Bibliography

Community Bibliography

Book List

This is a list of noteworthy publications, as determined by our members. Members can add, edit, and rate these sources. To become a member, go to Login>Create. Sources are on any canar or related topic (about the ratings). If you see an error (and cannot edit it yourself), please email Steve.

Drew, A.J.: Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together. (2002) Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page/Career Press. I haven't read this book in its entirety yet, but Chapter 2 is an excellent description of some of the history of Wicca and how fluffybunnyism came into being. Drew's work is not quite fully cited, and he does point out that parts of his book are not based on his research but on his own opinions. But he does use lots of citations and does fully document what sources he does use. Don't let the title fool you, it's useful for singles as well as couples. :) Overall an excellent, non-fluffy Wicca 201-level book.
Genres: Magic, Paganism, Theology, Wicca, Witchcraft Ratings (1 review): Reading level: Moderate (3), Reliability: Superb (4), Fluffiness: Farrars (5), Wicca-centricity: Wicca-focus (2), Overall value: Superb (4)
Eller, Cynthia: The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory: Why an Invented Past Will Not Give Women a Future. Beacon Press. ASIN: 080706792X The hardcover edition is out of print but available on Amazon; the paperback edition is still in print. Very good book that debunks the popular idea that women ruled prehistoric societies around the world in peace and love until the evil men took over.
Genres: History, Paganism Ratings (2 reviews): Reading level: Advanced (4), Reliability: Superb (4), Fluffiness: Farrars (5), Wicca-centricity: What's Wicca? (5), Overall value: Indispensible (5)
Farrar, Janet, and Stewart Farrar: A Witches Bible Compleat. (1984) New York: Magickal Childe. Seminal overview work. Also published separately as Eight Sabbats for Witches and The Witches Way.
Genres: Magic, Theology, Wicca, Witchcraft Ratings (3 reviews): Reading level: Advanced (4), Reliability: Superb (4), Fluffiness: Farrars (5), Wicca-centricity: Wicca-focus (2), Overall value: Indispensible (5)
Fox, Robin Lane: Pagans and Christians. (1986) New York: Penguin. Comprehensive academic study of paganism and its displacement by Christianity in the Roman Empire.
Genres: Graecoroman, History Ratings (1 review): Reading level: Soporific (5), Reliability: Superb (4), Fluffiness: Farrars (5), Wicca-centricity: What's Wicca? (5), Overall value: Superb (4)
Hutton, Ronald: The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy. (1991) Blackwell Publishers. A rather academic but still accessible book which focuses on archaelogical evidence and historical sources. The author also attempts to disprove many whimsical and overly new-age interpretations of archaelogical finds in regard to pagan religion.
Genres: Celtic, History, Paganism Ratings (1 review): Reading level: Moderate (3), Reliability: Superb (4), Fluffiness: Farrars (5), Wicca-centricity: Non-Wiccan (4), Overall value: Indispensible (5)
Raeburn, Jane: Celtic Wicca: Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century. (2001) New York, NY: Citadel Press/Kensington Publishing Corp. An excellent "Wicca 199" level book...not quite 201 material, but not nearly as pandering as your typical Wicca 101 fare. Has a nice bibliography, but is not fully cited. Nice starter book for people seeking to combine elements of Celtic Reconstructionism with modern Wicca.
Genres: Celtic, Magic, Mythology, Paganism, Reconstructionism, Theology, Wicca, Witchcraft Ratings (1 review): Reading level: Moderate (3), Reliability: Moderate (3), Fluffiness: Valiente (4), Wicca-centricity: Wicca-focus (2), Overall value: Decent (3)
Roberts, Richard, and Campbell, Joseph: Tarot Revelations, 3rd ed.. (1987) San Anselmo, CA: Vernal Equinox Press. Features a short essay by Campbell on the exoteric Marseilles tarot, and a tour de force by Roberts on the overall symbology and esoteric associations of the Waite/Rider deck. It brings in Astrology, Alchemy, Numerology, Jungian studies, and other matters Hermetic. This book has next to nothing to do with divination, except that really understanding the symbols has got to make readings better -- after your head stops spinning.
Genres: Magic, Mythology, Other Ratings (1 review): Reading level: Advanced (4), Reliability: Superb (4), Fluffiness: Farrars (5), Wicca-centricity: What's Wicca? (5), Overall value: Superb (4)
Scot, Reginald: The Discoverie of Witchcraft. (1972) New York: Dover. Reprint of a classic Inquisition-era argument against witchcraft, originally written in 1584. The archaic English makes it difficult to read.
Genres: History, Magic, Witchcraft Ratings (1 review): Reading level: Advanced (4), Reliability: Subjective (2), Fluffiness: Farrars (5), Wicca-centricity: What's Wicca? (5), Overall value: Superb (4)
Victor, Jeffrey S.: Satanic Panic. (1993) Chicago: Open Court. Discusses Satanic ritual abuse, concluding that the hysteria is largely unjustified. Discusses the malleability of memory, the lack of forensic evidence, and so forth.
Genres: Satanism/LHP, Sociology Ratings (1 review): Reading level: Moderate (3), Reliability: Moderate (3), Fluffiness: Farrars (5), Wicca-centricity: What's Wicca? (5), Overall value: Superb (4)
Walton, Evangeline: The Mabinogion Tetralogy. (2002) Overlook Press. A modern retelling of the classic stories from the Mabinogion, with a lot of extra material, this is a beautiful fantasy book. It comprises all 4 of the original books in one volume, with a number of literary licences taken with the original work. However, the author has done her research and has filled in what is necessary to make the story more logical. While the reader is advised that for serious scholarly work to go back to Lady Guest's translation of the Mabinogion, this is a worthy companion text and easy read for anyone who is into Celtic Spirituality.
Genres: Celtic, Fiction, Mythology Ratings (2 reviews): Reading level: Moderate (3), Reliability: Moderate (3), Fluffiness: Valiente (4), Wicca-centricity: What's Wicca? (5), Overall value: Superb (4)
Wisner, Kerry: Eye of the Sun: The Sacred Legacy of Ancient Egypt. (2000) Nashua: Hwt-Hrw Publications. ISBN: 0970283601. Available through the author/publisher's website at www.hwt-hrw.com/hwt-hrwpublications1.php. An excellent book for anyone interested in reconstructing AE religion, or even for anyone with a passing interest in the subject.
Genres: Egyptian, Reconstructionism Ratings (1 review): Reading level: Moderate (3), Reliability: Superb (4), Fluffiness: Farrars (5), Wicca-centricity: Non-Wiccan (4), Overall value: Indispensible (5)

About the rating system
Sources are rated on five scales:

Reading level: How difficult is the book to read? For academic books, the ideal score is a 4; for general audience, a 2 or 3 suffices. 1 is too simple; 5 is inaccessible even by many experts.
Reliability: How much research went into the book, and what was its quality? For non-fiction, higher scores are generally better than lower scores, unless the work is deliberately personal (as with Castenadas, for example).
Fluffiness: This is a more subjective scale than Reliability. How seriously does the author appear to take the subject? (Note that this is a different question from how serious is the work, too: The Principia Discordia might score high on this scale.)
Wicca-centricity: Especially with general canar books, how much are the author's interpretations based on Wicca (or a related religion)? A low score is only a "bad thing" if the author is pretending otherwise. Bucky's Big Blue Book would score a 1 or 2, but it should.
Overall value: All things considered, and given how the book presents itself vs. how good it actually is, how worthwhile is it?

To help explain the meaning of numeric scores, verbal mnemonics are given. The rating shown is the rounded average of member ratings.