Atlas of the World's Religions

This superbly illustrated reference work remains the only comprehensive visual guide to the world's religious traditions. With text by leading experts and lavish photography, thematic maps, tables, and charts, the Atlas of the World's Religions, Second Edition ranges from the travels of the Buddha to the geographical distribution of modern indigenous faiths, providing a full and informative picture of world religion, both past and present.

Through almost 200 full-color maps, organized in a beautifully designed series of double-page spreads, this marvelous atlas shows the historical development and present state of all the world's major religions, with color illustrations that show temples, sites, ceremonies and works of art connected with religious life. The updated and expanded second edition provides a comprehensive overview of the major events over time that influenced the geographical development of the world's religions, and it provides a global and regional assessment of religion in the modern world. There are eight entirely new double-page spreads that illuminate such topics as the spread of the Latter-day Saints throughout the world, Pentecostal Christianities today (perhaps numbering more than 500 million adherents, or nearly one-fourth of the global Christian population), contemporary diasporic communities, South American religions, and much more. The second edition also includes extensive updates to many page spreads, 20,000 new words of text, fresh maps and illustrations, a revised introduction by the new editor, Frederick Denny, an expanded glossary and index, and a list of additional resources, all of which further enhance the value of the book.

Both a treasury of information and an exhilarating visual feast, Atlas of the World's Religions, Second Edition is an essential reference work for anyone interested in faith around the globe.

Daniel Sifton Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information - School Library Journal

In this timely update to Smart's seminal 1999 edition, Denny (An Introduction to Islam) and other noted academics and religion scholars from around the world have expanded existing content and introduced new material on Christian renewalism, the growth of Mormonism, indigenous religions, religious diasporas, cults, the relationship between religion and language, religion and globalization, and religion and ecology. Beginning with a geographic examination of Palaeolithic religions, the text and maps chart the growth and development of religions throughout history, including the rise and fall of secular alternatives such as New Age belief systems and Marxism. Most of the ten sections are organized by major religion, i.e., the Hindu world, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and indigenous religions, while the remainder is given to regional treatments of religion. Preceding each section is an introductory essay that provides context and enhances accessibility. Lucid and concise historical overviews accompany the full-color maps, offering a dispassionately informative and balanced examination of religion as both a unifying and a divisive force. In addition to the maps, the atlas is lavishly illustrated with numerous photographs, charts, and time lines. A detailed glossary, an index, and a bibliography round out the work.