Howard has produced quite a good book that will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in the birth and development of Wicca. In a time when shelves are bursting with a plethora of Wicca 101 and how-to books on the subject, this book that deals with the history of this belief is a breath of fresh air. Within its pages, the author deals in detail with important figures and events from Gerald Gardner’s pre-Wicca days right through to the evolution of today’s varied incarnations of Wicca.

My only criticism of the book is the two-edged sword of detail given in the work. While the profuse facts, dates, names, and places given add to the accuracy and historical value of Modern Wicca, the sheer quantity of these bogs down the book in places, wrecks narrative cohesion, and in some instances can lose the reader down rabbit trails that do not advance the individual chapter, or the book as a whole.

Beyond that, I recommend this book to anyone with a real interest in the history of Wicca.

Rating: 4 / 5