Book review: The Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft  By Raven Grimassi

Every Witch ends up having at least a few "encyclopedias" of Craft related topics in their library. You see them in the bookstore and say to yourself "Hmm. This might come in handy…". Cheryl and I have an entire shelf of them. The ones that stand out are the ones that you find yourself actually grabbing for that little piece of esoterica that you remember reading or hearing about somewhere, but can't quite remember the details. With this volume, Raven Grimassi has bound together a collection of basic information, biographies, and yes, the obligatory esoterica. What makes this volume stand out are the biographies and the wealth of information on European traditions and practices.

Encyclopedia contains a number of biographies that you are not likely to find elsewhere. I must admit that it had information on a few notables from the early years of the modern Craft movement that I hadn't heard of. In general, the biographies are fairly objective without any of the political slants commonly found when describing well-known members of the Craft community. One thing that I did notice was the abundance of biographical information on Llewellyn authors (the primary publisher for this author). Whether this was simply due to the fact that the author knows them from traveling in the same circles (bad pun intended), or whether Llewellyn saw this as a great promotional tool is unknown. In either case, there is a good deal of information on a number of popular Craft practitioners.

Another place where this volume shines is the wealth of information on a number of European traditions and practices. Considering Raven Grimassi's expertise in this area, I would have been disappointed with anything less. With even a quick scan through it, a reader will most likely find an article on some tradition, deity, or practice that will grab their attention.

As a well-organized and informative compendium of Craft information, I'd add it to my list of books to pick up. It's definitely one to keep in mind the next time your in a bookstore staring at the shelf saying "Hmm…".