I purchased this book for a college Religions of the World course. I enjoyed the course and the book. For an introductory course, it seemed to do the trick. Though our course didn't focus on ancient religions, this book did. I have to say, I found great pleasure in reading the parts the course skipped over on my own time. I would recommend this book, not only for college students, but for anyone interested in increasing their knowledge on the origins of religion and the religions of other cultures.