The first serious book to examine the history of religion. One thread that runs through the book is Frazer's knack of identifying similar stories and themes from different religions. Many of the bible stories are matched in other Indo-European religions, and sometimes from even remoter ones. It deserves 5 stars for being the first of its kind, for the depth and breadth of the research, and in this edition for the superb illustrations.
To be fair, some of his propositions and theories have since been disputed of disproved. Which is to be expected for he stimulated considerable follow-up research. However the overall picture is still valid. ( )