Barnes & NobleThe Witches Almanac- Sorcerers, Witches and Magic from Ancient Rome to the Digital Age by Charles Christian

All of them Witches

A biographical dictionary of witches & magicians in the form of alphabetical entries on famous, infamous and otherwise meriting a mention, practitioners of witchcraft and magick (with a ‘k' for ritual magic as distinct from stage magic). Both historical and semi-legendary (once you stretch back to the Dark Ages and beyond it becomes increasingly difficult to separate the facts from the myths) witches and magicians but not fictional ones – so Merlin ‘yes’ but Harry Potter ‘no”. Coming more up-to-date, it does not include any currently living witches/magicians. Essentially this fabulous book is about practitioners (actual or merely unlucky enough to be condemned as) of black, white, green and any other form of magick, whether they regard themselves as Wiccans, sorcerers, alchemists – or similar. It also shines a light on the victims of mass executions – the Salem witches, the Pendle witches: who were they? – as well as some of the ‘oddities’ for want of a better word, such as Saint Cyprian, the patron saint of sorcerers, and the seven Roman Catholic popes accused of being sorcerers and/or the authors of grimoires. This is a must read for anyone who needs a go to easy to follow and entertaining read to look up any questions one might have on witches and magicians or any general reader of occult and paranormal.