# James Frazer

## Biography

James George Frazer was a Scottish social anthropologist, folklorist, and classical scholar, born in Glasgow in 1854. Educated at the University of Glasgow and Trinity College, Cambridge, he remained a Classics Fellow at Trinity for most of his life. Though he also studied law, he never practiced, instead dedicating himself to scholarship. Frazer is best known for his monumental work, *The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion*, first published in 1890 and later expanded to multiple volumes. This influential text meticulously explored the evolution of human thought from magic to religion and ultimately to science, examining ancient cults, myths, and rituals across diverse cultures. Despite conducting his extensive research primarily from libraries, corresponding with missionaries and colonial administrators for ethnographic data, his comparative approach significantly impacted the nascent fields of anthropology and comparative religion. Knighted in 1914, Frazer continued his prolific writing even after losing his sight, leaving a lasting legacy on literature and the humanities before his death in 1941.

## Books

- [The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion](https://samolit.com/books/96383)