A great compilation of books about witchcraft
349641
Everything you need to know about Wiccan practices is here. It is a very comprehensive series about witchcraft from the basics (for beginners) to spells and different kinds of Wiccan magic. The series gave an in depth look at Wiccan magic and it's really far from the books with stereotypical witchcraft topics. It's a great read.
331640
Most of the pictures in this 32 page book are great and the pages are filled with information about witches.  I loved looking at all the different faces and styles of witches throughout history which are geared towards children and the author was able to provide that.  Geared more towards elementry children, this book will answer many basic questions for them plus the last page of the book has information on where they can go for more details about witches, with internet sites and more books to read listed out for them.  The book itself has good information and in the written details the author include many movies and books that witches have played a role in and what type of role it was.  From their behaviors, looks and then touching on some of the individual witch stories, that is what you will find inside these pages.  Not a book I would read to a child at night before bed but a good book to show what a major part witches have played in fairy tales throughout the years.  From Harry Potter to Little Mermaid to Snow White, everyone is familiar with an witch.

"Witches aren't always evil."
4497980
This book was an excellent compilation of studies from all shamanic taditions, not rejecting or favoring any one culture. I loved the use of the World Tree as a journeying tool, and definitely benefitted from it. It also is a collection of herbal associations and totem animal meanings, and has a great layout that guides the reader through various exercises that strengthen their work in the shamanic realms. I really don't have anything to complain about with this book, I felt it covered at least all of the most important bases, and helps a person grow through use of various meditations and exercises.
4103182
This book is a compilation of two previousely published books.  In this form, it is much more affordable than the other two combines.  It contains ample information on the 8 sabbats as well as an introduction to Wicca and the underline rituals most often used in coven rites.
That is where they lost one star from me, it is mainly a coven based book, giving very little information about practicing along.  So here is what I have come up with.  This book gets 4 stars.  Scott Cunningham's book for solitaries gets 4 stars, but if you own both then each gets five stars!
You realy should purchase this book, it is well worth the money.
2408348
This little gem may be filled with folklore, however, not all folklore is fiction! The information and methods presented in Cunningham's Magical Household maybe simple, and many generations old, however they are highly effective. Theres something in here for every practicioner. Great for a beginner, and a welcome addition to an experianced witches library. Included a simple ways to bless, protect, and enhance the magicality of the home. It includes chapters on pets, the bathroom, the kitchen, the garden, etc.
3288421
This is the most awesome book in my rather large occult collection.  I bought this book in 1989 and I still use it all the time.  Scott Cunningham's books are a great source for those interested in Magickal pursuits.  This books give you step by step insturctions, list of things you will need to start doing magick (everything from how to set up you altar to what kind of mind-set you need to have), and tons of resources where you can get all your magickal tools.  My copy is out-of-date, but hopefully they have updated the lists.  It is also beautifully illustrated.  The only problem I had was that it is not spiral-bound so it is hard to keep the book open while you are trying out new spells or setting up your altar.  If you want a book to start you off, this is it.
2479943
Lois Martin's book hits all the high points in the history of witchcraft as Westerners typically understand it.  A well-researched and documented account, THE HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT is a valuable resource for those looking for a quick read about the legalistic approach to witchcraft.  Martin does not address any modern pagan movement, besides a brief mention of both Margaret Murray and Charles Leland, but rather sticks to the facts as history has shown them.

If the reader has any interest in witch trials, witch-hunting, or the so-called Witch Craze of a few hundred years ago, Martin's book is a great place to start.  Her chapter in which she lists her resources in some depth should appeal to the student or researcher.  My only criticism is that she seems to address some trials twice, which can be confusing if one is reading straight through rather than picking individual chapters.
1525682
The first several chapters of this book seemed something of a waste of space to me. While information like the generic "models of reality" may be great for beginners, by and large, this book distinguishes itself as a quick reference book for a more experienced magician. I would have rather seen more info presented about specific traditions and schools such as wicca, alchemy, kabala, spiritism, etc. and a more complete dictionary of magical symbols used by these variouss traditions. That said, this is a great book, giving the practitioner or potential practitioner an over-view of the entire occult world while freeing up space on one's bookshelf for works addressing one's specific field of interest. I highly recommend it to everyone involved in paganism, heathenism, witchcraft, or the occult.
3556842
A fun read and yet also an interesting collection of information.  The Visualization chapter was the best and spookyist.  Fine list of ritual object s and animals.  Use this book to build your confidence as a Wiccan and youll soon be writing and casting your own spells.
2688770
This is a very cool witches resource book.  I'm just getting into Wicca now.  My sister got me a book by Sirona Knight for my birthday called Empowering Your Life with Wicca.  I thought it was a cool book so I bought this one.  Now I'm getting more and more into Wicca and the whole pagan thing because of the books and the teachings in them.  Awesome resource--buy one and keep it close by.
1730565
I bought this book on the recommendation of a trusted friend who's a fellow Pagan. While I don't normally read studies since I find them far too similar to school work, this one was slightly different. This one was about a topic I wanted to know about. This book is about the Witch Trials that took place in England in 1600's, more specifically the case of the Device family of Malking Tower in the Pendle Forest.
I will begin this review by saying that while, again, I'm not a fan of studies, this book has so many interesting things in it, that even with it being a history lesson, it was still intriguing. I particularly liked the remakes of the spells the Cunning Folk used in the 1600's. I found it fascinating to see how much spell casting has changed through centuries and yet still even though we cast differently today, they are still very similar to each other in so many ways.
The study itself is heart wrenching. Witch against Witch, accused against enemy, worst of all; young children forced to testify against their families; and forced to live with the knowledge that their statements helped get them killed. It didn't help that the Assizes were a madhouse and hardly anyone was able hear what they were accused of.
I also liked how snippets of the actual propaganda pamphlets were integrated into this book along with actual statements, and photographs of re-enacted spells. It gives the reader a better understanding of how things were done or made to seem.
I found a single error in this work on page 145, other than that the editing was flawless.
This book would be an asset to any witch that enjoys reading up on our histories even if they aren't from England, after all, we are all brothers and sisters in the craft.
I would also suggest this book to anyone curious to understand why we witches stand so united now and why we always remember the Burning Times.

I give this book 5 of 5 paws.
4265409
If you're someone interested in the growth of witchcraft during the medieval era, you must own this text.  Comprised of 69 treatises of well-known individuals in the time span mentioned, this book basically covers the whole shebang and they're all original sources.  A superb text for a student of medieval history, witchcraft specifically and its growth over 1300 years, and the crushing results of such beliefs.  You can pick or choose who to read depending on your interests or gobble up the whole book and come away well-rounded regarding your knowledge of the rise of witchcraft in medieval Europe.  A must-have book for those studying this period.
4660462
I pick this rateing because  all her books are so helpful. That I've collected in the last few years.. helps me grow as a witch ....
1766753
This isn't a book for those looking to find what color candles to put on the altar for a certain holiday or the exact wording of an invocation. This is a collection of in-depth, well researched essays regarding the true origins of, and practices surrounding, each of the Wiccan Sabbats. There are also essays regarding a variety of other pertinent and thought provoking topics. For example, "The Ever-Widening Circle" brings insight to the connection between the sabbats and the community who observes them.

Most of this information has been available for years through Mike's website. However, the book has a couple of things the site doesn't. In my opinion, the bibliography  alone is worth the price of this book. If you've ever wanted to find serious, relevant information that goes beyond the 'Wicca 101' level, here is your chance. The index is just as wonderful. For 114 pages of information, there are over 400 listings in the index. Since I use indexed information to suggest areas of study and topics for articles, you can only imagine the fun I've had with this book.

As a bonus, there are a couple new articles that can't be found on Mike's webpage. Every time I read through the essays gathered in this book, I can't help but think how lucky I am to have found them early on in my practice. When this information was finally published on paper, I was able to throw out my tattered, handmade version of this book. (I had every article on Mike's webpage printed and bound by the third day after I found it!)

There aren't enough ways to say how wonderfully insightful this book is, or how necessary it is for all Wiccans to further their understanding of the Wheel of the Year.
479640
The book is a collection of handouts and flyers from the Lucky Mojo shop and cover a large variety of hoodoo and other magical systems. It's a great collection of information and spells.  It is NOT a basic or beginner's instruction manual. It's more of a supplement to catherine yronwode's other books. It's definitely well worth the money to those already knowledgeable of hoodoo. Beginners would do better starting somewhere else and buying The Black Folder after learning some of the basics.
4327520
This book, like Draja's others books, is interesting because it provides a variety of spells a person can do as well as case studies of how people have used the spells. I've already tried a couple to good effect and it'll definitely be a useful book to have, especially because I represents the work of an old school magician. My only complaint is that I'd have liked more information about the underlying magical process. Much like other authors who put together spell books, Draja doesn't really explain the underlying mechanics. the few times he does offer some explanation about the process, it proves to be quite fascinating. I highly recommend it as an interesting book on a variety of topics.
2206918
This is a very good book about spellcraft in general. It covers everything from how a spell works, to how to create one without any religious dogma, It also tells you why a spell might fail and how to get all of your correspondences (should you choose to have any)together, and how to tell when and when not to cast them by teaching you how to tell what times are best for what spells, even comes with a few spells to help give you guide lines. It supposed to be for the intermediate but it has a few basic things in it as well. I would definetly recommend this book to anyone who just wants to learn how to create and cast spells on your own, and without any religious overtones.