Concise enough to not overload (except for the listing of names of gods & priests), but enough to either pique my interest for more information about a particular religion--or not. The book covers all 33 "major" religions (that have, or have had a substantial following) from A (African religions) to Z (Zoroastrianism) and is intended as a summary of the more ambitious 16 volume Encyclopedia of Religion--"the ultimate reference in the field". And it works, in that it informed me of who Zarathustra (Indian)/Zoroaster (Greek) was and what he preached. The additional bibliography included at the end of each section is definitely useful for tracking down more detailed information about particular religions. Yes, some sections were less informative and/or interesting but that probably stems from the lack of information about many of the just-barely-prehistoric religions. But, all things considered, this would be the place to start if you want more information about a particular creed, or for comparison's sake. If you need more information this book will start you on your way and point you to more detailed and informative works and studies. ( )