Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History

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.

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.