Reviews for Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural

The average rating for Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-12-03 00:00:00 Nell Peyronnin I had to pick this up for my anthropology class. I was excited to learn about the subject, but I was dismayed when I saw this book. It's dense, with no pictures. I started reading it because I had to and I was surprised at how interesting it was. It covers a very wide range of topics, from the classics to somewhat modern ones. This textbook is really just a bunch of articles bound up as a textbook, with a couple introductions. (Which are one of the best parts.) So don't expect it to be some kind of 101 book for the subject. Keep in mind that this book is a compilation of essays from many different well-known experts on the subject, some of which aren't too neutral in their opinions. Also, some of these opinions might be a bit dated. Even though it is intended as a textbook for people who have been studying the subject, it's interesting enough, and readable enough that you can pick it up without any previous knowledge and still enjoy it.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-04-05 00:00:00 Steven Vaughan This is an amazing collection of scholarly articles by leading anthropologists concerning the supernatural. It is impressively dense, making the 500 pages seem even longer. It covers topics as diverse as religious themes in the Simpsons to the nature and origins of religion itself.