Book: The Well Read Witch by Carl Mccolman
Here's help for anyone with a sincere interest in wiccan ways find the best books to read. With reviews of over four hundred books, this will be an essential handbook for anyone interested in reading about the magical world of Witchcraft-as well as related topics of interest to any Wiccan practitioner.Informative introductory chapters provide a basic overview of Wiccan spirituality, as well as a thoughtful look at the role of the written word in this originally oral tradition. Beginning, intermediate, and advanced wiccan books are included, as are general books on paganism, magic, and Celtic spirituality. The author reviews books related to topics such as herbalism, mythology, environmentalism, psychic development, spiritual healing, and raising a family in the Wiccan tradition. All in all, the books highlighted make up a lifetime's worth of reading, for both beginning and seasoned Witches, as well as anyone else with an interest in nature spirituality.
Carl McColman has attempted to assemble a basic list of books which belong in the magickal library of every Wiccan or other modern witch. While he has included some books that I would have left out, and he has left out books that I would have included, on the whole, I would say that he has succeeded in his aim. I had always considered my personal magickal library to be fairly complete (absent those hard-to-locate or out-of-print books currently on my 'want' list,) but McColman's book suggested a number of other works I had not previously thought I needed to have on my shelves.
The book is divided into a number of sections and chapters. The initial section is introudctory: in it McColman discusses why he assembled the book, and how he perceives the importance of books to modern magickal practice. He also includes a chapter on how to read and think critically: a skill which these days seems to receive all too little emphasis in the Craft community. The meat of the book are the 31 chapters wherein McColman makes recommendations about specific books. The books he recommends are listed by title and by the author's name, and each listing is acompnied by one or two paragraphs explaining why McColman thinks the book important. The initial chapters cover introductory, intermediate, and advanced works on Wicca and paganism. These are then followed by chapters on a wide range of more specific topics. The last two chapters include a chapter on how to locate out-of-print books, and a chapter about useful Wiccan and pagan sites on the World-Wide Web. (In all honesty, it should be noted here that your reviewer is the High Priest of a coven whose Web site is listed in the book. Your reviewer discovered this fact only AFTER he had purchased the book.) The book ends with a complete listing of all of the books recommended, ordered alphabetically by author with full bibliographical information, and an index.
On the whole, I would recommend McColman's book as a good starting point for anyone seeking to assemble a serious magickal library.
Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):
Alfred Elton Van Vogt - The WitchAnonymous - The Laws For Witches
Carl Mccolman - The Well Read Witch
