THE ARCANE ARCHIVE
	a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.

ALT.MAGICK
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
ON MAGIC AND THE OCCULT

compiled in alt.magick, 1992 - 2005
http://www.luckymojo.com/altmagickfaq/bookref.html

edited and formatted by catherine yronwode, January 10, 2005
Version: January 16, 2005

This document is a compilation of 13 book lists that ran in
alt.magick -- some annotated and some not -- integrated into
one long html document. These lists comprise both titles that
have been recommended for beginners to study and titles listed
as all-time favourites by practicing magicians. The contributors
and their initials are as follows, along with the dates of their
contributions:

01. SNA-TIS : Shava Nerad Avenett and Todd I. Stark,
       collected in alt.magick 1992-1994;
       most are listed without comments other than
       "Recommended" and a category-assignment.
02. NY: Nagasiva Yronwode, 08 Nov 93 - 07 Jan 2005
      (who also archived all 13 of these lists,
      from 1992 - 2001, which made the present
      work feasible)
03. PB-RK: Peggy "Pearlz" Brown and Reto Kohli;
       collected in alt.magick 1994-1996;
       most are listed without comments other than
       "Recommended."
04. AZ: Azoth, 16 Nov 1995:
05. XZ: Xochi Zen, 17 Nov 1995
06. MK: Mary K. Kuhner, 17 Nov 1995
07. C7: Charles 75214.150, 18 Nov 1995:
08. ZZ: Rick "ZZ", 27 Mar 1996 - 07 Sep 1998
09. AW: Amanda Walker, 10 Nov 1998
10. LW: Lesa Whyte, 21 Sep 1999
11. CC: Christopher Chase, 22 Sep 1999
12. CPR: Carroll "Poke" Runyon, 25 Jun 2001
      "Top 10" (actually 11) list for students.
13. CY: Catherine Yronwode, 07 Jan 2005

Not all alt.magick newsgroup regulars will enjoy or want to
recommend all of these books, and some books may only of
interest to certain people, but that is to be expected when
one collects input from thousands of people over the course of
longer than a decade. Given the number of books on magic and
the occult that have been published, it is actually remarkable
that this document is not far longer than it is at present.

In general, the more reviews or comments following a book's
title, the more commonly that book will be referred to during
discussions in alt.magick.

Note that all books in the above lists which were said to be
fiction or "not really about magic(k) but of interest anyway" or
whose primary topics were stated to be martial arts, Jungian
psychology, the science of consciousness, psychoactive drugs,
skepticism, cognitive science, linguistics, politics, sociology,
and so forth have been deleted here but are retained in the
original documents.

Insofar as possible, the text of the reviews of books has
been standardized to conform to the convention that the spelling
Kabbalah refers to the Jewish mystical Kabbalah, the spelling
Cabala refers to Christian Cabala, and the spelling Qabala refers
to hermetic Qabala. These spelling distinctions apply only to the
reviews, not to the published titles of books, which may vary
greatly. In cases when the subject of the book was not known to
the editor, the original reviewer's spelling was retained.

Consult these URLs for the full, unedited list texts, which also
include fiction books, comic books, and titles on non-magic or
non-occult subjects that certain newsgroup regulars felt provided
important background to the study of magic.

http://www.luckymojo.com/altmagickfaq/bookref.old
http://www.luckymojo.com/altmagickfaq/bookref.new
http://www.asiya.org/altmagickfaq/books.html

(Editor's note: I volunteered to interlineate the above 13 book
lists on a one-time basis. If anyone wishes to take on the job
of maintaining the alt.magick booklist by updating it, making
corrections, and adding missing data, please do so by contacting
interested parties in the alt.magick newsgroup and working with
them. This doc has been formatted in bbedit to provide a simple
and clean display that can be picked up from any html browser
version and re-posted to email or usenet without line breakage.
Therefore, line width is 70 characters, strict. Feel free to
create your own "look and feel" if copying this document to your
web site. CY)

===== 
  A
=====

Adams, Evangeline. see Crowley, Aleister.

Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK
• An interesting history of modern Neo-Paganism. Best read in
  conjunction with Aidan Kelly's Crafting the Art of Magic. CY

Agrippa, Henry Cornelius. Three Books of Occult Philosophy.
(De Occulta Philosophia)
(pub? date?)

• Renaissance Neoplatonism. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK
• Recommended for beginners' study in traditional magick. CPR

Albertus Magnus. (attributed to Albertus Magnus). Egyptian Secrets.
(Being the Approved, Verified, Sympathetic and Natural
Egyptian Secrets or White and Black Art For Man and Beast,
Revealing the Forbidden Knowledge and Mysteries of Ancient
Philosophers. [translated from German]
Germany, (pub?), 1478; the first English edition appeared
in London in 1725; one popular version has been reprinted
frequently in America since c.1820. 191 p.

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• A 19th century compilation (possibly by John George Hohman)
  of spells attributed to the famed Mediaeval German Catholic
  cleric Saint Albertus Magnus; like Hohman's Pow-Wows, it is
  equally popular among Pennsylvania Dutch and African American
  conjurers. Contains instructions for making magic mirrors,
  banishing robbers, killing flies, and more! CY

Alli, Antero. Angel Tech.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Amis, Robin. A Different Christianity.
(pub?, date?)

• Recommended for those of a more religious bent; Christian. AW

Anderson, William. The Green Man.
(pub?, date?)

• Pagan. Recommended. SNA-TIS

[Anonymous; the French "translator" (and possible author) was
"A.J.S.D.R.L.G.F."]. The Black Pullet
(pub?) late 1700s; Weiser, 1972; 2000. 80 p.

• A fabulous classic of talismanic and treasure-seeking
  spell-work, "The Black Pullet" has long been accepted by both
  Appalachian and African American conjurers, and -- under the
  title "Gallina Negra" -- is also popular in Mexican brujeria
  and in Santeria. CY

[Anonymous]. (edited by Aleister Crowley) The Lesser Key of
Solomon - Goetia.
(pub? date?) various reprints include
de Laurence, Scott, 1916; Ram Importer Inc., 1970

• This book would generally not be appropriate for reading
  by a new student, however, an essay by Aleister Crowley
  titled "The Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic"
  appears as an introduction to this book. This essay is one
  of the best introductions to ceremonial magic I've ever
  seen. When Crowley was good, he was very good, and when he
  was bad.... ZZ
• Recommended for beginners' study in traditional magick. CPR

Apuleius, Lucius. (translator?). Metamorphoses and The Golden
Ass.
(pub? date?)

• Ancient Mystery Tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Ashcroft-Nowicki, Dolores. First Steps in Ritual.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Ashcroft-Nowicki, Dolores. Highways of the Mind.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Ashcroft-Nowicki, Dolores. Ritual Magic Workbook.
(pub?, date?) ISBN 0-85030-467-9

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK
• Practical, chock full of useful information, and
  refreshingly free of new age snake oil. AW

Ashcroft-Nowicki, Dolores. The Shining Paths.
Aquarian, 1983

• Spirituality. Recommended. SNA-TIS

===== 
  B
=====

Bacon, Miss A[lice]. M. Folklore and Ethnology: Conjuring
and Conjure Doctors in the Southern United States
Southern Workman and Hampton School Record. Volume 24,
December, 1895.

• The first serious, lengthy study of African American magic.

Bardon, Franz. Initiation into Hermetics.
(pub?) Germany, 1970.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended for beginners' study in traditional magick. CPR

Bardon, Franz. The Key to the True Quabbalah.
(pub?) Germany, 1971.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Bardon, Franz. The Practice of Magical Evocation.
(pub?) Germany, 1960.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Barham, Marti and Greene, Tom. The Silver Cord.
Marina Del Rey, CA, DeVorss & Company, (date?),
ISBN 0-87516-562-1

• Recommended. PB-RK

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Bharati, Agehananda. The Ochre Robe
(pub?) Germany, 1960.

• Yoga and Indian traditions. Recommended. SNA-TIS

"Bivins, N.D.P." (pseudonym) (attributed to Marie Laveau).
The Life and Works of Marie Laveau a.k.a.
Marie Laveau's Old and New Black and White Magic
a.k.a. Black and White Magic of Marie Laveau
New Orleans, Crackerjack Drug Store, circa 1925.
Fulton Religious Supply / Dorene Publishing], [n.d., c. 1963].
Los Angeles, International Imports, 1991. 64 p.

• The attribution to the famed 19th century New Orleans cult
  figure Marie Laveau is obviously spurious, but the real
  author was well versed in New Orleans style hoodoo magic.
  Although hidden behind the cryptic role of an "editor," the
  author "Bivins N.D.P." was an outstanding root worker with a
  background in the Spiritualist Church movement, and the book
  is filled from cover to cover with traditional hoodoo magic
  spells for almost any condition. CY

Blavatsky, H.P. ["All of the writings of H. P. Blavatsky"]

• All of the writings of H. P. Blavatsky are strongly
  recommended. A well informed occultist should be familiar
  with her works. C7

Bouisson, M. (trans. by G. Almayrac). Magic: Its History
and Principle Rites.
Dutton, 1961.

• Recommended. NY

Bonewits, Philip Emmons Isaac. Real Magic.
(pub?) 1971; 1979;
revised edition, York Beach, Maine, Samuel Weiser, 1989

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. Probably the best beginner's book available,
  especially for Neo-Pagans. NY
• Recommended. PB-RK

Brendle, Thomas R. and Unger, Claude W.. Folk Medicine of
the Pennsylvania Germans: The Non-Occult Cures.
Proceedings of the Pennsylvania German Society.
Volume XLV, Part II, 1935.

• The title is a misnomer; many "occult cures" are
  indeed included. This book is not easy to find, but is
  worth 1,000 modern redactions and fabrications about
  Pennsylvania Dutch (German) "Pow Wow" folk magic. CY

Budge, Wallis. Egyptian Magic.
(pub?) 1899; Citadel Press, 1991.

• Ancient Egypt. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Burger, [-] and Neale, [-]. Magic and Meaning.
(pub? date?)

• A magician's trade book not available from regular
  bookstores. Burger and Neale discuss the use of conjuring
  tricks by shamans and others. XZ

Butler, E.M.. Ritual Magic.
(pub? date?)

• A good starting map. This book will open up a lot more
  material for the interested scholar. Strongly recommended. C7

Butler, E. M.. The Myth of the Magus.
(pub? date?)

• A good starting map. This book will open up a lot more
  material for the interested scholar. Strongly recommended. C7

Butler, W. E.. Apprentice to Magic.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Butler, W. E.. The Initiate.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Butler, W. E.. Lords of Light.
(pub? date?)

• Spirituality. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Butler, W. E.. Magic, Its Ritual Power and Purpose.
Aquarian Press, 1975.

• Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. NY

Butler, W. E.. The Magician, His Training and Work.
Melvin Powers Wilshire Book Co., 1959

• Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. LW

===== 
  C
=====

Campbell, Joseph. Masks of the Gods: Primitive Mythology.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. XZ

Carroll, Peter. Chaos Magick
(pub? date?)

• Technical work on Chaos magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Carroll, Peter. Liber Null and Psychonaut.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Carroll, Peter. Liber Kaos.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Castaneda, Carlos. The Teachings of Don Juan.
Berkeley, University of California Press, 1968. viii, 196 p.
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1973. 288 p.
New York, Washington Square Press, 1990. 256 p. ISBN 0-671-60041-9

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Probably fiction. Caveat emptor. CY

Castaneda, Carlos. Separate Reality.
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1971. 317 p.
ISBN 671-20897-7 (cb) ISBN 671-21074-2 (pbk)

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Probably fiction. Caveat emptor. CY

Castaneda, Carlos. Journey to Ixtlan.
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1972. 315 p.

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Probably fiction. Caveat emptor. CY

Castaneda, Carlos. Tales of Power.
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1974. 287 p.
New York, Washington Square Press, 1992. 295 p.
ISBN 0-671-73252-8

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Probably fiction. Caveat emptor. CY

Castaneda, Carlos. The Second Ring of Power.
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1977. 316 p.
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1979. 316 p.

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Probably fiction. Caveat emptor. CY

Castaneda, Carlos. The Eagle's Gift.
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1981. 316 p.

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Probably fiction. Caveat emptor. CY

Castaneda, Carlos. The Fire From Within.
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1984. 296 p.

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Probably fiction. Caveat emptor. CY

Castaneda, Carlos. The Power of Silence.
New York, Simon and Schuster, 1987. 286 p.

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Probably fiction. Caveat emptor. CY

Castaneda, Carlos. The Art of Dreaming.
New York, HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. xi, 260 p.

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Probably fiction. Caveat emptor. CY

Cavendish, Richard, The Black Arts.
G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1967.

• Recommended. NY
• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. If you're pressed for time, this would be
  a good place to start. AZ.
• A good starting map. This book will open up a lot more
  material for the interested scholar. Strongly recommended. C7
• Recommended for beginners' study in traditional magick. CPR
• The book jacket claims that this is, "An absorbing
  account of witchcraft, demonology, astrology, and other
  mystical practices throughout the ages...." That is very
  accurate. This book is a good introduction to what I would
  call "classical western occultism". For the student who
  knows absolutely nothing about witchcraft and the occult,
  this is a very good book to read. ZZ
• An excellent introduction for rank newbies. CY

Chumbley, [--]. Azoetia.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Cicero, Chic and Cicero, Tabitha. Self-Initiation into the
Golden Dawn Tradition.
(pub?, date?)

• Recommended. LW

Chocron, Daya Saral. Healing With Crystals & Gemstones.
(pub? date?)

• Technical work on New Age magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Ithell Colquhoun. The Sword of Wisdom
(pub? date?)

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Crow, W. B.. History of Magic, Witchcraft and Occultism.
Aquarian Press, 1968.

• Recommended. NY

Crowley, Aleister (writing as "Evangeline Adams"). Astrology:
Your Place Among the Stars.
(pub? date?)

• While in America, Crowley ghost wrote two astrology books
  for the popular newspaper astrology columnist Evangeline
  Adams. The original editions are the only ones recommended;
  as the later reprint edited by Hymenaeus Beta (Willliam
  Breeze)introduced many egregious errors of astrology,
  rendering the brilliance of the texts moot. CY

Crowley, Aleister (writing as "Evangeline Adams"). Astrology:
Your Place Under the Sun.
(pub? date?)

• While in America, Crowley ghost wrote two astrology books
  for the popular newspaper astrology columnist Evangeline
  Adams. The original editions are the only ones recommended;
  as the later reprint edited by Hymaneaeus Beta introduced
  many egregious errors of astrology, rendering the brilliance
  of the texts moot. CY

Crowley, Aleister. The Book of Lies.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Crowley, Aleister. The Book of Thoth. Illustrated by Frieda
Harris.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK
• The last of Crowley's many revisions of his theories about
  tarot; this book codifies for all time his switch of the Star
  and the Emperor cards, seemingly in response to the Golden
  Dawn's switch of Strength and Justice. I recommend reading
  this book with comparison to Arthur Edward Waite's Pictorial
  Key to the Tarot. CY

Crowley, Aleister. The Confessions of Aleister Crowley.
(edited by Symonds and Grant)
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Revelatory, but not for beginners; this is a text less of
  interest to students of magic than to those who are studying
  the personalities of magicians. CY

Crowley, Aleister. Gems of the Equinox. (edited by Israel
Regardie)
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Crowley, Aleister. The Holy Books of Thelema. (edited by
Hymenaeus Alpha [Grady McMurtry])
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Crowley, Aleister. The Law is For All. (edited by Israel
Regardie)
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Crowley, Aleister. Liber Aleph.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Crowley, Aleister. Magick.
Several configurations of this material exist:
Magick in Theory and Practice
(pub?) 1929; various reprints, including: (edited
by Symonds and Grant) Samuel Weiser, Inc., New York, 1973;
ISBN No.: 0-87728-254-4; also:
(edited by Symonds and Grant) Arkana Books, 1989.
Crowley, Aleister; Sturges, Mary d'Este; Leila Waddell.
Magick: Liber ABA, Book 4, parts I-IV
(pub? date?); reprint (edited by Hymenaeus Beta
[William Breeze]) popularly called The "Big Blue Brick"
(pub? date?)

• Thelemic Tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended for beginners' study in traditional magick. CPR
  Newbies should note that "Magick in Theory and Practice" is
  Part Three of "Book Four, Liber ABA" and that Parts One and
  Two of this work were written by Soror Virakam, a.k.a. Mary
  d'Este Sturges a.k.a. Mary Desti, a playwright (and the
  mother of the film directory and screenwriter Preston
  Sturges), from notes she took of Crowley's discourses. Part
  Three was a collaboration with Leila Waddell. A third
  collaborator, not given co-author credit by Crowley, was
  Mary Butts. NY
• Recommended. PB-RK
• A good overview of yogic practice in a magickal context,
  along with a good description of the working tools. Also has
  that cool (hilarious) chapter on magick in nursery rhymes.
  Crowley was a master magician. He worked his will upon
  the world and rightly should be called a Magus. He also
  destroyed himself with drugs, was a master con artist, and
  generally was the sort of person you wouldn't want your
  sister, or brother for that matter, spending much time with.
  I would label most of his writing "for advanced students
  only". The new student does not have the "tools" to
  understand Crowley. At best, the new student will hurt
  themselves a little. At worst, if he takes Crowley too
  literally, the new student will generally end up hurt, dead,
  dying, babbling, dribbling, or to put it in scientific
  language, seriously whacked. (Eating cakes made from cooked
  menstrual blood and worse - yuuch. Slicing your arm with a
  razor blade every time you break concentration -- I don't
  think so.) I've included him however because his name is so
  prominent in occult literature and he has written so much.
  His Qabalistic system is just that, his Qabalistic system.
  If you want to learn about the Kabbalah, start with Hoffman
  or Scholem. ZZ
• The Big Blue Brick is generally considered a problematic
  edition, due to errors said to have been introduced in the
  process of re-editing. CY

Crowley, Aleister. Magick Without Tears. (edited by Israel
Regardie).
Falcon Press (?), 1989; reprinted.

• Thelemic Tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. NY
• Recommended. PB-RK
• I think this is a better beginning book than just jumping in
  with "Magick in Theory and Practice." Some of it will be
  confusing, some of it is (one would hope) obvious Thelemic
  propaganda. But there are some excellent insights hidden
  among the dross. ZZ

Crowley, Aleister. 777 and other Qabbalistic Writings of
Aleister Crowley (edited by Israel Regardie).
Weiser, 1973

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• A fascinating, frustrating, and ultimately failed attempt to
  integrate worldwide systems of magic and their symbol-sets as
  aspects of a hermetic Qabala stripped of all Jewish context.
  CY

Crowley, Aleister. ["All of the writings of Aleister Crowley."]

• Crowley is first and foremost a practicing magician, secondly
  a literary stylist and only thirdly a reliable scholar.
  Generally, his works on Western magick have a large element
  of poetry and personal interpretation -- as they should. His
  writings on eastern thought represent very good scholarship.
  A good starting map. His books will open up a lot more
  material for the interested scholar. Strongly recommended. C7
• Unlike C7, i do not recommend Crowley's works on Asian
  ("Eastern") religio-mystical practices; his greatest worth
  for me lies the pages of Book Four, the Book of Thoth, 777,
  and the astrological works he ghost-wrote for Evangeline
  Adams. CY

Crowley, Vivianne. Wicca
(pub? date?)

• Pagan. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Culling, Louis. Complete Magick Curriculum of the Secret order
of G.'.B.'.G.'..
St.Paul, Llewellyn Publications, 1969.

• Recommended. PB-RK

Cunningham, Scott. Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Cunningham, Scott. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: More
Techniques of Natural Magic.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

===== 
  D
=====

Daraul, Akron. A History of the Secret Societies
Citadel Press, 1961.

• History of Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Dee, John. Heptarchia Mystica.
Hermetic Sourcebooks (date?)

• Enochian Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Dee, John. Spirits and Apparitions.
(pub? date?)

• Enochian Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

deGivry, Grillot. Witchcraft, Magic, and Alchemy
(pub?) 1931. Dover Books, 1971

• History of Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• A voluminous introduction to European magic. CY

Dennings, [-], and Phillips, [-]. Foundations on High.
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1991; 1974.

• Ogdoadic tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Dennings, [-], and Phillips, [-]. Magical States of
Consciousness
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1983

• Ogdoadic tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Dennings, [-], and Phillips, [-]. The Magical Philosophy
Series (3 Vols.).
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1974.

• Recommended. NY
• Recommended. PB-RK

Dennings, [-], and Phillips, [-]. Mysteria Magica.
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1991; 1986;

• Ogdoadic tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Deveney, John Patrick. Paschal Beverly Randolph,
A Nineteenth-Century African-American Spiritualist,
Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician.
State University of New York Press, 1997.

• A well written biography of Paschal Beverly Randolph
  which includes, as a bonus, complete copies of two
  of his rarest works on sex magic from the 1870s. CY

Dey, Charmaine. The Magic Candle.
(pub?), 1982. 64 p.

• After Henri Gamache's Master Book of Candle-Burning, this
  is my next-favourite title on candle magic. The two make a
  great set or pair, as each covers slightly different aspects
  of the work of dressing, fixing, and setting lights, doing
  altar work, and casting magic spells with candles. CY

Donner, Florinda. Being-In-Dreaming.
New York, HarperCollins, 1991. 303 p. ISBN 0-06-250233-6 (pbk)

• Native American tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• On The Art of Dreaming.
• Recommended. PB-RK

Donner, Florinda. Shabono: a Visit to a Remote and Magical
World in the South American Rainforest
Delacorte Press 1982
New York, HarperCollins (pbk). 305 p. ISBN 0-06-250242-5
HarperSanFrancisco 1992

• Native American tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Indians, shamanism, and ethnology. Recommended. PB-RK

Donner, Florinda. The Witch's Dream.
New York, Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster), 1985; 1986. 306 p.
ISBN 0-671-64806-3 (pbk).

• Native American tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

DuQuette, Lon Milo. Angels, Demons and Gods of the New
Millennium.
(pub? date?)

• Four good essays on topics such as Goetia, Aeonic magick,
  initiation and rebirth, etc. Written in DuQuette's usual
  clear, humorous style. I like this one a lot. Has some useful
  anecdotes from when he was a young occultist that might "hit
  home" with some readers. ZZ

DuQuette, Lon Milo and Hyatt, Christopher. Enochian Sex Magic.
(pub? date?)

• Enochian Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

DuQuette, Lon Milo. The Magick of Thelema.
(pub? date?)

• About the best intro to the Thelemic current going, again
  IMHO. ZZ

===== 
  E
=====

Edwardes, Michael. The Dark Side of History.
Granada, 1978.

• History of Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Eliade, Mircea. A History of Religious Ideas.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

• This fascinating 19th century text remains the
  definitive study on the belief in, and remedies
  against, the Eye of Envy or Mal Occhio. A basic
  cornerstone of folk magic that may have originated
  in ancient Sumer; the Invidious Eye is certainly old
  enough to be mentioned in the Bible, and is so
  widespread that it is still a core component of
  the magical belief systems of Jewish, Muslim,
  Christian, and Hindu cultures. CY

===== 
  F
=====

Fielding, Charles. The Practical Qabalah.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Fogel, Edwin Miller. Beliefs and Superstitions of the
Pennsylvania Germans.
American Germanica Press, 1913.

A lengthy treatise on Pennsylvania Dutch (German)
"Pow Wow" magic, giving hundreds of examples of the
survival of Medieval Germanic spells in America. CY

Fortune, Dion. Applied Magic and Aspects of Occultism.
Wellingborough, England, The Aquarian Press, Thorsons
Publishing Group, 1962; Aquarian, 1981.

• Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

Fortune, Dion. Cosmic Doctrine.
Wellingborough, England, The Aquarian Press, Thorsons
Publishing Group (date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Fortune, Dion. Esoteric Orders and Their Work and Training and
Work of the Initiate.
Wellingborough, England, The Aquarian Press, Thorsons
Publishing Group (date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Fortune, Dion. The Esoteric Philosophy of Love and
Marriage.
Wellingborough, England, The Aquarian Press, Thorsons
Publishing Group (date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Fortune, Dion. Glastonbury, Avalon of the Heart.
Aquarian, 1934; Wellingborough, England, The Aquarian Press,
Thorsons Publishing Group (date?)

• Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

Fortune, Dion. Mystical Meditations on the Collects.
(pub?, date?)

• Brings out the more Christian aspects of Golden Dawn
  practice, which I have found to be most useful. CC

Fortune, Dion. The Mystical Qabalah.
Ernest Benn, London, 1935;
York Beach, Samuel Weiser (date?) ISBN 0-87728-596-9 (pbk)

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK
• I still think it's one of the best primers. ZZ
• Probably Fortune's best-known and most highly praised
  non-fiction book. CY

Fortune, Dion. Psychic Self Defense.
Wellingborough, England, The Aquarian Press, Thorsons
Publishing Group (date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK
• A classic of a sort; slightly on the paranoid side. CY

Fortune, Dion. Sane Occultism & Practical Occultism in Daily Life.
Wellingborough, England, The Aquarian Press, Thorsons
Publishing Group (date?); Aquarian, 1967.

• Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

Fortune, Dion. Through the Gates of Death and Spiritualism in
The Light of Occult Sciences.
Wellingborough, England, The Aquarian Press, Thorsons
Publishing Group (date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Fortune, Dion ["all the writings of Dion Fortune."]

• A well informed occultist should be familiar with her works.
  C7
• Fortune is also known for her magical-occult fiction. CY

Franck, Adolphe. The Kabbalah.
(pub? date?)

• Kabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Frazer, James G.. The Golden Bough.
London, Macmillan, 1922 (abridged)

• Ethnology and Anthropology. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

French, P.J.. John Dee.
Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972

• Enochian Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

===== 
  G
=====

Gamache, Henri. The Master Book of Candle Burning.
(pub?) 1942; revised 1998. 96 p.

• The classic text on hoodoo candle burning in the pre-Santeria
  era; covers everything you need to know about colour
  symbolism, figural candles, dressing candles, altar layouts,
  etc. The author was beyond doubt the best early 20th century
  writer on hoodoo.

Garudas, [-]. Gems, Elixirs, and Vibrational Healing.
(pub? date?)

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Godwin, Joscelyn. Arktos.
(pub? date?)

• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. AZ.

Godwin, Joscelyn. The Theosophical Enlightenment.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended for beginners' study in traditional magick. CPR

Gonzalez-Wippler, Migene. A Kabbalah for the Modern World.
St. Paul, Llewellyn (date?)

• Hermetic Qabalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Gonzalez-Wippler, Migene. The Complete Book of Spells,
Ceremonies, and Magic.
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1978; 1991.

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Grant, Kenneth, The Magical Revival.
(pub? date?)

• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. AZ.

Gray, William. Ladder of Lights.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Greer, John Michael, Paths of Wisdom.
(pub?, date?)

• Qabala. Recommended. LW

Greer, John Michael, Circles of Power.
(pub?, date?)

• Similar in concept to Kraig's Modern Magic, sans the lessons.
  LW
• A surprisingly complete yet compact examination of Golden
  Dawn-style magick. Much less dense for the beginner than
  Regardie's opus, although the author has an annoying habit of
  throwing in a little "ooga-booga" stuff to keep the reader
  interested. Still, has all the basics, including the grade
  signs, telesmatic imagery, most of the major rituals, etc. A
  good choice for someone interested in this style, IMHO. ZZ

===== 
  H
=====

Halevi, Z'ev ben Shimon. Kabbalah: Tradition of Hidden
Knowledge.
(pub?, date?)

• Kabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Halevi, Z'ev ben Shimon. Kabbalah and Psychology.
Weiser (date?)

• Kabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Hall, Manly Palmer. Lectures on Ancient Philosophy
Companion To The Secret Teachings Of All Ages
Los Angeles, Philosophical Research Society, 1929;
reprinted 1984 ISBN No.: 0-89314-820-2

• This is the companion to The Secret Teachings (see
  next entry). It's a big book (500+ pages) and an
  excellent one. I don't know if the beginning student
  would really want to take it on at first, but I
  include it an important reference book. ZZ

Hall, Manly Palmer. The Secret Teachings of All Ages,
An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic,
Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy
Los Angeles, The Philosophical Research Society, 1928;
reprinted 1988 ISBN No.: 0-89314-548-3

• Manly P. Hall authored over 150 books and essays on
  the subjects contained in this book. This work is
  without a doubt his crowning achievement and an invaluable
  source of information. The book is exactly what the
  sub-title says it is, and it is the best single book
  like it anywhere. ZZ

Hammer, Marc. The Jeshua Letters.
Tacoma, WA, Kendra Press. (date?) ISBN 0-963-00840-4

• Recommended. PB-RK

Harper, George Mills. Yeats' Golden Dawn.
(pub?, date?)

• Golden Dawn history. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Hoffman, Edward. The Way of Splendor, Jewish Mysticism
and Modern Psychology
Shambhala, Boulder & London, 1981;
Random House ISBN No.: 0-394-52152-8

• A good introduction to the Kabbalah and how it relates
  and what it means to the human mind and spirit. This
  book is very readable and makes a very good modern case
  for the study of the Kabbalah and just what such study might
  ultimately mean for the student. And it does this in clear
  language. ZZ

Hohman, John George [Johann Georg]. Pow-Wows or The Long
Lost Friend.
Stein, c. 1935; Dorene, c. 1960. [These variant
3rd editions derive from the 1st and 2nd English editions
of The Long-Secreted Friend or A True and Christian
Information for Everybody; Containing Wonderful and
Approved Remedies and Arts for Men and Beast.
John G. Hohman, 1846; T. F. Scheffer, 1856. The 1846
English language edition was translated by the author
from the 1824 2nd edition of his 1820 German book.
The 1856 translator is uncredited.]

• The best known, but by no means the only collection of
  Pennsylvania Dutch (German) folk magic. Contains material
  copied from The Egyptian Secrets of Albertus Magnus, plus
  much else. Perhaps the first grimoire published in the
  USA. CY

Howe, Ellic, Magicians of the Golden Dawn.
(pub?, date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK
• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. AZ.
• A good historical survey and useful reference for those who
  are trying to keep track of the personalities and trends of
  the hermetic revival in England in the 19th and early 29th
  centuries. CY

Huson, Paul. Mastering Witchcraft, A Practical Guide For
Witches, Warlocks & Covens.
G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1970.

• This book brings classical western witchcraft and occultism
  "up to date" with practical suggestions on how to approach
  western occultism in today's world. ZZ

Hyatt, Christopher. Secrets of Western Tantra.
(pub?, date?)

• Technical work on sexual magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Hyatt, Harry Middleton. Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft -
Rootwork. [Five Vols.]
Memoirs of the Alma Egan Hyatt Foundation, 1970-1978.

• Transcribed interviews with 1,600 African American root
  doctors and hoodoo practitioners, recorded from 1936-1940.
  Five thousand pages of raw material; the most complete
  folk magic collection ever published. CY

Hyatt, Harry Middleton. Folklore from Adams County Illinois.
Memoirs of the Alma Egan Hyatt Foundation, 1935. [and the
rewritten Revised 2nd Edition, Memoirs of the Alma Egan
Hyatt Foundation, 1965.]

• Whereas Hyatt's Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft - Rootwork
  is a study of one facet of magic in depth, collected all
  over the American South from Black practitioners, this is
  the opposite: a study of the folk magic of one rural
  American county, collected from people of all races and
  ethnicities, and sorted according to the type of practice
  rather than the culture of the practitioner. CY

Hurston, Zora Neale. Mules and Men.
J. B. Lippincott, 1935;
HarperCollins, 1995; 310 p. with foreword by Arnold Rampersad
and afterword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

• Best known for her novels, the African-American author Zora
  Neale Hurston was also a folklorist, and in this book she
  examines hoodoo as it was practiced in New Orleans and
  Florida during the 1920s and 30s. The first half of the book
  contain folktales; the second half is filled with rituals,
  spells, and formulas, plus personal accounts of root doctors
  like The Frizzly Rooster and Kitty Brown, from whom she
  learned her work. CY

===== 
  I
=====

===== 
  J
=====

James, Geoffrey. The Enochian Evocation of Dr. John Dee.
Heptangle Book 1988

• Enochian Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

James, Geoffrey. Enochian Magick of Dr. John Dee.

• Recommended for beginners' study in traditional magick. CPR

Johnson, F. Roy. The Fabled Dr. Jim Jordan, A Story of
Conjure.
Johnson Publishing Co., 1963; revised ed. 1968.

• The only major, in-depth, non-fitionalized biography of a
  rural African American root doctor, Freemason, and card
  reader ever published, to the best of my knowledge. Those
  who are interested in folk magic in general and hoodoo
  in particular will find much of value here, despite the
  slightly "memorial scrapbook" quality of the writing. CY

===== 
  K
=====

Kaplan, Aryeh. Meditation and Kabbalah.
(pub?, date?)

• Recommended for those of a more religious bent; Jewish. AW

Kaplan, Aryeh. Jewish Meditation.
(pub?, date?)

• Kabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

• Kabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Kelly, Aidan Kelly. Crafting the Art of Magic.
(pub? date?)

• Highly recommended for those interested in the history of
  the Neo-Pagan and hermetic revivals of the mid 20th century.
  Best read in conjunction with Margot Adler's Drawing Down
  the Moon. CY

King, Francis. Magic: The Western Tradition.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. SNA-TIS

King, Francis. The Magical World of Aleister Crowley.
(pub? date?)

• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. AZ.

King, Francis. Modern Ritual Magic.
(pub? date?)

• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. If you're pressed for time, this
  would be a good place to start. AZ.

King, Francis. The Rites of Modern Occult Magic
The MacMillan Company, New York, 1970.

• You've heard of the Rosicrucians, the Freemasons, The
  Order of The Golden Dawn, the A.A, the O.T.O, The Theosophical
  Society, Mathers, Blavatsky, the always colorful Aleister
  Crowley? Well, if you're interested in this newsgroup, you
  should know about these organizations and personalities. This
  book will take you through the last 100 years or so of western
  occult history, organizations, and personalities. Its primary
  utility is to set the stage and context for much, but not all,
  of the occultism which exists today. ZZ

King, Francis (editor). The Secret Rituals of the OTO.
London, The C. W. Daniel Company, Ltd., 1973.

• Pirated; not recommended for beginners, but of value
  to people seriously studying the Mysteries of O.T.O. NY
• Recommended. PB-RK
• Suppressed by the O.T.O. and thus of interest to the
  curious. CY

King, Francis, and Skinner, Stephen. Techniques of High Magic:
Techniques of Self-Initiation.
Destiny Books, 1976.

• Interesting,. Definitely worth a look. NY
• Starts out with some good, old-fashioned Geomancy (magickal
  arts 'n' crafts, anyone?) and goes through much of the
  standard stuff. Has the rituals you would expect, i.e. LBRP,
  Middle Pillar, etc. ZZ

Knight, Gareth. Experience of the Inner Worlds.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Knight, Gareth. Magic and the Western Mind.
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1978; 1991.

• History of Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• A good starting map. This book will open up a lot more
  material for the interested scholar. Strongly
  recommended. C7
• Historical. AW

Kraig, Donald Michael. Modern Magick: Eleven Lessons in
the High Magickal Arts.
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1989

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK
• Not a bad place to start. He seems obsessed with
  categorizing magic into a color scheme, which is sort of
  silly, but understandable, given his apparent goals. LW
• This book provides an excellent introduction to occult
  magick in general, and is a great study guide for the student
  of Ceremonial High Magick. Over the course of the lessons in
  the book, Kraig guides the student through all the stages
  necessary to reach the equivalent of the Golden Dawn's
  'Adeptus Minor'. This is the highest level of proficiency in
  the Outer Orders of most GD styles of magick, and the
  launching point for the First Crisis -- attaining to the
  'Knowledge and Conversation' of the 'Holy Guardian Angel'. In
  theory, the student should be able to pursue Self-Initiation
  using this book, and its suggested external references, with
  as strong a chance at success as the student's talents
  permit. This is a great starter book. ZZ
• A reasonable place for beginners to start reading. CY

Krishna, Gopi. Kundalini.
(pub? date?)

• Yoga and Indian traditions. Recommended. SNA-TIS

===== 
  L
=====

Laycock, Donald C. The Complete Enochian Dictionary.
Askin. 1978

• Enochian Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Levi, Eliphas (Constant, Alphonse Louis). (trans. ?)
The History of Magic.
(pub? date?); reprinted Samuel Weiser, 1969, 1988.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. NY
• Recommended. PB-RK

Levi, Eliphas (Constant, Alphonse Louis). (trans. A. E.
Waite). Transcendental Magic, Its Doctrine and Rituals
Rider, London, 1896; Samuel Weiser, 1968, 1970. .

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. NY
• Recommended. PB-RK
• Quirky and not of a modern level of scholarship,
  but very influential. CY

Levi, Eliphas (Constant, Alphonse Louis). (trans. ?)
The Key of the Mysteries.
(pub? date?); 1959

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Luhrmann, T. H. (T.M.?). Persuasions of the Witches'
(Witch's?) Craft
Harvard University Press, 1989

• Ethnology and Anthropology. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• A book by an anthropologist. Treats witchcraft from
  a skeptical perspective. XZ
• An interesting book treating the practice of magic from a
  skeptical perspective. Luhrmann was a participant/observer
  in a number of pagan and magical groups, and has many
  interesting things to say about why people practice magic.
  She is neither a believer nor a debunker. The only
  difficulty with her book is that it is somewhat academic
  and dry, but it rewards persistence. MK

===== 
  M
=====

MacIntosh, [-]. Eliphas Levi and the French Occult Revival.
(pub? date?)

• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. AZ
• A good companion for anyone essaying a study of Levi's
  own books. CY

MacIntosh, [-]. The Rosicrucians.
(pub? date?)

• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. AZ

Malinowski, Bronislow. Magic, Science and Religion.
Doubleday, 1964.

• Recommended. NY

Mathers, S. L. MacGregor (translator, editor). The Key
of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis).
(pub?) circa 1450.
Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1887 (redaction by Mathers)
Samuel Wiser, 1990s. 60 p.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended for beginners' study in traditional magick. CPR
• A Christian rendition of Jewish talismanic Kabbalistic
  magic. This is one of the most famous of the various "books
  of seals" or talismans used to invoke the powers of
  planets, angels, spirits, and demons. MacGregor Mathers was
  a founding member of the Order of the Golden Dawn and this
  book is widely used by European-style ceremonial magicians
  and hermeticists as well as by African-American conjurers. CY

Mathers, S. L. MacGregor (translator). The Sacred Magic of
Abramelin the Mage.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• An old Christian Cabala rendition of Jewish talismanic
  Kabbalistic magic. CY

Mathers, S. L. MacGregor (translator). The Kabbalah
Unveiled.
(pub? 1887; Weiser, 1968.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Based on Knorr Von Rosenroth 's Kabala Denudata. CY

Matthews, Caitlin and Matthews, John. The Western Way
(pub?, date?)

• Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended for those of a more religious bent;
  Pagan. AW

Matthews, John and Green, Marian. The Grail Seeker's
Companion.
Arkana, London (date?).

• Recommended. SNA-TIS

Mickaharic, Draja. A Century of Spells.
Weiser, 1985; 2001; 2004. 160 p.

• This is one of the best and most popular spell books ever
  written on contemporary folk magic, incorporating spells
  from many different cultures, with full instructions by one
  the most respected contemporary authors in the field. A
  great occult book for beginners. CY

Mickaharic, Draja. Practice of Magic.
(pub? date?)

• A good introductory book that outlines many of the types
  of magic, so that you can set your sights for closer
  examination of what most interests you. It explains in
  easy, simple terms the various types of magic found in
  numerous cultures and provides pointers toward more
  specialized books on each area of magic. CY

Mickaharic, Draja. Spiritual Cleansing.
Weiser, 1982; 2004. 96 p.

• A serious collection of recipes for Eastern European
  and Afro-Caribbean Catholic herb baths, floor washing
  rites, and egg magic to rid the home of curses and
  protect family members from the evil eye. CY

===== 
  N
=====

===== 
  O
=====

===== 
  P
=====

Ponce, Charles. The Game of Wizards.
(pub? date?)

• A good starting map. This book will open up a
  lot more material for the interested scholar.
  Strongly recommended. C7

Ponce, Charles. The Qabalah.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Puckett, Newbell Niles. Folk Beliefs of the Southern Negro.
University of North Carolina Press, 1926; reprinted.

• A book greatly marred by the author's racism, it yet remains
  an essential early scholarly work on hoodoo folk magic. CY

===== 
  Q
=====

===== 
  R
=====

Raphael, Katrina. Crystal Enlightenment.
(pub? date?)

• Technical work on New Age magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Raphael, Katrina. Crystal Healing
(pub? date?)

• Technical work on New Age magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Regardie, Israel. Ceremonial Magic.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. LW

Regardie, Israel. The Complete System of Golden
Dawn Magic.
(pub? date?)

• Contains the entire Golden Dawn system up to
  Theoricus Adeptus Minor grade. Enough material
  in this book for a lifetime's work. Provides a
  very clear, graduated, and comprehensive system
  to adeptship. Big and relatively expensive, but
  well worth it. ZZ

Regardie, Israel. The Eye in the Triangle
(pub? date?)

• Thelemic Tradition. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Regardie, Israel. Garden of Pomegranates.
(pub? date?)

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

Regardie, Israel. The Golden Dawn, A Complete Course in
Practical Ceremonial Magic, Four Volumes in One,
The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites and
Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
(pub?) 1938;
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1971, 1989 ISBN No.: 0-87542-663-8

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• The Golden Dawn was originally a secret, Freemasonic
  flavored organization, dedicated to the accomplishment of
  the "Great Work", perhaps better identified as "absolute
  spiritual illumination", through study and the practice of
  ceremonial magic. It and its members have been very
  significant influences in the modern history and content of
  western occultism. If you're going to have only one book
  on or about The Golden Dawn, this is the one to have. ZZ
• Recommended for beginners' study in traditional magick. CPR

Regardie, Israel. Foundations of Practical Magic.
Aquarian Press, 1979.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

Regardie, Israel. The Middle Pillar.
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1970.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK
• An invaluable introduction to *practical* ceremonial
  magick. Gives in-depth instructions on the Qabalistic
  Cross, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, and
  the vibratory formula of the Middle Pillar. The entire
  Golden Dawn ceremonial work is built upon the foundations
  of these three practices, and the visualisation skills,
  concentration, awakening of internal power, and the
  "bringing down of the divine light" that persistent
  application to these exercises will develop, and the book
  emphasises the utmost importance of pending a lot of time
  building up this foundation. The book concludes by linking
  in the results of these three practices to the greater body
  of Golden Dawn ceremonial work. (I cannot overstate the
  value of this little book. It provides the best
  *practical*, no bullshit introduction into the G.'.D.'.
  system that I've ever seen. One of the few books that gives
  the beginner a clear, direct, and unambiguous sequence of
  practices, which should continue to act as the foundation
  for any ceremonial magician's career.) ZZ

Regardie, Israel. The Tree of Life.
(pub?), 1929; Weiser, 1976.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

Regardie, Israel. What You Should Know About The Golden Dawn.
(pub? date?)

• A history and discussion of the Golden Dawn and the events
  which destroyed it, a conceptual exposition of the Golden
  Dawn system of magick, and a variety of other interesting
  documents. A good companion to the practical instructions
  in The Middle Pillar and The Complete System of Golden
  Dawn Magic. ZZ

Regardie, Israel. ["All of the writings of Israel Regardie."]

• An abominable stylist but a reasonably good scholar. A
  good starting map. His books will open up a lot more material
  for the interested scholar. Strongly recommended. C7

Richardson [-]. 20th Century Magic.
(pub? date?)

• The best short book I've come across to get a quick
  overview of Dion Fortune's practices. CC

Richardson, Alan. An Introduction to the Mystical
Qabalah.
(pub? date?)

• Hermetic Qabalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Richardson, [-] and Huett, [-]. Spiritual Value of
Gem Stones.
(pub? date?)

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Runyon, Carroll "Poke". The Book of Solomon's Magick.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. CY

Rutherford, Wade. Druidism.
(pub? date?)

• Pagan. Recommended. SNA-TIS

===== 
  S
=====

Scholem, Gershom. Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism.
Schocken, 1941

• Kabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• If Jewish mysticism per se is not your interest, but
  you are interested in the Kabbalah, save your sheckels
  Scholem's magnum opus, Kabbalah, listed below. CY

Scholem, Gershom. Kabbalah.
New York, Dorset Press, 1974 ISBN No.: 0-88029-205-9

• Kabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• This is a thick book, and a very complete survey of the
  Kabbalah by a recognized authority. It also can be relatively
  flat and colorless, maybe a little boring. ZZ
• This has long been, and probably will long continue to be
  both the most definitive and the most accessible book on the
  Kabbalah, its history, meaning, and practical applications in
  mysticism and magic. Scholem flatly dismisses as ignorant the
  Hermetic Revival Qabalists of the late 19th and early 20th
  centuries, with the exception of A. E. Waite, whom he reckons
  to be a good scholar, and this has not endeared him (or this
  book) to fans of the work of MacGregor Mathers and Crowley,
  but nonetheless, if you want your Kabbalah straight and
  unvarnished, from authentic Jewish sources, this is the best
  book you can buy. CY.

Silbey, Uma. The Complete Crystal Guidebook.
(pub? date?)

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Skinner, [-], The Search for Abraxas.
(pub? date?)

• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. AZ.

Spare, Austin Osman. The Book of Pleasure.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

Spence, Lewis. Encyclopedia of Occultism.
(pub?), 1959.

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Starhawk. Spiral Dance.
(pub?), 1959.

• Recommended. PB-RK
• A Neo-Pagan classic often used in designing rituals. CY

Stewart, R. J.. Living Magical Arts.
(pub?), 1959.

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Stewart, R. J.. Advanced Magical Arts.
(pub?), 1959.

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

Strauss, C. Levi. The Savage Mind.
Chicago Univ. Press, 1966

• Ethnology and Anthropology. Recommended. SNA-TIS

===== 
  T
=====

Thompson, Charles Fairfax. The Forbidden book of Knowledge.
Los Angeles, Privately Published, 1981.

• Recommended. PB-RK

Turner, Robert. Elizabethan Magic: The Art and the Magus.
Element Books 1989.

• History of Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Turner, Robert. THe Heptarchia Mystica of John Dee.
Magnum Opus (date?).

• Enochian Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Tyson, Donald. The New Magus.
St. Paul, Llewellyn, 1988.

• Technical work on general magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

Tyson, Donald. New Millennium Magick.
(pub? date?)

• A much better book, and a revised edition of The New
  Magus. Has some good insights into the symbols used in
  modern magickal practice although there's a lot of Tyson's
  personal philosophy to wade through. ZZ

Tyson, Donald. Ritual Magic: What It is and How to Do It.
(pub? date?)

• This isn't by any means a superlative work, but it does have
  a fairly good overview of magickal philosophies, i.e. Wiccan
  vs. Hermetic vs. New Aeon, etc. Admittedly, this is the
  first work on the subject I picked up. Not too much
  practical work involved, but one really good visualization
  exercise. A tentative step, but may be what some are looking
  for. Good reading list. ZZ

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U.'.D.'., Frater (in Germany, V.'.D.'., Frater).
The Secrets of the German Sex Magicians.
(pub? date?)

• Recommended. PB-RK

U.'.D.'., Frater (in Germany, V.'.D.'., Frater).
Practical Sigil Magick.
St. Paul, Llewellyn, (date?)

• Technical work on sigil magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Recommended. PB-RK

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Von Rosenroth, Knorr. Kabala Denudata.
(pub? date?)

• English and American readers will know this work
  though its reflection in S. L. MacGregor Mathers'
  The Kabbalah Unveiled. CY

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Waite, Arthur Edward. The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts.
London, (Rider?), 1898; reprinted.

• Hermetic Qabbalah. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• A survey of early European grimoires, all duly synopsized
  and evaluated, with illustrations of representative talisman
  designs included. It is still the best starting place for the
  novice's study of European talismanic magic and of demonic
  pact-making in the European tradition. CY

Waite, Arthur Edward. The Holy Kabbalah.
(pub? date?); reprinted.

• Ever incomprehensible; almost unintelligible. ZZ
• One of my favourites, and also the only book on the Kabbalah
  written from an occult or Hermetic viewpoint that was endorsed
  by the great Jewish Kabbalist Gershom Scholem. CY

Waite, Arthur Edward. Pictorial key to the Tarot. Illustrated
by Pamela Coleman Smith.
Rider, 1910; many reprints

• The best known and best selling introductory work on the use
  of the occult tarot cards for divination and fortune telling,
  with pointers toward their further use in spiritual training.
  This book codifies for all time the Golden Dawn's switch of
  the Strength and Justice cards. I recommend reading it with
  comparison to Aleister Crowley's The Book of Thoth. CY

Waite, Arthur Edward. The Real History of the Rosicrucians
(pub? date?); reprinted.

• I really don't like people who take volumes to tell you that
  they know all the answers to the mysteries of heaven and earth,
  but they can't tell you because you're not an initiate of their
  own particular and very special illuminated organization. Waite
  does this all the time. I find that really annoying! However,
  this book is good. It contains among other things, translations
  of the original "founding" documents associated with the legendary
  original secret order which has come to be known as the
  Rosicrucians.

Waite, Arthur Edward. ["All of the writings of Arthur Edward Waite."]

• An abominable stylist but a reasonably good scholar.
  A good starting map. His books will open up a lot
  more material for the interested scholar. Strongly
  recommended. C7

Webb, James. The Harmonious Circle.
(pub? date?)

• History of Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS

Webb, James. The Occult Underground.
Open Court Books, 1974.

• History of Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. AZ
• Excellent, mind opening. Strongly recommended. C7

Webb, James. The Occult Establishment.
Open Court Books, 1976.

• History of Magic. Recommended. SNA-TIS
• Good book on the history of western occultism in the
  19th-20th century. AZ
• Excellent, mind opening. Strongly recommended. C7

Whitcomb, Bill. The Magician's Companion.
(pub? date?)

• All the charts, tables and other info you'll probably
  ever need, with an emphasis on crafting your own system.
  One of my favorite reference works. ZZ

Wilber, Ken. A Sociable God.
(pub? date?)

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