bucklandreview

Review: Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft - Revised and Expanded

Raymond Buckland

Published 2002, Second Edition

ISBN 0-87542-050-8

346 pages

Almost every pagan, Wiccan, and any other magically-inclined person has a dog-eared copy of the first edition of Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft on his shelf. For those who aren’t familiar with this tome, it’s a how-to guide for Wiccans, covering everything from the very basics of traditional Gardnerian-based Wiccan practices to more involved topics like plant medicine and palmistry.

Even if you already have the old edition on your shelf, go get the Revised and Expanded second edition for the following reasons:

	The Big Blue Book Version 2.0 has been completely reformatted. The font and 2-column layout have been improved to increase readability.
	Unlike the first edition, the table of contents matches to the page numbers of the actual chapters.
	It has an index to make finding things oh-so-easy!
	It wouldn’t be an “expanded” edition without actually, you know, adding stuff. Buckland has included some new pictures and illustrations, but the kicker is he’s included study questions at the end of each chapter, plus chapter test questions with answers in the back of the book. This workbook setup is more effective than the first edition’s design, and would be useful for covens who wanted to use it in teaching their dedicates.
	Your old copy is falling apart anyway.

Be aware that although it’s been revised and expanded, many of the first edition’s errors are still in the second edition. The most evident of these is the history lesson, which is still a mine field of erroneous information. A skillful instructor could use it to show students some of the common misconceptions about the history of Wiccan; the new seeker should skip it altogether.

Overall, the BBBv2.0 is a worthy addition to your bookshelves for no other reason than the new edition is so much more useable. It’s a good update to a book considered a must-read for every pagan.