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Bonewits's Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca (Paperback)

~ Isaac Bonewits (Author), Ashleen O'Gaea (Foreword)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Fabulous. An intriguing way to begin research on Witchcraft. -- PanGaia Magazine

It has all of the clarity, energy, wit and erudition to which I am accustomed in his work. -- Prof. Ronald Hutton, Author, Triumph of the Moon

Once again, Bonewits has written a classic that should be required reading for anyone seeking a one-book introduction to Wicca. -- Dagonet Dewr, newWitch Magazine

This is clearly some of the best work we’ve seen in years. -- Fritz Jung, Witchvox.com


Product Description

Everything you need to know about Witchcraft and Wicca in one concise book! Thoughtful, irreverent, and always down-to-earth, Bonewits takes novices and experienced Wiccans alike on an insightful, illuminating tour through centuries of Pagan history, discerning fact from fiction as he sheds light on all the essential Wiccan rituals, ethics, and beliefs. With a keen eye for detail and accuracy, Bonewits clarifies the many gray areas in the world of Wicca and Witchcraft, producing one of the most honest examinations of the evolution of the Craft that has ever been written.

Rounded out by a helpful glossary and an exemplary list of recommended titles, Bonewits’s Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca is required reading for all Wiccans who wish to explore the foundations of Paganism with a genuine Pagen Elder.

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Citadel (February 1, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0806527110
  • ISBN-13: 978-0806527116
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #244,043 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Philip Emmons Isaac Bonewits
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Customer Reviews

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4.9 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ooooh, I'm the very first! Go, me!, February 9, 2006
By Lupa (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
  
I don't think I've bought a book on Wicca since my early magical experimentation, having moved on to other fun things, but for some reason this book kept catching my eye, so I finally broke down and snagged a copy. I'm glad I did. This was my introdiction to Bonewit's books. I've bounced around some on his website, paged hrough "Real Magic", but never before this read anything of his cover to cover.

I highly, highly recommend this as a basic history of the neopagan subculture, to include debunking the fallacies about how Wicca is 10,000 years old, and bringing up some interesting information about
the early years of the community in the Gardner and Valiente era. It's also exceptionally valuable for his definitions of various terms, as well as the appendix on the etymology of the word "witch". There's also the basic structure of Wiccan ritual as well as a chapter on the variations thereof.

I was pleased to see the variety of resources he used, including the underappreciated "Crafting the Art of Magic" by Aidan Kelly, as well as a decent list of recommended reading on a variety of related topics. As is still all too common in neopagan literature, there's a distinct lack of in-text citations and no bibliography (though the reading list probably includes a sizable portion of the sources he used). On the other hand, given that the first copyright on the book is from 1971, expecting someone to pull citations from that far in the past is asking a bit much. Also, trying to cite personal experience is a pain.

I will admit that occasionally I looked askance at his tone of voice--at first glance he seems rather self-aggrandizing. Keeping in mind, however, that he has been in the neopagan community as it is from the beginning, I think he deserves some slack for actually being there. Also, in his defense he states early on exactly where he's coming from (dont say he didn't warn you!) and I must say I absolutely LOVE his sense of humour! Puns, poetry, and the occasional sideways jab all make the read even better.

Finally, a little bit of a squee from yours truly--on pages 25-26 he talks about the neurotransmitter work my partner, Taylor Ellwood, has been working on, proving (along with up to date information on neopaganism in general) that Isaac is still an incredibly relevant author after 35+ years--after all, the magical community in general is constantly evolving, and a lot of people tend to get sort of stuck in their own era. Isaac, on the other hand, bridges the gap between the '70's and the...well..whatever you want to call this decade, quite well.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, March 13, 2006
Finally! A well researched, serious (but still fun), accurate and fascinating book on witchraft and Wicca. This should be required reading by all involved in The Craft. Nice writing style---I just flew through this book. I'm glad to have found a book on these subjects that actually contains thought provoking ideas and actual facts.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Bar none the best book on Wicca I've ever read, July 31, 2006
This is BAR NONE the best book I've ever read on Wicca!

When I first got involved with Wicca, I was full of questions for my tearch: "how old is all this stuff, really?", "where does all this stuff come from?", etc. She was very good about telling me when she didn't know and kindly tried to tell me what she did. I turned to books to learn more about the new religion I was so enthusiastic about. While I don't mean to offend anybody, I, personally, found just about all the books out there had one or more things in them that really bugged me. Some made lofty claims that Wicca came from the Celts, Paleolithic humanity, the people who built stonehenge, the Atlantians, the Aliens or what have you. I found a strong woman-centric slant to many of them, which, as a man, made me feel excluded. I believe in gender BALANCE, not female dominance OR male dominance and for something as close to the heart as spirituality, it was a cruel blow to be delt woman-centricism. Other books were fluffy: so light weight that they seemed patronizing and to only deal with pleasant aspects of nature and humanity.

Isaac's book had none of these problems and there are many, many aspects to it that are wonderful. He's honest that Wicca is, as far as any real scholarship can glean, purely a modern religion. He also says something that none of the authors who try to convince us of some ancient origin say: that just because it's modern makes it no less valid! He is gender balanced and matter-of-fact. He's not afraid to talk about "dark" issues. After reading it, I FINALLY felt that I got a square deal for buying the book.

But, I can't sing the praises of this book high enough. It's informative as to the history of Wicca. It would have answered all of the initial questions that I would have had as a beginner and taught me a lot of good stuff to boot.

Perhaps its only weakness is that, unlike many of the other books that I looked at when I was starting, it is not quite as chalk full of exercises, spells, rituals and the like. I think that this is because Isaac doesn't want to limit Wicca to a particular set of techniques and, to be honest, while it's true that much of his competition packs this stuff in, it's also often the case that they present it as the "right" way or the "ancient" way. Isaac isn't trying to tell ANYONE what the "right" way is and admits that it's probably not "ancient".

What he lacks in quantity, in this regard, he makes up for in quality. For example, he has a general outline for a Wiccan ritual that is top notch and shows his decades of practice and expertise.

So, I think this is a MUST HAVE for beginning Wiccans, because they should DEFINITELY READ THIS BOOK BEFORE THEY READ ANYTHING ELSE ON THE SUBJECT, and I also think it's a must read for experienced Wiccans, because it dispels a lot of myths that they were probably taught at some point. That being said, I think a beginner should THEN go on to read some other books, with the knowledge that they may have one or more of the flaws that I sited at the beginning of this review, to get some ideas for spells, exercises and rituals. The books by the Ferrars would all make good followers and, before Isaac's came out, they were ones that I respect as minimizing above mentioned flaws.

About what another reviewer said about being able to get the same information from reading other books, that may be true, but beginners aren't likely to know about them. I certainly didn't when I was starting. I had to wade through mountains of what to me is, with all due respect, nonsense in order to get to anything that I considered to be academically sound or remotely accurate. Yes, Hutton is great, but Isaac's book provides one starting point for the beginner.

Someday, I'd like to see a book as good as Isaac's that ALSO has a large collection of sample exercises, spells and rituals, but which notes that they are only examples and that there is great diversity among Wiccans. That way, we'd have one beginner's guide that I would actually feel good about recommending.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing, Researched, Concise!
I had the pleasure of meeting Isaac a couple years back when he was in Milwaukee during the Ostara season. His "Evening with Isaac" program literally blew me away. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Brian Eisold

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide-Book on Wicca Practises and Beliefs.
This great book will become an established text on the Wiccan studies and procedures.I highly recommend anyone to read it. Read more
Published on April 30, 2007 by Magickal Merlin

5.0 out of 5 stars Another success!
Usually it isn't a compliment to say that you plow through someone's books, but in Isaac Bonewits's case it is a compliment. Read more
Published on April 6, 2007 by Daniel Quiray

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Guide is Essential to all Wiccans
Have you ever read a book that made you laugh, made you think, and made you glad to be a part of something all at once? If you haven't then this book will do it for you. Read more
Published on October 27, 2006 by Stephanie Bolen

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide
First I'll admit I really appreciate the plug that Mr. Bonewits made of my own work.

That said, I really enjoyed this book. Read more
Published on May 3, 2006 by Taylor Ellwood

4.0 out of 5 stars Triumph of the Moon, Abridged
A solid book, but there's nothing new here. If you've already read Hutton, you don't need to read Bonewits. If you're too lazy to read Hutton, you need to read Bonewits.
Published on March 14, 2006 by Thorn

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