Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History [Hardcover]

Leo Ruickbie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

This complete history of witchcraft from Ancient Greece to the present day charts the rise and development of witchcraft and the modern witchcraft religion of Wicca. This in-depth investigation discovers how the ideas we have about witchcraft took shape thousands of years ago in the myths and religions of the ancient world. It looks at why these ideas were expressed so violently during the era of the witch trials, and reveals how witchcraft has been transformed into one of the most radical and fastest growing religions of our age—a religion of equality and compassion that still has the power to unsettle even the bravest amongst us. With fresh insights and previously unpublished material drawn from the author's doctoral research into the mysticism, magic, and social meaning of Wicca, this is the first book to bring witchcraft fully out of the shadows.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leo Ruickbie is the founder and director of WICA, the Witchcraft Information Centre & Archive (www.WitchcraftInfo.info), an educational and research-orientated website specializing in witchcraft and Wicca. He has been actively engaged in research into witchcraft and Wicca since 1994. His MA dissertation on 'The Re-Enchantment of the World' earned him a distinction from one of the UK's top-rated research departments at Lancaster University. He is currently working on a doctorate at King's College, London, in the sociology of modern witchcraft with a special emphasis on the theory of re-enchantment.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Robert Hale (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0709075677
• ISBN-13: 978-0709075677
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,470,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"Witchcraft, Wicca, paganism, magic, the occult and the paranormal, these are the things that keep me up at night, discussing them, writing about them and sometimes experiencing them."

Dr Leo Ruickbie holds a doctorate from King's College, London, for his thesis 'The Re-Enchanters: Theorising Re-Enchantment and Testing for its Presence in Modern Witchcraft' and was awarded a master's from Lancaster University with distinction for his work on the theory of re-enchantment. He is the author of several books including Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A complete History (Robert Hale, 2004) and Faustus: The Life and Times of a Renaissance Magician (The History Press, 2009). His articles have appeared in Pagan Dawn, Watkins Review and other publications. He is a peer reviewer for JASANAS, the Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies, and has advised the International Society for Human Rights on witchcraft persecution in West Africa. He has also publicly exhibited on the subject of 'La Sorcellerie en France' ('Witchcraft in France') in several towns in France, and runs an educational website based around his published works.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Academic Excellence, May 27, 2006

By 

Traveler (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History (Hardcover)

I found this book via the author's highly informative website and was impressed by the number of positive reviews from other readers. The book does exactly what it claims to do: It brings witchcraft out of the shadows of misunderstanding and misinformation. But it also goes further than that. This is a fresh new take on witchcraft and Wicca with so much original information and insights that you will not find anywhere else. I enjoyed the author's colorful and penetrating style. There is no stone here that he does not leave unturned. I admire the fact that the author does not pull his punches, but deals with the issues in a tough and clear-headed manner. Sure some fluffy bunnies may not like that, but this is a book about discovering the truth of the matter. Your time will be well rewarded by reading this.

The author treats the many fascinating characters in this history with fairness and sympathy without becoming an apologist for them. For example, of Aleister Crowley he says: "A poet, a mountaineer, a chess master, an explorer, a drug-fiend, a pervert, a mystic and a magician, the myriad facets of Crowley's personality cannot quite be captured in the dull lustre of the printed word." That's just about the best and most concise description I've ever read of Crowley. He also makes a clear argument for Doreen Valiente's recognition as the "Mother of Modern Witchcraft"--a position she has long been denied.

The book is well structured, leading the reader from ancient times right up to the present day in a logical and coherent way. Throughout strict academic conventions are used with useful footnoting, an impressive bibliography and a detailed index that make this a highly usable research tool, whilst maintaining an elegant readability that is rare for such a rigorously academic work.

Witchcraft Out of the Shadows goes further than any other book I have read on the subject to peer directly into the workings of modern witchcraft. There are simply amazing chapters on ritual, mysticism and magic using firsthand accounts and statistics to give a balanced and valid perspective. The author incorporates a lot of material from his unpublished doctoral research--work that justly earned him the degree of PhD and here you can see why. The book ends on a positive and optimistic note, seeing in modern religious forms of witchcraft a new way of being in the world that could just save us from the mess we're in--a vision that has drawn a lot of criticism from Christian fundamentalists.

From the first page to the last you can tell that a lot of original work has gone into this book. In my opinion it deserves six stars. Well worth the money.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!, June 2, 2006

By 

A. Steeg - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History (Hardcover)

I read the book with great pleasure and interest: it gives an overview over the subject of Witchcraft and Wicca from antiquity to contemporary Witchcraft with a great scientific contribution as to the sociological analyses of modern witches. The book is very well-written and clearly structured. As an academic (Dr Phil) I can really appreciate the good style combined with thorough research accessible to any reader. The work is by all means critical in the sense of scientific (as opposed to theological), but never pejorative. Congratulations! I can only recommend the book (and rate it five stars): because of the in-depth survey on witchcraft which is not only focused on a certain period (e.g. age of witch hunting) like many other books, because of the balanced view on the subject and last but not least because of the clear structure and the style of writing.