Rating: 
Summary: Great background and insight for beginners
Review: This book would have been better without the quiz portions and referenced reading. I'd prefer a book that you can read straight through. Buckland's constant request that you stop reading and read other books before continuing is a royal pain and had me putting the book down as I wandered in different reading directions. It's almost as if he never wanted you to finish reading this book. And as for the quiz portions at the end of each chapter....does anyone ever actually take these quizzes? This book makes it hard for anyone to finish the book to completion. Other than that, the book is filled with wonderful background/history insight.
Rating: 
Summary: I-O-U...one brain -God
Review: Ray Buckland's work, historically, theologically, andeveryother"ically" in the book, is so incredibly hideous it's not evenfunny. I have never in my life seen an author who was so into himselfas he is. He quotes his own books so often it's nausiating. But this self-centeredness goes beyond literary information, the entire framework of what he likes to believe is a "complete" tradition of historically sound witchcraft is so narrow and closed-minded that it's sometimes difficult to read without laughing, and cringing. Everything must be exactly the way he illustrates it to be. He even gives a diagram for a wooden table that he suggests be built and used as an altar. This is assuming that either the reader has never seen a wooden table before, or that he even believes that in "true historical witchcraft" even the dimmensions of the table used as an altar was essentional for generating the right amount of energy. This is just one of many examples of Buckland's overuse of pictures and diagrams to fill in space. Some would argue that this is ok since the cover of the book is oversized, but if you sit down and compare the information within this book to other titles, you'll quickly find that the magority of this book is pictures, and actually contains a very slim amount of worth-while information, if any. Likewise, Buckland's account of the history of witchcraft is so laughable... Buckland spills the same old story of the ancient priestesshood of the sacred Wicca, yes, the historical account is so bad that he goes so far as to place the Wiccan religion, that is in the form of a ritualistic and explicit religious tradition, as far back as man's primitive tribal era. Something peculiar in his historical account though is that he addresses the notion that Wicca was in fact ivented by Gerald Gardner, but in offering his response to this claim he says nothing. Now I can't quote the line exactly... but to the best of my knowledge it goes something like this: "some have even claimed that Gerald Gardner simply made the whole thing up, such claims are not even worthy of a response!" And that's all the more he says on the subject, one sentence. Ummmm......ok, if they are not worthy of a response, then why are they worthy enough to be brought up in the first place? ...He would've been better off to have simply not brought up the subject at all, but instead he not only brought the subject up, but with his...one line apologetic, he showed readers that there may indeed be a grain of truth to the notion he thinks isn't worthy of being responded to. He tried to take the easy way out, and it backfried. ...The move of bringing something up only to shoot it down right away is the true mark of a person so lacking in judgement that it puzzles me as to how he ever managed to get this book published, as well as his other books for that matter. But this title especially is written from such a juvenilistic level that at times it feels like you're reading the work of a teenager. ...In regards to the use of the word witch, Buckland never actually defines the word, but rather simply takes the route of "witches do this" and "witches do that." The first line of the chapter on herbalism says something like "witches have always been keepers of herbal lore" and likewise with every chapter the book will read something like: "witches have always been versed in the knot tying arts" and "since times long ago witches were also village shoemakers" and "witches built the pyramids" and "witches invented the wheel" ...the general theme is to simply credit witches with anything and everything that may have been important in ancient times, all while completely disregarding the actual issue of defining the word witch itself. Of course Buckland's most dubious claim, which today has become infamous among many neo-pagans, is that he brought Wicca to the United States, was the first American witch, and basically credits himself with being responsible for the 60's California hippie movement. ...This is even a question on one of the many quizes included in the book, "who brought witchcraft to America?" ...
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Beginning to a Wiccan Library
Review: I felt this book is a great overview of the history of the craft, tools needed, and different practices of the average witch. A must buy for all those seeking a well-stocked library of witchcraft. Blessed Be.
Rating:
Summary: A winner in all of witchcraft
Review: I have been taught wicca since I was 8 years old and I could tell you I was taught be my grandmother. Wicca has been in my family since the 13 centry and I can tell you that this is an exact refrence as what I was taught. I hope you relize this book is worth it's weight in gold. blessed be!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful learning!
Review: When I first purchased this book,.. I was in awe of the size and information available. After each chapter is learning exersizes. I highly recommend this book to anyone, also especially to males who are so, so tired of the basic format in which many wiccan/pagan books are written,...It is full of information and rituals, as well as daily use info,..
Rating: 
Summary: Remember who this man is....
Review: Yes, he does have an egotisical flare in the book. He does seem to push Seax-Wica ideals in this book. But, Raymond Buckland does give the bare basics to this religion in a quasi-classroom text. The beauty of that is, he takes people by the hand and guides them through the generic beliefs to which all traditions adhere. My warning, READ THE BOOK THOUROUGHLY. THERE IS WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION ON ALL STYLES AND DENOMINATIONS TO TAKE ANYTHING BUT THE MOST BASIC DOCTRINES AS "GOSPEL." He was gardnerian, so he tends to be ritualistic in his view. Yet, the rituals are great to know in case one ever finds himself worshiping in a coven tradition. He also has to sell books for a living, therefor, he pushes Seax-Wica a little too strongly. Just as an fyi, my first coven made me study this book to get a handle on these precepts, and we were not seax. This book is not intended for those who wish to learn about how to cast spells, or join the O.T.O., but rather for those who have chosen Wicca as a religion, not as a game.
Rating:
Summary: Good for beginner..but Complete? Nah...
Review: I read this book when I first became interested in the practice of magic. I still refer to it from time to time. It is a good book for learning some of the basics. Please don't take this book (or any other) as the 'be all-end all' on the subject of magic (or any other). One big problem I have with the 'big blue book' is its lack of a good index. What's the deal with that? It's also very Wiccan in its approach. A good book on magic should not be so narrow. I have seen that some other reviewers blast Buckland personally. I refuse to pile on. I do, however, agree that Buckland's tone is a little messianic. Speaking of messianic, I'm sure that those interested in reading these reviews would rather that Christians expressed their opinions elsewhere. God(dess) knows there are plenty of Christian forums! This is a collection of book reviews...not a platform for the fundies. That off my chest.... This is a pretty good book despite its tone, lack of good index, and narrowness. A WAY better, more 'complete' book, you ask? The Magician's Companion by Bill Whitcomb is much broader, more complete, and...well...bigger (though not blue); yet, still okay for a beginner. Go check out the reviews there. Then decide.
Rating:
Summary: Eh... so-so...
Review: Ehhh... There's a lot of various stuff... It's good for someone if they want to expand on stuff, and it's awesome for studying the Seax-Wica way. The good parts are pretty much the instructional sections (forging an athame, numerology, things like that). NOT too good for Solitaries, because it's centered around Covens... If you want to spend for a few well-written sections, go for it. If you want a book that's great as a whole, don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Not complete, but still useful.
Review: This book is a greatlook at a particular sect(Seax-wicca), but as a look at wicca as a whole, no. Now don't get me wrong, the beginner's section is great, and there are a few rites that have merit for use, but to call a book on a particular sect "complete" smacks slightly of egotism.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe if he weren't sexist and pompous....
Review: i read this book twice. once when i first started my path, and i'm reviewing it only because it's required reading for a coven i may join. it's been about 6 years... i hated it then, and i really hate it now. there is some information in this book that is important and essential for a beginner to, well, begin with in study. Yet, it may be difficult for the beginner to discern the useful bits of information from his ego-trip. There are so many more books out there- anything RavenWolf or Cunningham is far more "complete" than buckland's big blue book. Besides his version of History (which isn't backed up!),he quotes himself, suggests his books under the "further reading list" and is rather boastful about being the first witch in america... AND he's very sexist. it's really hard for me to get past these things, and why should I have to? Just because he learned from Gerald Gardner doesn't mean he's the authority on Witchcraft. Buckland says the one thing witches have against Christianity is their doctrine of being "the one, true, and only way"-- he should re-examine his book and see if he isn't guilty of the same thing.
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