Gerald Gardner

Hi I was thinking to buy some of the books of GERALD GARDNER.
"The meaning of witchcraft"
"The gardnerian book of shadows"
"Witchcraft and the book of shadows"
So are this books a good choice?
Should I buy this books?
Thx
BB

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Gerald Gardner was the founder of modern Wicca and his books are very useful to read to understand how Wicca got started and to understand the beliefs and public practice of British Traditional Wiccans. Gardner only wrote three actual books on the subject of Wicca. Gardner's books that he wrote include:

The Meaning Of Witchcraft

Witchcraft Today

High Magic's Aid

The so-called " Gardnerian Book of Shadows " is a waste of time. Gardnerian Wicca is an oath-bound religion in which the Book of Shadows is passed only to those properly trained and initiated. No Gardnerian initiate would ever violate their oaths and publish this oath-bound religion. So there is no reason whatsoever to believe that this so-called Gardnerian Book of Shadows is the genuine article. Furthermore, even if you had Gardner's actual BOS it would be useless to you as the vast majority of Gardnerian teachings are passed down orally and never put in writing.

I only read Witchcraft Today; but at that time,early 1950s, it was a real eye-opener! Some of the writings of Doreen Valiente and Alex Sanders are worth reading. And I heard both Sanders and Valiente speak on the radio. And Crowley! Even before the books were published. It was a fantastic time to be young and hear witchcraft talked about, and read Articles in newspapers about these founder members of Wicca. Not that they "revealed" very much! They were mainly discussions and arguments trying to get witchcraft, or rather Wicca, made legal. This was mainly just after WW2. So, I would think just about anything written by Valiente,Sanders,Gardner,Victoria Crowther, would be worth reading to study Wicca, or at least as much as possible without being an actual initiate. I feel sure some of those broadcasts would still exist.

Janet & Stewart Farrar also wrote some good stuff, though mostly about Alexandrian, rather than Gardnerian.

Thank you Lark.