Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Paperback)

~ Arthur Lehmann (Author), James Myers (Author), Pamela Moro (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This comparative reader takes an anthropological approach to the study of religious beliefs, both strange and familiar. The engaging articles on all key issues related to the anthropology of religion grab the attention of students, while giving them an excellent foundation in contemporary ideas and approaches in the field. The multiple authors included in each chapter represent a range of interests, geographic foci, and ways of looking at each subject. Divided into 10 chapters, this book begins with a broad view of anthropological ways of looking at religion, and moves on to some of the core topics within the subject, such as myth, ritual, and the various types of religious specialists.

Product Details

• Paperback: 552 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 6 edition (July 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0073122696
• ISBN-13: 978-0073122694
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #740,501 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Buy it used, May 20, 2008

By	V (Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews

I truly believe the book is too expensive for its quality and lenght, and you can find it used at very cheap prices and in extremelly good conditions, the one I bought was really as good as new and I only paid USD12.
I think the description of the book is a little misleading since I was expecting something like MArvin Harris, Diamond or Robert Wright analyzes on the existence of spirituality and it turned out to be a compilation of essays. True, most of them are really interesting and if you are not subscribed to LStore via university it is quite difficult to find these papers by themselves. The selected authors are like the divas of anthropology and I think that the book is nice to have as a consultation tool whenever you feel like wandering into certain topics.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not exceptional, March 21, 2009

By	Tiffiny Suter (Anderson, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Paperback)

I needed this book for an anthropology class. While it is mostly good, I have a few complaints. The first chapter is written with so much academical jargon, I spent half my time figuring out what the words meant and had difficulty grasping the meaning. Thankfully, the following chapters are written in an easier to follow tone. My other complaint has to do with some of the articles being very dated; religions grow and change, I expected the most recent edition to reflect that. Overall, if you need this book for your class, order it. How much you enjoy it really depends on how your professor uses the material.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Witchraft , September 19, 2007

By	F. Paradiso "Ren" (New England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Paperback)

People are still confusing Witchcraft and Wicca. Witchcraft in other cultures is on the negative and as it was put evil side. Not all is New Age Wicca. This book is an acedemic look into cultural Witchcraft in it's many forms. It is not a Llewellyn book.