Encyclopedia of Witchcraft

This book by by Nicola Illes is far more than an Encyclopedia. The in-depth study and research put into this work is very evident. The information going back to the time of Jesus to date is amazing. Exposing both sides of all sides of topics is amazing and wonderful, letting the reader decide. This book is worth the purchase, worth purchasing as a gift to share. I'm amazed by the history, ready and detail. This book is awesome to keep handy as a reference book of just refresh your journey. This book is a must get, Must read, Must have.

This is a pretty thorough introduction to the history of witchcraft, basic principles, important figures, places, pop culture references, a little bit of everything! It truly expanded my beginner's knowledge of the subject but could be used by anyone at any level for the information it contains. That being said, it's definitely a reference style book and not a "practical guide" of how to's, spellwork instructions, etc. That was perfectly fine for me as I was looking for a more dense, information heavy book! Great all around. I especially love that the book is hardcover as that helps reduce a little bit of the wear and tear on the pages and binding. The cover art is beautiful too!

I'm only just learning about the practice and saw this as recommended resource material. I love having this to reference when something is briefly mentioned in another book or when I come across something new. It's clear and consise with logical organization. Absolutely a must have!

Bought as a gift for a a friend who started their journey to witchcraft. Awesome reference book. 800 pages of in depth information.

Gorgeous book. Love it. Big and heavy.

This book is covers a variety topics in witchcraft, which makes it a good encyclopedia for [general] witchcraft knowledge or someone that’s starting to learn about witchcraft. It does cover more well-known and “mainstream” cultures and practices. So if you’re looking for something related to a specific geographical region or ethnic group, you most likely won’t find anything here. For example the information in this book that is related to Asia is mostly limited to Japan or China. Again, general knowledge, not specific and niche. You wouldn’t find anything about say, Southeast Asia, a region that is still associated with witchcraft, spirits, the supernatural and witch hunts. Speaking of witch hunts, there is an entire chapter about it titled “witchcraze.” There needs to be a content warning for this chapter because the text is graphic and can be triggering to victims of abuse and violence. Definitely not something you’d want children to read. There are detailed descriptions of devices and all sorts of things that were done to people that were suspected/arrested for witchcraft. And keep in mind that women aren’t the only victims of witch-hunts. That chapter made me sick to my stomach and I couldn’t finish it.

Phenomenal book. Bought 3 for gifts.

I love this encyclopedia. I bought the physical book version (which I highly recommend VS. Kindle: while Kindle is great, there's just something about a physical book that adds character). I found it comprehensive, and entertaining. This book covers pop culture, history, legends, and more. My only minor complaint was some of the entities detailing old stories or fictional things (such as TV shows) didn't explicitly explain they were fictional accounts. But that could also just be me not reading thouroughly enough. This encyclopedia covers everything about the history and lore of witchcraft. It covers some herbs and spells, but mainly it focuses on history. For example: It covers several historic cases of witchcraft trials and "well-known witches". If you're looking for a book of spells and witchcraft instructions, this is not the book for that purpose. This same other does have several other books fitting that category however. One is "The Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells." Well I haven't read that particular encyclopedia, anything written by this author seems to be well researched, easy to follow, and entertaining. She is a good writer and there is a down-to-earth quality to her writing. Almost like she's talking to you rather then you reading a book. Highly recommend this book!

A lot of info to look up in different categories and very throughout. I'm very happy with this buy!

Love this book!!! So much really exciting and interest facts and knowledge to learn about. Very easy to follow too

Ce livre est en anglais. Si vous etes bilingue et vous interessez au paganisme contemporain , il ya beaucoup a apprendre dans ces pages. Gros volume qui couvre une grande variete de sujets.

there’s so much in here. hence, i am satisfied and ready for more learning.

Great read and sized with info.