Selected Letters of Sir J. G. Frazer

An edition of selected letters by (and in some cases to) Sir J. G. Frazer (1854-1941), the eminent anthropologist and historian of religion, and author of The Golden Bough. It offers an invaluable insight into British intellectual life at the turn of the century, and also illuminates the composition, and reception, of The Golden Bough itself. - ;This is a fully annotated edition of selected letters by (and in some cases to) Sir J. G. Frazer (1854-1941), the eminent anthropologist, classicist, and historian of religion. Frazer was read by virtually everyone working in those fields in the first third of the twentieth century. His great work, The Golden Bough, offered a grand vision of humanity's mental and spiritual evolution - from vain attempts to compel the gods to do our bidding (which Frazer called magic). through equally vain attempts to propitiate the gods through prayer and sacrifice (his characterization of religion) to rationality and science. His richly varied correspondence with prominent figures such as Edmund Gosse, A. E. Housman, and Bronislaw Malinowski, among others, offers an unparalleled insight into. British intellectual life of the time, and also throws light upon the composition of The Golden Bough itself. - ;Ackerman carries off his project with the deceptive ease of one who knows more about Frazer than anyone else alive. Like his earlier biography, this collection will be an indispensable resource for students of Frazer for many years to come. - Robert Alun Jones, Religion;We are not finished with him yet. - Robert Fraser, The Classical Review;this collection will be an indispensable resource for students of Frazer for many years to come. - Robert Alun Jones, Religion;The volume is not merely essential for anthropologists, but will be read with profit and pleasure by all who take a lively interest in the cultural history of recent times. It will certainly entice you to hunt out that old one-volume abridgement of The Golden Bough. - Gordon K