The traditional witch has a plethora of resources at his or her fingertips. BUT to make it even easier, we’ve created a HUGE list of traditional witch books including on witchcraft, herbalism, and folklore. FIRST – what type of traditional witch will these books benefit? Every witch will benefit from reading these books, but when we say “traditional witch” we are speaking particularly of those who follow an older path apart from Wicca and Gardnerianism.
First, What Is A Traditional Witch?
If you’re wondering what is a traditional witch, let us answer to the best of our abilities. A Traditional Witch is one of a few things. It could mean that you have been initiated into a Wiccan coven under a specific tradition like Gardnerian or Alexandrian. Being a traditional witch might also mean that you follow your family’s tradition that’s been passed down from person to person. OR it means you practice British or American traditional witchcraft, which is something separate of Wicca and seeks to follow an older path of the craft. The books we list here are traditional witchcraft books in the sense that they approach topics British and American trad witches are drawn to.
Other Traditional Witchcraft Books Beyond Our List
Above and beyond the books we list here, we recommend reading any and all works of folklore. Especially that which includes witches, witchcraft and sorcery. Even reading Grimm’s Fairy Tales will give you some insight into witchcraft from an old Germanic perspective. Take the tale of Mother Holle or Rapunzel as examples. Reading your own local folklore about witches is also highly beneficial to your craft. In addition, witch trial documents may give us a “skewed” understanding of true witchcraft in the past, OR we may be inspired by the magic found there when we read between the proverbial lines.
Traditional Witchcraft Books
- The Black Toad: West Country Witchcraft and Magic by Gemma Gary
- Treading the Mill: Workings in Traditional Witchcraft by Nigel G Pearson
- Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary
- A Deed Without a Name: Unearthing the Legacy of Traditional Witchcraft by Lee Morgan
- The Devil’s Dozen: Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One by Gemma Gary
- Besom, Stang & Sword: A Guide to Traditional Witchcraft the Six-fold Path & the Hidden Landscape by Christopher Orapello
- Weave the Liminal: Living Modern Traditional Witchcraft by Laura Tempest Zakroff
- Liber Nox: A Traditional Witch’s Gramarye by Michael Howard and Gemma Gary
- Craft of the Untamed: An inspired vision of traditional witchcraft by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold
- Children of Cain: A Study of Modern Traditional Witches
- Letters from the Devil’s Forest: An Anthology of Writings on Traditional Witchcraft, Spiritual Ecology and Provenance Traditionalism by Robin Artisson
- To Fly By Night: Craft of the Hedgewitch by Veronica Cummer
- An Carow Gwyn: Sorcery and the Ancient Fayerie Faith by Robin Artisson
- The Robert Cochrane Letters: An Insight Into Modern Traditional Witchcraft by Robert Cochrane and Evan John Jones
- Folk Witchcraft: A Guide to Lore, Land, and the Familiar Spirit by Roger J. Horne
- Balkan Traditional Witchcraft by Radomir Ristic and Michael C. Carter
- The Call of the Horned Piper by Nigel Jackson
- Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath by Carlo Ginzburg
Folklore & Scholarly Books for the Traditional Witch
- The Visions of Isobel Gowdie: Magic, Witchcraft, and Dark Shamanism in Seventeenth Century Scotland by Emma Wilby
- Cunningfolk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic by Emma Wilby
- Fairies and Witches at the Boundary of South-Eastern and Central Europe by Eva Pocs
- Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages by Claude Lecouteux
- The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practice by Claude Lecouteux
- Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology and Magic by Claude Lecouteux
- Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations compiled by Alexander Carmichael and John MacInnes
- The Mabinogion – Welsh Mythology
- The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries by W.Y. Evans-Went
- Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry by WB Yeats
- Tales of the Celtic Otherworld by John Matthews and Ian Daniels
- Ozark Magic and Folklore by Vance Randolph
- Teutonic Mythology (Volumes 1-4) by Jacob Grimm
- Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
- American Witch Stories by Hubert J. Davis
- Popular Magic: Cunningfolk in English History by Owen Davies
- Aradia: Gospel of the Witches by Charles Leland
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Traditional Witchcraft Books: Poison Path & Herbalism
- The Poison Path Herbal by Coby Michael
- Pharmako/Gnosis: Plant Teachers and the Poison Path by Dale Pendell
- Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism by Daniel Schulke
- Plants of the Devil by Corinne Boyer
- Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers by Richard Evan Schultes
- The Master Book of Herbalism by Paul Beyerl
- The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
- The Witching Herbs: 13 Essential Herbs and Plants for Your Magical Garden by Harold Roth
- The Witches’ Ointment: The Secret History of Psychedelic Magic by Thomas Hatsis
- The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants by Christian Ratsch
- Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants by Claudia Muller-Ebeling
- The Devil’s Garden: Facts and Folklore of Perilous Plants by Edward R Ricciuti
- Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart
- The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
- Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health
- Wild and Weedy Apothecary by Doreen Shababy
When I was 14 years old my mother took me to a seminar in San Franciso, to see Sybil Leek for we are from Ca. My great grandmother taught us well to be a witch and it has been in our family for over 200 years. With many teachers along the path. My family loved Sybil very much and she was a different Witch, but strong and true to what she believed in. I have been very lucky to meet other famous witches in my lifetime. I have all of Sybil Leeks book and her path does differ from modern Witches today. Everyone has the right to choose the path and others they feel have taught them to make them happy in life. Many people seem to forget that Witch practice has been around from the time humans have been on this earth. As for Gardner he was brought into the craft. It takes many, many years to be a witch. Far too many young people today think they can just read a book then call themself a witch! Learning and sometimes failing is part of the path to walk. Getting back up to walk again is your choice if you want to be a real Witch, Pagan or any other in the craft. Maybe instead of comparing who is better than who, people should read our past to understand what all of us are about. Then if you still don’t have a better insight of us, it’s far better to be silent than to speak like a fool.
What’s the open book on Merfolk and Sea Serpents in that picture called? Is it on this list?
[…] HUGE List of Traditional Witchcraft Books […]
What are your thoughts on The History of Witchcraft by Montague Summers?
Nice list…thank you for taking the time to compile this however, I was hoping for some titles that were published in the 1800″s or perhaps earlier if they exist. Obscure works or even published journals/spell books etc. Most of what I can find from that time is more on how witches/pagans/druids are the devils servants(insert eye roll) written by churches. Have any good ideas where to find such older works?
@Micheline, I love that you found your path so young. No matter what path we choose to practice we are all sisters. Thanks for sharing.
@MORGANTHONY You can usually apply for your states library card online and you can check to see if they happen to have any of these books in digital form. If so, you can just check them out and read them on your preferred device. Local county libraries have the same option. I get most of my reading material for research this way. You can also access genealogical records this way as well and best thing its all FREE! Its fantastic! Hope this helps.
Blessings to all )0(
I know I’m super late to the party, but The Fairy Faith of Celtic Countries records very old beliefs. I forget when it was published but some of those interviewed would have been alive in the mid-late 1800s. And the Mabinogion is extremely old, but most available texts are modern translations since not many people understand mediaeval Welsh any more!
Any suggestions for people with a limited budget?
You can get some of these on Kindle Unlimited. It’s a service through Kindle that has dozens of free books for a smaller fee.
I didn’t see Diary of a Witch by Sybil Leek? My first intro at the age of 13 in 1965
Micheline – Sybil Leek wasn’t the traditional kind of witch that this list is geared towards. Read the intro. Thank you!
Actually I would very much disagree with you about Sybil. She cursed and fought against much of Gardner’s vision of witchcraft. I would say she is more deserving of the traditional witch title than any of the witchcraft brat packers you’ve listed here. You might want to look at her books before judging her.
I’m unsure where you got the idea that I’m judging Sybil Leek. I actually grew up on her books and very much respect her. But she is not considered “traditional” in the modern sense. I disagree with the authors here being “brat packers”. The fact that I mention Gardner as not a traditional witch is merely separating him from a tradition different from Wicca. Please read a few more sources on the topic before slandering people.
Oh my gosh, what an angry reply! Just saying.
It’s annoying when people don’t read the intro to an article and then give their 2 cents.