This volume collects four of Freud's most stimulating essays: "The Horror of Incest", "Taboo and Emotional Ambivalence", "Animism, Magic and the Omnipotence of Thoughts", and "The Return of Totemism in Childhood". With these essays, Freud applies his psychoanalytic method to various objects of study, including the incest taboo and ancient art. With several implications for the fields of anthropology and religious studies, this Freud collection remains a diverse and fascinating read.