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Crafting the Art of Magic, Book I: A History of Modern Witchcraft, 1939-1964 (Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft Series) (Book 1)
 
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Crafting the Art of Magic, Book I: A History of Modern Witchcraft, 1939-1964 (Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft Series) (Book 1) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Llewellyn Pubns; 1st edition (May 1991)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0875423701
  • ISBN-13: 978-0875423708
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,846,726 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Aidan A. Kelly
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Crafting the Art of Magic, Book I: A History of Modern Witchcraft, 1939-1964 (Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft Series) (Book 1)
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Crafting the Art of Magic, Book I: A History of Modern Witchcraft, 1939-1964 (Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft Series) (Book 1) 4.0 out of 5 stars (9)
INVENTING WITCHCRAFT
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INVENTING WITCHCRAFT 3.0 out of 5 stars (4)
$22.27

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Debunking the Craft of Wicca, March 23, 2001
By Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
Q: How many Alexandrian Witches does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Wait while we go see what Gardner's Book of Shadows says.

In Wicca, many people have been exposed to "ancient" and "hereditary" traditions while the ink in the spellbook was still drying--often on materials that had been lifted from another craft or magical tradition. Much of the Craft today, in its diverse forms, owes its existence to the original work of Gerald Gardner.

Aidan Kelly takes a critical look at the source material for Gerald Gardner's teachings about the craft. This is an excellent textual criticism of the Gardnerian materials. I cannot fault him for his work with "original" documents. I doubt we will ever learn more about when things were written, and from where they were lifted, than Dr. Kelly has presented in his book.

One of the most interesting evolutions is that of the Charge of the Goddess. On p. 52 he presents Gardner's original, a redacted bit of Leland & Crowley. It reads like a hack. This was its state between 1949 & 1953. On p. 114 he presents the Charge, essentially as we know it today, after Doreen Valiente (see my review of her The Rebirth of Witchcraft) had helped him rewrite it. On p. 162 he presents a verse form of of the Charge from 1961, a quintain adaptation of Dorreen's quatrain form (not included).

Kelly argues that nothing in the Craft pre-existed Gardner. He attempts to explain the creation of the Craft as Gerald's way of manipulating strong women into spanking him for sexual gratification. While I find his critical analysis compelling, his theory about Gardner's sexuality seems to be a long reach.

This book is required reading for anybody interested in the history of the Craft. If nothing else it helps decrease the number of times Wannabe Witch utters "Yes, our traditions go back for =THOUSANDS= of years..." While the Goddess may have been worshipped since time immemorial, Kelly makes a good case that She has only been worshipped in this particular Wiccan way since the late 1930's at best.

(If you enjoyed this review please leave me positive feedback. You can see my other reviews by clicking on the link to "more about me." Thanks!)

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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Llewellyn! Please bring this back into print!, August 12, 2005
By Lupa (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
  
Llewellyn publishes something good in the early 90's an it never comes back, while tripe gets republished over and over.....

Anyway, "Crafting the Art of Magic" is a must for anyone interested in the history of Wicca. Okay, so we all know the usual story--Wicca is 50,000 years old, Wicca is from an unbroken line of English witches, Wicca is blah, blah. Kelly actually goes back to primary sources, picks them over and shows his work. It's not infallible, of course--he puts more faith in a few of his theories than proof--but it's an honest effort and a worthwhile read if you can snag a copy.
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12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Good history of the craft!, December 28, 1998
By A Customer
This book details the history of the witchcraft movement in modern times. It generally focuses in on Gardner, and does not talk about much else. Kelly, states that Gardner was the creator of the Witchcraft movement in modern times. Even if you feel that it is untrue, this book offers many historical background, and is a must for anyone with an interest in the Witchcraft movement. It blowes the whole Gardnrian movement out of the water!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Kelly Succeeds Despite Himself
Dr. Kelly's book attempts a scholarly reconstruction of the origins of the Wiccan movement, and to a great part it succeeds. Through some luck and due diligence, Dr. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Q. Borba

5.0 out of 5 stars Debunking The Myth
While Kelly's book is not perfect, it was by far the best systematic debunking of Wicca until Ronald Hutton came along. Read more
Published 24 months ago by D. Tillman

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book for Craft History
Aidan's book is most important for the history of Witchcraft. Its debunkers can be seen for what they are: ignorant and unable to cope with the real roots of their professed... Read more
Published on August 26, 2007 by Debbie

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor Scholarship
This book has more assumption than it does research that has been proven false. See Don Frew's Critical Review here:

http://www.gryffintower.com/kelly.htm
Published on February 22, 2006 by Brian P. Worthley

4.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good history of the modern Craft revival
Kelly's book is a pretty well researched history of neo-pagan Gardnerian witchcraft. He documents and discusses Gerald Gardner's creation of Wicca in the 1950s. Read more
Published on April 30, 2003 by The Old Philosopher

1.0 out of 5 stars An unfortunate beginning to a history of Wicca
Kelly's work has perhaps one useful function; as a test of an ability to read critically. Further critique beyond that provided by Frew is probably unnecessary; his detailed... Read more
Published on August 17, 2001 by jkelly

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