The Witch's Bookshelf

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The books listed here cover various subjects and interests, but all are related in magical significance and/or practical use. I will be posting titles here as I come across them, so if you have a contribution you would like to make to this page, feel free to email me. (make sure to include the name of the book, it's author and the publisher if possible, to make it easier for people to locate it.)

"Darker Than You Think" by Jack Williamson

Published by Tom Doherty Associates, New York

This is my new favorite book. It's fiction, but as with most good fiction it comes quite close to reality. First published as a short story in 1940, it is one of the most original and truly magical takes on lycanthropy and shapeshifting that I have come across. This story is set in the 1940's, and the characters are straight out of a noir film, (which makes it all the more aesthetically enjoyable for me! ) Williams' lycanthropes are decendants of an ancient race, part human and part "other"--the real life counterparts to all the myths of gods mating with humans, witches, etc. They live among the truly human, and are indistinguishable from them to the average eye. Their shapeshifting occurs not in their physcial form, but in the dream state......I won't give away the plot, but I will say that the ending is not a disappointment!

"The Naked Ape" by Desmond Morris

Published by McGraw Hill Book Company, New York

Absolutely anything by this author is a must-read, but this title is a good starting point. Desmond Morris is an anthropologist that decided to make humans his animal of choice for his studies. Treating us as just another animal, he comes up with some interesting finds. Essential reading for those of us fascinated with people watching.

"Tides and the Pull of the Moon" by Francis E. Wylie

Pulished by Berkeley Publishing Corporation, New York

Explores the deep influence of the moon on our oceans, our bodies (for tides are not confined to the sea) and our relationships. This book explains what causes tides, and why they vary. It gathers legend and folklore, from Stonehenge to astrology to the latest scientific experiments in tidal power.

"The Hounds of Tindalos" by Frank Belknap Long

Published by the Ballantine Publishing Group, New York

This is actually a short story, that after many years of searching I recently found in a collection called"H.P. Lovecraft and Others; Tales of the Cthulu Mythos". Deals with the significance of angles, and the relativity of time and space--a classic.

"The Dark Goddess; Dancing with the Shadow" by Marcia Starck and Gynne Stern

Published by The Crossing Press, California

This is a wonderful book about exhalting and working with the shadow side of the feminine, and it's useful to both women and to men who want to better understand their own feminine side or "anima". A lot of useful information about the different dark goddesses. A sample passage from the beginning of the first chapter:

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows." Those words at the beginning of each segment of a popular radio program of the 1940's and 50's sent chills down the spines of millions of listeners because they recognized within their own hearts the possibility of evil. Everyone has experienced the fear of the Shadow, the worry that the dark corner one is afraid to turn might contain a mirror, and that the monster glimpsed in the mirror could be oneself."

And more to come.......


	The Compleat Witch Pages \| home What is a Compleat Witch? \| The Compleat Witch Boutique \| Email Me \| The Witch's Bookshelf \| Compleat Witches in History \| Aphrodisiacs for Enchantresses \| Articles The Witch's Bookshelf The books listed here cover various subjects and interests, but all are related in magical significance and/or practical use. I will be posting titles here as I come across them, so if you have a contribution you would like to make to this page, feel free to email me. (make sure to include the name of the book, it's author and the publisher if possible, to make it easier for people to locate it.) "Darker Than You Think" by Jack Williamson Published by Tom Doherty Associates, New York This is my new favorite book. It's fiction, but as with most good fiction it comes quite close to reality. First published as a short story in 1940, it is one of the most original and truly magical takes on lycanthropy and shapeshifting that I have come across. This story is set in the 1940's, and the characters are straight out of a noir film, (which makes it all the more aesthetically enjoyable for me! ) Williams' lycanthropes are decendants of an ancient race, part human and part "other"--the real life counterparts to all the myths of gods mating with humans, witches, etc. They live among the truly human, and are indistinguishable from them to the average eye. Their shapeshifting occurs not in their physcial form, but in the dream state......I won't give away the plot, but I will say that the ending is not a disappointment! "The Naked Ape" by Desmond Morris Published by McGraw Hill Book Company, New York Absolutely anything by this author is a must-read, but this title is a good starting point. Desmond Morris is an anthropologist that decided to make humans his animal of choice for his studies. Treating us as just another animal, he comes up with some interesting finds. Essential reading for those of us fascinated with people watching. "Tides and the Pull of the Moon" by Francis E. Wylie Pulished by Berkeley Publishing Corporation, New York Explores the deep influence of the moon on our oceans, our bodies (for tides are not confined to the sea) and our relationships. This book explains what causes tides, and why they vary. It gathers legend and folklore, from Stonehenge to astrology to the latest scientific experiments in tidal power. "The Hounds of Tindalos" by Frank Belknap Long Published by the Ballantine Publishing Group, New York This is actually a short story, that after many years of searching I recently found in a collection called"H.P. Lovecraft and Others; Tales of the Cthulu Mythos". Deals with the significance of angles, and the relativity of time and space--a classic. "The Dark Goddess; Dancing with the Shadow" by Marcia Starck and Gynne Stern Published by The Crossing Press, California This is a wonderful book about exhalting and working with the shadow side of the feminine, and it's useful to both women and to men who want to better understand their own feminine side or "anima". A lot of useful information about the different dark goddesses. A sample passage from the beginning of the first chapter: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows." Those words at the beginning of each segment of a popular radio program of the 1940's and 50's sent chills down the spines of millions of listeners because they recognized within their own hearts the possibility of evil. Everyone has experienced the fear of the Shadow, the worry that the dark corner one is afraid to turn might contain a mirror, and that the monster glimpsed in the mirror could be oneself." And more to come.......