The Golden Bough: J.G. Frazer

Written in 1922, this book is still considered to be the most authoritative work on the occult, witchcraft and paganism. Frazer attempted to define the shared elements of religious belief and scientific thought, discussing fertility rites, human sacrifice, the dying god, the scapegoat, and many other symbols and practices whose influences had extended into 20th-century culture. His thesis is that old religions were fertility cults that revolved around the worship and periodic sacrifice of a sacred king and that mankind progresses from magic through religious belief to scientific thought. This is a condensed version, in which the overall mastery of the subject is made much clearer and much more readable. Cover art by Peter Goodfellow.