Religion in human life certainly qualifies as a basic topic for this series. It is not an easy subject to treat effectively in brief compass. Edward Norbeck has done so gracefully and informatively. He develops two themes: the description of religious events, rituals, and states of mind; and the nature of anthropological aims, views, procedures, and interpretations. The interweaving of these two themes provides a view of religion as an anthropological subject and of religion as a process in human life that is unexpected in this short book. Instructors of anthropology familiar with anthropological writing on religion will find that the author has not only touched upon many standard topics included in the study of religion, but has also included treatments of material not ordinarily covered in standard anthropological works, such as "etiquette and religion," "religion and human play," "rites of reversal," and certain aspects of "religious transcendence."