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Witchcraft: A Concise Guide [Paperback]

Isaac Bonewits (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)


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Book Description

December 28, 2001
Bonewits writes of Witchcraft from its disputed origins, to the Inquisition, to its re-invention in the 20th century. A scholarly, pungent, witty and sometimes personal account. The book is a succinct guide to the many ways the term "witch" has been used over the centuries, and includes a preface by Ashleen O'Gaea (author of "The Family Wicca Book"), a detailed recommended reading list, and an analysis of the standard ritual design used by most Wiccan traditions. It is the fruit of the author's over thirty years of Wiccan research and practice.

Bonewits, says O'Gaea, "knows Wicca from the inside out, and in this work he shares the definitions and distinctions he's developed from his intimate experience and original research. When you're talking about Neopagan Witchcraft, Bonewits is an author, advisor, and scholar you want - no, let me be stronger: he's someone you need on your side."

"Bonewits has made it easy to understand Wicca's history and structure meaningfully. Beyond that, he offers one of the best bibliographies I've seen - his reading list alone makes this book indispensable on any serious priest/ess' bookshelf. But there's something else that makes this book special, and that's how reader-friendly it is."


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Editorial Reviews

Review

All of the clarity, energy, wit and erudition to which I am accustomed in the rest of his work. -- Prof. Ronald Hutton, Univ. of Bristol, author of "Triumph of the Moon"

Clearly some of the best work we've seen in years, we are honored to call Isaac "one of our own." -- Fritz Jung, The Witches' Voice/witchvox.com

Fabulous - an intriguing way to begin research on witchcraft. -- PanGaia Magazine

If you want to know the truth about the Burning Times and are interested in [Wicca], this is for you. -- Gavin and Yvonne Frost, authors of "A Good Witch's Bible"

You will seldom find a more terse, cogent, and readable work on contemporary Wicca. -- Phaedra Oorbeck, Vice President, Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans

From the Author

This is the first of a multi-volume set that will include "Druidism: A Concise Guide" and "Neopaganism: A Concise Guide." Together the three books provide a clear understanding of Earth Religions in general and the two largest groupings within Neopaganism. They consist of highly concentrated excerpts from much longer works and include material to be found nowhere else.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 202 pages
  • Publisher: New Age World Publishing (December 28, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1930916388
  • ISBN-13: 978-1930916388
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,655,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had this book when I started, August 2, 2002
By 
T. Adams (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Witchcraft: A Concise Guide (Paperback)
I had the pleasure of hearing Bonewits speak at the Starwood festival this year and while he ticks people off, the guy does his research. He is also willing to admit when his own work has been disproven or when he has made mistakes, and how many pagan authors have done that? I don't recall hearing of any retractions for the terrible research and half truths presented in McCoy or Conway's work. (see reviews of "Witta" if you want to know what I mean by that)

Years ago when I started exploring the pagan path, I slogged through many books hoping to find the "right" way of doing things, hoping I would find authors who knew what they were talking about. Had I had this book, I could have cut my slogging in half. Bonewits provides some very concise arguments against the many fam-trads, would be gurus, and overall self appointed holders of the truth, without bashing the true intent of this path which is to connect with the divine and grow as an individual. He points out that just because something is new and created, it doesn't invalidate it. Neopaganism is a growing movement that, like all spiritual systems, is going to change over time. Those of us in the movement shouldn't feel so insecure as to have to claim our beliefs and practices descended from a matriarchal tribe existing 10,000 years ago. What he points out with refreshing clarity is that right here, right now, we are creating something that is exciting and enlightening.
Knowing that there is no undisputed tome which will give me all the "right" ways to do things (hmmm, kind of like the bible) is a weight off my newbie shoulders. I await the next book in this series with great excitement and hope they hold other pagan authors a little more accountable to something besides their wallets.

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading, September 24, 2004
I read most of this book and found it well worth reading: informative, entertaining, and provocative. Certainly, I got the impression that there was far more to be said on the topic, but no one book can say it all. You could say that what Isaac did give us in this handy little work was "concise", and so the book does exactly what it says on the tin. I would not hesitate for a second to reccomend this title to a first-time buyer of a pagan book, and to those of us who have been around a bit longer, Isaac may have a few things to teach as well.

It seems to me that the negative reviews seen here on Amazon are a bit unfair. If someone who has been in the Pagan community for decades cannot draw upon his experiences and present his ideas with a modicum of authority, then who can? I can think of other equally well known authors who have not the talent, the wit, the deadpan humour, and the sheer breadth of knowledge, as Bonewitz has

All in all, Witchcraft: A Concise Guide made excellent reading, and I'm happy to have it on my shelf.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening, February 24, 2004
By A Customer
After reading so many fluffy books on Wicca I found Bonewits' book refreshingly honest and blunt. In one thin book he managed to put all the really important stuff anyone needs to know about all the different kinds of witchcraft. Some of it is well known in the Pagan community, but only because he's been saying it to us for twenty years. Some of it, especially the ritual material, is both new and brilliant. Of course he did step on a lot of toes in the process, but that's no reason to dis him or the book. Read it and decide for yourself.
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