Afterword

Abstract This afterword provides an overview of the first edition’s background and then critical reception, offering some insights into the work as being representative of mid- to later twentieth-century trends in the study of religion—part of the argument for reproducing much of the first edition as if it were a historical artifact from a prior moment in the field. However, given that little has changed, the new edition’s updates and additions are therefore aimed at also persuading current readers that the book remains relevant and is thus more than just a curious relic from another time.