- Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, by Scott Cunningham. I think this book is a good one to start out with. It's how I got my start, after all.
- Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic, by Scott Cunningham. An excellent spell-book, with no curses and no manipulative magic to lead you astray. However, it is neccessary to actually understand what magic is before you read it; so I suggest reading his Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner first.
- Power of the Witch, by Laurie Cabot. Though I do not neccessarily endorse this author as a person, some of the techniques in this book are invaluable.
- Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today, by Margot Adler. Highly recommended by others. I've never read it for myself--I have a short attention span, and conked out the first and only time I tried to read it--but my mother assures me that it's a great book.
- To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft, by Silver RavenWolf. Another book that I've never read, but that many people think is good. One warning about Silver RavenWolf's books: she's milking the Wiccan cash cow for all it's worth. Many of her books rehash the same themes, so read before you buy.
- To Stir a Magick Cauldron: A Witch's Guide to Casting and Conjuring, by Silver RavenWolf. The sequel of To Ride a Silver Broomstick, I actually did read this one. Like most Wiccan books, it's got enough good parts to make it worthwhile.
- 365 Goddesses, by Patricia Telesco. Suggestions for magical living all the year long. A note about this author: she's good. Read her works.
- A Victorian Grimoire, by Patricia Telesco.
A good source of information on Victorian life, it has suggestions
for prayers and ritual, while customs and traditions of Victorian
times are woven into the book as its theme.
I am not associated with Amazon Books, but I am offering this link to show you a source for some of the books I have listed here: Amazon Books: http://www.amazon. com/
Search by author and/or title for the book you're looking for.
If you're lucky enough to have a good bookstore in your area, watch out for books that are heavily New Age. Sometimes, claims are made in these books which are entirely false; always double-check any information you get from such sources. Particularly "Crystal-'n'-Atlantis" type books. These are what we like to call "fuzzy bunnies", and they may or may not have the faintest idea what they're talking about.
This booklist is for a beginner; all titles are books that I have either read and found to be informative, or heard many rave reviews of. Keep in mind that no single author is infallible. They're human, they make mistakes. Don't feel that you must follow the book exactly and do precisely what they say. Use the information wisely.