This is by no means of a comprehensive Recommended Reading list, however, it will put the seeker in good stead in understanding not only contemporary witchcraft but also ceremonial magick, the Qabalah, as well as other esoteric topics that can be interwoven into, thereby strengthening one’s understanding of the Craft.

Classics about Contemporary Witchcraft

These books were published by the founders and pioneers of contemporary witchcraft:

• Bourne, Lois, Witch Amongst Us: The Autobiography of a Witch (Robert Hale Ltd, 1995)

• Crowther, Patricia, Lid off the Cauldron: A Wicca Handbook (Capall Bann Publishers, 1998), Covensense (Robert Hale, 2010) High Priestess: The Life and Times of Patricia Crowther (Phoenix Publishing, 1999), From Stagecraft to Witchcraft (Fenix Flames Publishing Ltd, 2020)

• Gardener, Gerald, High Magick’s Aide (various publications these days), The Meaning of Witchcraft (Capple House Books, 1988), Witchcraft Today (Rider & Co, 1954)

• Langham, Murray, Mystic, Magician or Witch: Teachings from an Alexandrian Priest (Lulu. 2024)

• Sanders, Maxine, Maxine: The Witch Queen (Wyndham Publications, 1976), Fire Child: The Life and Magic of Maxine Sanders (Mandrake of Oxford, 2008)

• Valiente, Doreen, An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present (Robert Hale, 1973), The Rebirth of Witchcraft (Robert Hale, 1989), Witchcraft For Tomorrow (Phoenix Publishing, 1978)

Contemporary Witchcraft

These books are published by the second and later generations of contemporary witchcraft, or that enhance the seeker’s understanding of the concepts relating to contemporary witchcraft:

• Buckland, Raymond, Complete Book of Witchcraft (Llewellyn, 2001)

• Cain, Brian, Initiation into Witchcraft (Warlock Press, 2019), The Religion of Witchcraft (Warlock Press, 2024)

• Crowley, Viviane, Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Age (Aquarian Press, 1989)**, Principles of Wicca (Thorsons, 1997)

• d’Este, Sorita, and Rankine, David, Wicca Magickal Beginnings: A Study of the Possible Origins of the Rituals and Practices Found in this Modern Tradition of Pagan Witchcraft and Magick (Avalonia Books, 2008)**

• diFiosa, Jimahl, A Coin for the Ferryman: The Death and Life of Alex Sanders (CreateSpace, 2010), All the King's Children: The Human Legacy of Alex Sanders (CreateSpace, 2010)

• Farrar, Stewart and Janet, What Witches Do (Robert Hale, 1981)**, A Witches’ Bible (Phoenix, 1996).  This book combines both Eight Sabbats for Witches and The Witches Way.

• Mooney, Thorn, Traditional Wicca: A Seeker’s Guide (Llewellyn Publications, 2018)**

• Rowland, Levi, Mother: Ecstasy, Transformation, and the Great Goddess (Warlock Press, 2023)

Witchcraft History

• Frazer, Sir James, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Oxford University Press, 2009)

• Ginsberg, Carlo, Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath (University of Chicago Press, 2004)

• Ginsberg, Carlo, and Tedeschi, Anne, The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agracian Cults in the 16th and 17th Centuries (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013)

• Graves, Robert, The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013)

• Hesselton, Philip, Wiccan Roots: Gerald Gardner and the Modern Witchcraft Revival (Capall Bann Publishers, 2001), Gerald Gardner and the Cauldron of Inspiration: An Investigation into the Sources of Gardnerian Witchcraft (Holmes Pub Group Llc, 2003), Witchfather: A Life of Gerald Gardner, Volume 1 Into the Witch Cult (Thoth Publications, 2012), Witchfather: A Life of Gerald Gardner, Vol 2: From Witch Cult to Wicca (Thoth Publications, 2012)

• Howard, Michael, Modern Wicca: A History From Gerald Gardner to the Present (Llewellyn Publications, 2010)

• Hutton, Prof. Ronald, The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft (Oxford University Press, 1999), Stations of the Sun (Oxford University Press UK, 1996)

• Kors, Alan Charles and Peter, Edwards (ed), Witchcraft in Europe: 400-1700 – A Documentary History (University of Pennsylvania, 2000)

• Kramer, W, and Sprenger, J, Malleus Malificarum (“The Hammer of the Witches”)

• Leland, Charles, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches (Phoenix Publishing, 1998)

• Murray, Margaret, The Witch Cult in Western Europe, The God of the Witches [At the time it was published, Murray’s work was seen as the definitive history of ancient Europe, however modern scholars have debunked many of her theories. Her books are still recommended due to their influence on the revival of contemporary witchcraft.]

• Spencer, Craig, Aradia: A Modern Guide to Charles Godfrey Leland's Gospel of the Witches (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2020), Witchcraft Unchained: Exploring the History & Traditions of British Craft (Crossed Crow Books, 2024)

Witchcraft Centric

• Billinghurst, Frances, Dancing the Sacred Wheel (TDM Publications, 2014) [One of the few books about the Sabbats from a Southern Hemispheric perspective.]

• Cabot, Laurie, The Power of the Witch: The Earth, the Moon, and the Magical Path to Enlightenment (Delta, 1990)

• Curnott, Phyllis, Book of Shadows: A Modern Woman's Journey into the Wisdom of Witchcraft and the Magic of the Goddess (Bantam Books/Random House, 1998)

• Franklin, Anna, Personal Power: Sacred Energies of Mind, Body and Spirit (Leer Books, 1998)

• Green, Marion, A Witch Alone: Thirteen Moons to Master Natural Magic (Thorsons, 2011)

• Hume, Lynne, Witchcraft and Paganism in Australia (Melbourne University Press, 1998)

• Huson, Paul, Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks and Covens (Perigee Trade, 1980)

• Lecouteaux, Claude, The Return of the Dead: Ghosts, Ancestors and the Transparent Veil of the Pagan Mind (Inner Traditions, 2009)

• Starhawk, The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess (Harper & Row, 1979), The Earth Path (Harper Collins, 2004)

High/Ceremonial Magic and the Qabalah

• Bardon, Franz, Initiation into Hermetics: The Path of the True Adept (Merkur Publishing, 1999)

• Echols, Damien, High Magic: A Guide to the Spiritual Practices That Saved My Life on Death Row (Sounds True, 2022)

• King, Francis and Skinner, Stephen, Techniques of High Magic: A Manual of Self Initiation (Destiny Books, 1976)

• Kraig, Donald Michael, Modern Magick: Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts (Llewellyn, 1997)

• Rankine, David and Skinner, Stephen, Climbing the Tree of Life: A Manual of Practical Magickal Qabalah (Avalonia, 2005)

• Regardie, Israel (ed), 777 and other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley (Samuel Weiser, 1973)

• Regardie, Israel, The Golden Dawn: An Account of the Teachings, Rites and Ceremonies of the Order of the Golden Dawn (Llewellyn, 1984)

Reference Guides

• Beryl, Paul, The Master Book of Herbalism, Compendium of Herbal Magick (Phoenix Publishing, 1984)

• Cunningham, Scott, Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs, Cunningham’s Book of Oils, Incense, and Brews (Llewellyn Worldwide, 1985)

• Franklin, Anna, The Hearth Witch’s Compendium: Natural and Magical Living for Everyday (Llewellyn Publications, 2017), The Hearth Witch's Everyday Herbal: A Concise Guide to Correspondences, Magic, and Lore ((Llewellyn Publications, 2024)

• Melody, Love Is in the Earth: A Kaleidoscope of Crystals (Earth Love Pub House, 1995)

** denotes highly recommended books.

Highlighted books are recommenced reading for any seekers wishing to gain entry into the Temple of the Dark Moon.