Wicca 101 Books

[Aniera]

Okay so currently I have:  Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin (I really enjoyed this one when I studied a few years ago, I'm fixing to read it again), Wicca by Scott Cunningham, Circle of Isis by Ellen Cannon Reed (I've previously said that I was looking into Ancient Egypt emphasis).

Now my question is I've been looking at my local book store and a few have caught my eye but I wanted to ask before I just spend money (I like to be thrifty :p) I have seen If You Want to be A Witch by Edain McCoy and one by Eileen Holland, I think the name was Wicca Handbook. I should mention I am 21 so I'm really not needing just a teenage approach so how are these books?

Also are there any books that talk about different pagan paths or am I just gunna have to buy a book for individual ones I'm interested in? Thanks so much!

[Chatelaine]

Okay so currently I have:  Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin (I really enjoyed this one when I studied a few years ago, I'm fixing to read it again), Wicca by Scott Cunningham, Circle of Isis by Ellen Cannon Reed (I've previously said that I was looking into Ancient Egypt emphasis).

Now my question is I've been looking at my local book store and a few have caught my eye but I wanted to ask before I just spend money (I like to be thrifty :p) I have seen If You Want to be A Witch by Edain McCoy and one by Eileen Holland, I think the name was Wicca Handbook. I should mention I am 21 so I'm really not needing just a teenage approach so how are these books?

Also are there any books that talk about different pagan paths or am I just gunna have to buy a book for individual ones I'm interested in? Thanks so much!

Different authors tend to specialise in a single path, so you'll probably need to buy separate books. Encyclopedia-type volumes are very generic - though having one on hand to look up terms may be a good idea. I'm still fond of Rosemary Ellen Guiley's Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca.

Edain McCoy has a reputation of wonky history at least.

No kidding, perhaps a good bet for you is either The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft or Wicca and Witchcraft for Dummies. They are both among the best titles in their respective series. See about getting them used on Amazon, which could cut a lot off the price

[Aniera]

Different authors tend to specialise in a single path, so you'll probably need to buy separate books. Encyclopedia-type volumes are very generic - though having one on hand to look up terms may be a good idea. I'm still fond of Rosemary Ellen Guiley's Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca.

Thanks I'll look into it!

No kidding, perhaps a good bet for you is either The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft or Wicca and Witchcraft for Dummies. They are both among the best titles in their respective series. See about getting them used on Amazon, which could cut a lot off the price

 
I saw those, but I honestly didn't know how well they would be or how accurate.

[Jenett]

Okay so currently I have:  Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin (I really enjoyed this one when I studied a few years ago, I'm fixing to read it again), Wicca by Scott Cunningham, Circle of Isis by Ellen Cannon Reed (I've previously said that I was looking into Ancient Egypt emphasis).

My list of recommendations is at http://gleewood.org/seeking/suggested-reading/introductory-books/ . I like Thea Sabin's book a lot as an intro. I'm also liking Amber K's "How to become a witch"

I'd agree with the advice to avoid both Holland and McCoy: there are much better books out there. (In particular, books that do a good job of giving you material to grow with, and keep coming back to.)

You might, for your purposes, find Jennifer Hunter's 21st Century Wicca of interest: while it's not solely aimed at teen/college age, it's got a good chapter on that.

Also are there any books that talk about different pagan paths or am I just gunna have to buy a book for individual ones I'm interested in? Thanks so much!

 
A lot of books that try to cover multiple paths do a pretty lousy job of it - or tend to sweep everything up into Wiccan-ish stuff. Honestly, you can find a great deal of useful info online, with just a little hunting. Check out the SIGs here, and resources that they've mentioned or collected. Look at the Pagan Primer and the Teens and Paganism FAQ (not just for teens!) on the Cauldron's website.

On the Complete Idiot's Guide - it's much better than you might think. but I tend to recommend it as "If you're limited in what you can get from a mainstream bookstore, it's one of the better coices." If you're able to order from a wider selection (as your other question today implies) there are better resource - in particular, 2 books that went deeper into other topics would cover more material and not duplicate things Thea Sabine has already done very well with.