This Believing World: A Simple Account of the Great Religions of Mankind

Lewis Browne — Sixth Printing (1953), Macmillan Company, New York
With More Than Seventy Illustrations and Animated Maps Drawn by the Author

Book Details

Title: This Believing World: A Simple Account of the Great Religions of Mankind

Author / Illustrator: Lewis Browne

Publisher: The Macmillan Company, New York

Edition: Sixth Printing

Publication Year: 1953

Binding: Black cloth hardcover with bright gilt lettering

Dust Jacket: Original illustrated jacket present

Illustrations: Over seventy block drawings and animated maps by Browne

Pages: Richly illustrated throughout

Condition

Book: Very Good condition. Clean interior with no writing or markings. Tight binding; pages crisp. Attractive gilt lettering on front cover and spine. Illustrated endpapers featuring Browne’s animated world map

Dust Jacket: Good condition with some edge wear, small chips, and mild toning typical of age. Jacket remains intact and displays well

(Please review all provided photos for an accurate representation of condition.)

Description

Originally published in 1926, This Believing World quickly became one of the most widely read introductions to Comparative Religion of its era. In this 1953 sixth printing, Lewis Browne—scholar, traveler, and gifted illustrator—presents an accessible and engaging exploration of the world’s major faith traditions.

Browne blends storytelling, history, anthropology, and witty visual commentary to trace:

• The earliest forms of belief in magic, animism, and taboo

• The rise of the ancient religions of the Celts, Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans

• The development and distinctive features of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and more

His narrative style transforms what was often a dry academic subject into vivid, human storytelling. Browne writes with fairness and curiosity, avoiding the overt religious partisanship common in early comparative texts. He approaches each tradition with respect, clarity, and a desire to understand what religious belief meant to the people who lived it.

The book is copiously illustrated with Browne’s own block prints, maps, and whimsical drawings—many inspired by his travels across the Middle East and Asia as he sought firsthand conversations with religious leaders and practitioners. These illustrations remain one of the book’s most charming and collectible features.

From the Dust Jacket

The dust jacket describes the work as:

“A really authentic and attractive popularization of the whole subject of Comparative Religion… Browne makes a story where the practice is to make a dry treatise. He tells what savages believed and makes a tale also of what their religious beliefs meant and did to them… He covers the founding of all the great living religions, relates their history and describes their dominant characteristics.”

“Something of the old shock of novelty will be experienced… for it is done by a writer who has no Christian axe to grind at all.”

Rarity / Collectibility

Later printings of Browne’s work remain in demand due to his distinctive illustrative style and the enduring popularity of This Believing World as a foundational text in early 20th-century Comparative Religion. Copies with the original dust jacket—particularly in presentable condition—are less commonly found.