How to Find Reliable Books on Paganism and Wicca

When searching for books on Paganism it is very important to focus your attention on books that have good reviews and credible sources. Many books on Paganism are simply lacking in historical accuracy or reliable sources of information. Beware of any that claim to know some secret Pagan history because usually they are not based on any real historical facts.

Since most books are bought online you can easily find reviews of any you want to buy. Amazon is a good resource for book reviews even if you don't buy anything from that site. When searching for what to read don't type Wicca or Paganism. Look for books about the historic anthropology of a sub category of Paganism such as Celtic, Druid, Hellenism or Greeks. These are generally written by scholars or those who have good reputations for writing valuable information. Books about polytheism or polytheistic paths, such as Hellenic Polytheism, also turn up good results.

Llewellyn is a popular publisher of New Age, Wiccan and Pagan works. Their books are often a terrible source to look for any historical knowledge. Many of their authors, like Silver RavenWolf, spread false information. Much of the false history and made up Pagan traditions came from authors published by Llewellyn. To avoid wasting your time on a book just look up a review on it. Not all work published by Llewellyn is worthless but you will have do some research before trusting any of their authors.

The downside of getting reliable information is the price of the book. Some books under the categories I mentioned will be more expensive than the books by Llewellyn which are often under $20 (I wonder why). If it has good reviews and can be trusted then it is well worth the money. They are often larger, have more pages and also have a large bibliography which is a valuable resource in itself. The writing style might also be different than what you are used to. You can expect a more academic or scholarly approach in some.

I buy many of my books from half.ebay.com. You can find them for a much lower price often averaging at least 30 to 80 percent off the average retail price. There is also a low set shipping fee and additional savings if you buy more than one book from the same seller. I have never paid more than $5 for shipping. The average shipping price is around $3.50. The site does not list book reviews so use Amazon for that.

Below are a few Book recommendations. The words in ( ) are my notes.

The Apple Branch by Alexei Kondratiev (focused on Celtic path)
Wicca 333 by Kaatryn MacMorgan (advanced book on Wicca)
Evolutionary Witchcraft by T Thorn Coyle (focused on Feri path; similar to Wicca)
Celtic Heritage by Alwyn and Brinley Rees (Celtic culture)
Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton (the best book on history, a must read)
Devoted To You by Judy Harrow (great book on relationships with your gods and goddesses)
Gods and Mortals: New Stories of Hellenic Polytheism by H. Jeremiah Lewis