The book by the outstanding British anthropologist E. Evans-Pritchard (1902–1973) examines the history of anthropological theories about the origin, essence and early stages of the development of religion. A broad overview of the works of European thinkers (mainly the late 19th - first third of the 20th century) is given, not only anthropologists, but also philosophers, historians of antiquity, philologists and sociologists. The book will be of interest to a wide range of readers and very useful as a textbook for students and teachers of humanitarian universities and gymnasiums.