etat : Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. N° de réf. du vendeur G0333096290I5N00
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Vendeur : RIVERLEE BOOKS, Waltham Cross, HERTS, Royaume-Uni
Soft cover. Etat : Fair. 2nd Edition. A soft cover non-fiction in fair condition. Pages are moderately toned, yet clean and without markings. The cover is clean and well-preserved, with no major wear. N° de réf. du vendeur 119217
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Vendeur : Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, Etats-Unis
Etat : Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. N° de réf. du vendeur 434023-6
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Vendeur : M Godding Books Ltd, Devizes, WILTS, Royaume-Uni
paperback. Etat : Good. . Posted within 1 working day. Royal Mail Tracked 24 to UK. Tracked Airmail worldwide. Robust recyclable packaging. Picture is the actual item. N° de réf. du vendeur 307910
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Vendeur : Darkwood Online T/A BooksinBulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgarie
Paperback. Etat : Good+. Abridged Edition; Eighth Printing. Light reading creases and shelf wear, some heavy foxing to inside covers, endpapers and edges of reading block. ; 8th printing, 1976. Nice tight copy, no names inside. Heavy book and priced accordingly. Wrap around cover artwork by Peter Goodfellow. ; 992 pages; A wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion aimed at a broad literate audience raised on tales as told in such publications as Thomas Bulfinch's The Age of Fable, or Stories of Gods and Heroes. It offers a modernist approach to discussing religion, treating it dispassionately as a cultural phenomenon rather than from a theological perspective. Mass Market PB. N° de réf. du vendeur 28169
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Vendeur : Crappy Old Books, Barry, Royaume-Uni
Paperback. Etat : Good. The Golden Bough (1976) J. G. Frazer ? Macmillan ISBN: 0333096290 Condition: Good Vendor: Crappy Old Books Here it is: the book that convinced generations of earnest readers that, given enough time and footnotes, every ritual is about crops, kings, and someone being very politely sacrificed. The Golden Bough is J. G. Frazer?s sprawling, relentless attempt to explain religion, myth, magic, and human behaviour using a single grand theory: people are fundamentally the same everywhere, and they keep doing the strangest things with mistletoe, bonfires and fertility rites. First published in the early 20th century, it has been baffling, inspiring and slightly misleading undergraduates ever since. Inside this 1976 Macmillan edition you will find: Frazer cheerfully dragging you through ancient Rome, remote villages, sacred groves and seasonal festivals , all in search of that one big idea about dying and resurrected gods. A dazzling parade of harvest rituals, taboo-breaking, scapegoats, kings who really shouldn?t get too comfortable , and enough ceremonial vegetation to rewild several counties. The famously unsettling saga of the Priest of Nemi , where the job description is basically ?sacred king, full benefits, must be prepared to fight your replacement to the death.? A style of writing that says, ?Of course this is all perfectly obvious,? while presenting you with an endless succession of customs involving bonfires, livestock, and people wearing things they probably regret. This isn?t a quick read. This is a literary endurance event , the anthropological equivalent of deciding to run a marathon because you quite like walking to the shops. But it?s also an astonishing time capsule: a grand, overly confident, slightly bonkers Victorian/Edwardian mind trying to file the entire world?s folklore into neat boxes. Our copy is graded Good , which at Crappy Old Books means: The covers/boards are sound and holding firm, like a sturdy old temple that?s seen a few too many processions but is in no danger of toppling. The spine may show light creasing or rubbing ? entirely appropriate for a book whose previous reader probably needed several sittings (and snacks) to get through it. The pages are all present and correct, agreeably tanned to that soft ?ancient library? shade that makes you feel clever just by touching them. A faint spot of foxing here, a tiny smudge there ? nothing that interferes with the important business of comparing someone?s midsummer bonfire to someone else?s fertility rite. You may discover an old name inside, a pencilled note, or a random bookmark from the late 1970s, left by a brave soul who reached chapter twelve and decided to ?pause? indefinitely. Not pristine, not ?as new,? but positively robust ? the sort of book you can read in bed, annotate, or wave around while explaining to friends why maypole dancing is probably more sinister than it looks. Perfect for: Folklore and mythology nerds who want to see where half the big sweeping theories came from (before later scholars quietly dismantled them). Occult and pagan-curious readers who?ve heard the title whispered reverently and want to know what the fuss was about. Students and academics who plan to read five pages, quote it confidently, then spend the rest of their career saying, ?Well, Frazer was important, but?? Anyone who enjoys the peculiar pleasure of watching a late-19th-century intellectual attempt to organise the human soul with the enthusiasm of a man labelling drawers. The Golden Bough is overambitious, outdated, problematic, and absolutely essential ? the grandparent of a thousand hot takes about myth and ritual. This 1976 Macmillan edition carries all that weight in a solid, Good -condition package, ready for another round of awe, eye-rolling and underlining. Available now from Crappy Old Books , where we specialise in the titles that tried to explain everything, got some of it wrong, and remain gloriously readable anyway. N° de réf. du vendeur 5146
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : GfB, the Colchester Bookshop, Colchester, Royaume-Uni
Paperback. Etat : Good. No jacket. Macmillan, 1974, reprint. Paperback, sm8vo, xv,971pp. Corner cut from first page, yellowed and a little creased. A fair copy. 0333096290/0.6uk. N° de réf. du vendeur 392337
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Hay-on-Wye Booksellers, Hay-on-Wye, HEREF, Royaume-Uni
Etat : Good. 1971 reprint with a different cover design to the one on Amazon. Light wear, creases & foxing to the softcover. Creased spine. Tanned textblock, darker & foxed at the edges. Yellow marks to the outer pages. Content is in good condition. N° de réf. du vendeur 97606-12-02-2026-LMC
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)