A concise guide covers the history, beliefs and practices, key leaders, and impact upon the modern world of major world religions, including Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity.

Contains nearly 600 brief entries on the world's religious traditions.

Contains 3,500 alphabetically arranged entries that provide information about various aspects of the world's religions; features thirty in-depth discussions of major religions; and includes illustrations and maps.

This text presents an easy-to-use and comprehensive encyclopedia of living faiths.

Presents entries A to L of a two-volume encyclopedia discussing religion around the globe, including biographies, concepts and theories, places, social issues, movements, texts, and traditions.

Enhanced by more than one thousand full colour illustrations, a concise guide features thousands of references to literature, art, history, famous figures, and philosophy with respect to religion, covering the beliefs, doctrines, practices, teachings, rites of passage, and specific rituals of the world's major religions.