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.

Very informative. Highly recommend

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!

Anything you want to know, it's probably in here.

Finally we are getting the books we deserve! Reference books for the magickal practioner.I've owned "The Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells" and devoured it (aprox 900 pgs) in a week, earning my Hermoine "light reader's" badge indefinitely. I have been aching to get my hands on this one since I first laid my eyes on it in the library's directory! I knew I was hooked when I racked up 30$ in fees, lol, bc I didn't want to give it back!Judika doesn't go on and on about her accolades and accomplishment (ie Gilderoy Lockhart). She gets to the point. She researches and references her sources and encourages you to do the same! This book reads like a true encyclopedia and that alone is a testament to the amount of work she's had to put into it! Stuff like, in the human language there's over 40 words for "witch"/ "magickal practitioner". HAD NO CLUE! The many different magickal practices that play a role in what that particular society thought magick users were/ are/ will be. Orishia, Hoodoo, Santeria, Italian, Christian and even Gypsy magickal traditions and their respective practitioners (titles, styles, talents, etc.)This should be required reading for all who truly wish to walk, teach and learn the magickal traditions.

I’ve only got to read a couple pages as of now and I absolutely love this book.I did look at random pages just for enjoyment,but this book will definitely come in handy with my future and current practices

Pretty useful book for the price, even if you're a skeptic or a very critical witchcraft reader. Lots of good info even if not everything is perfect, which you would hope would be the case with that many freakin' pages, right? It's bigger and heavier than my college textbooks and I'm pretty impressed by how much of that bulk gets used to its full potential.Now, I could do without Judika defaulting to calling witches females/she/her/women in the book, but she DOES state that all genders can be witches if they so choose. She's by no means a flawless author, and truth be told, no author is, but she's definitely got some major experience under her belt. Don't get this book if you're expecting a COMPLETE guide to anything, you'll need more than just this book. It covers a small selection of each topic, sometimes skipping quite a few deities in pantheons and such. This was entirely expected, because complete never actually means complete with books like this. No one knows it all, after all.The book covers a VERY wide range of topics, hence the somewhat small selection for each one. No matter what path you're considering, you'll probably find at least a couple things about it, and learn about others while you're at it. No matter what books you get, always remember the importance of cross-referencing, but also remember that sometimes the lore on something is not the end-all-be-all for information about it. Don't be scared to experiment with what things mean to you (as long as you don't eat something poisonous or something ridiculous like that!) and figure out how it works best in your practice.Not everything in the book is strictly about witchcraft, so even on-witches might find some use in this if they're interested in lore on deities, old holidays, and general history.Overall I found the book really useful as both a useful reference and an interesting read, and I 100% recommend it to anyone who's still on the fence about it