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Cover of The Golden Bough by James George FrazerThe Golden Bough
Classic · Nonfiction, Classics, Literature

The Golden Bough

by James George Frazer
1890 · 254 pages · Nonfiction
69.6Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 6 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

James Frazer, a Scottish anthropologist, collected myths, rituals and customs from around the world, from the sacred king of an ancient grove in Italy to harvest festivals and dying and reviving gods, and argued that humanity's thinking moved from magic to religion to science.

Why it's worth reading

It's on the Modern Library list of the best nonfiction. It hugely influenced writers like T. S. Eliot and James Joyce.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

Its theories are now considered outdated and colonial. The abridged edition is the one most read.

By the numbers

69.6Must-Read Score
  • Readers48 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller7 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
Modern Library 100 Best Nonfiction

Reads as

True story

How we rank

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Classic booksTop 25 · 762 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 rankedHistorical novelsTop 25 · 116 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Golden Bough worth reading?

Yes. It's on the Modern Library list of the best nonfiction. It ranks #1,342 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.6 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Golden Bough about?

James Frazer, a Scottish anthropologist, collected myths, rituals and customs from around the world, from the sacred king of an ancient grove in Italy to harvest festivals and dying and reviving gods, and argued that humanity's thinking moved from magic to religion to science.

How long does it take to read The Golden Bough?

About 6 hours (254 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Golden Bough?

If you liked it, try The Metamorphoses by Ovid, The Epic of Gilgamesh by Unknown or The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James.