Like any other subject, you need a good place to start, and finding the best Wicca for beginners book is a great first step. The good and bad news both is that there are a ton of books out there on the subject. This is good because you can continue your reading and education for many years to come. It is of course bad because finding the right one to start with can be overwhelming.
What follows are some thoughts on some of the most popular beginners books out there to help you figure out which one is right for you. Just because one is the oldest, or has the most copies sold, or is the most popular, does not make it the right choice for you. I hope this list helps you find your path on how to get started in Wicca.
The best Wicca for beginners books
Cunningham authored over fifty books and that experience at sharing ideas and knowledge shows. Easy to read, thought provoking and highly educational he covers all the basics a practicing Wiccan needs and includes some historical information to boot. It is no wonder this book almost universally gets rave reviews.
This book is very much for those who don’t just want to learn, but who want to actually practice Wicca and know how to become a Wiccan. Jam packed with everything you need to start your journey today including a sample Book of Shadows to get you started.
Available in print, electronic, audio book format if I could only have one Wicca for beginners book on this list, this would be it, hands down.
At 120 pages this book is not nearly as detailed as Cunningham’s book listed above, but it does present a nice, well rounded overview of the general beliefs and tenets of faith for Wicca in an approachable and easy to read text. In my opinion this book is aimed more at explaining what Wicca is to non-Wiccans rather than preparing someone for actually practicing the faith, and in that respect, it excels.
If I needed a book to give to someone to help them understand my faith, this Wicca for beginners book would be my choice.
Available in print, electronic, and audio book formats.
Very similar in idea to Cunningham’s book above, Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice by Thea Sabin is another excellent book meant to answer all the questions a newcomer to Wicca might have.
This book is in my opinion almost as good as Cunningham’s and has a slightly different tone about it. I personally prefer Cunningham to Sabin, but that is a personal preference and not a ding against Sabin at all.
Coming in at 286 pages this work has plenty of meat on its bones. While it lacks the history that Cunningham discusses, it seems to have more information on rituals and a better section on where to go from here. It also comes in more formats which include the standard printed, electronic, and audio book but then goes on to add an MP3 CD as well.
If I did not like the way Cunningham explained something, or could not find his book, I would make this my second choice without any hesitations at all. This is an excellent tool for becoming a Wiccan for beginners.
What sets this book apart is that it was specifically written to be a self study course using the Avalonia homestudy course as a basis. This is a highly structured way of learning the craft and for those who want something more like an actual class to learn in, this might be what you are looking for.
While it lacks the depth and breadth of the works of Cunningham and Sabin, its approach is unique and very practical. It is geared to teaching you and having you retain the knowledge, and it does a fine job at that. Besides, at $3 what have you got to lose?
Personally if I was serious about learning the ways of Wicca as quickly as practical, I would get one of the other books and then add this to it to reinforce my learning. It certainly is an excellent wicca for beginners book.
One to stay away from
The book is divided into three sections: An introductory guide for the aspiring witch 113 pages, Book of spells 82 pages, and Herbal magic 88 pages. This makes the book some 286 pages. Those pages however feel short on content at about 159 words per page (measured on page 9). Other books such as Cunningham’s above are around double that word count per page.
This low word count seems to stem from larger fonts, about 1.5 space lines, double spaced paragraphs, and much wider margins. It has the look and feel as if these are a collection of blog posts sandwiched between two covers and called a book.
Another warning sign is that if you use FakeSpot.com to take a look at the author’s works you will see multiple titles with warnings about potential issues with reviews.
The content of the book is not bad, although it does not in my opinion come close to the level of the recommended books on this list. I am also a little put off that for half the words of one of the other books on this list, this book is substantially more expensive.
Overall I suggest you take a pass on this one and spend it on another book on this list instead.
I hope this article helps you pick out the best Wicca for beginners book for you!
I’m glad to see someone else recommend Thea Sabin’s book (I did in my own list of books I recommended on my website). I think it’s a really undiscovered gem. I would add Wiccapedia to “books to avoid”. It’s truly awful.