Expressing the Sacred: An Introduction to the Phenomenology of Religion was published in 1992 by the University of Zimbabwe Publications in Harare, and in a second edition in 1996. Here Cox (religious studies, U. of Edinburgh, Scotland) has thoroughly revised and updated the information, retaining the informal style that beginners appreciated. The textbook introduces students to the academic study of religious communities from the perspective of phenomenology, which he believes maintains an essential place in the discipline despite the attacks on it over the past two or three decades. Among his topics are defining religion, stages in the phenomenological method, myths and rituals, religious practitioners and art, and the special case of belief. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)