Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America

So informative!

This is an excellent introduction to paganism by a well-respected author. It's not dry or overly academic, but well-written and interesting. I recommend this book if you're pagan-curious and want to learn lots more.

Nice read, taken in context for what it is, with the expectation this was written for a closed community with historically sketchy details. If you ignore the context of the time, or you are younger than the publication, it will inform you with no consideration for your genteel sensibilities. Pretend you are asking about the culinary practices of Martian Wombats, with no personal emotional investment. Also, when you find yourself alternatively offended or beguiled, check out the references for further study. This is not "Twilight"

This great classic of pagan studies and witchcraft in the20th century is a wealth of knowledge and perspective on all the major groups, sects, covens, and organizations in the United States. I read the latest edition, the2005 edition, which includes all original info and chapters as well as notes and more to explain what has changed and how. Adler interviews hundreds of people, from founders of traditions to ordinary practitioners, solitary witches, and festival goers. This helped needs the foundations in what I practice more clearly than any other book, or perhaps tied with Starhawk's Spiral Dance. Anyone in America who aligns with the labels of witchcraft or pagan Must read this book, it's incredibly grounding and conceptualizing in a way new authors just can't be. Adler was there at the turns of the wheel in America, and is in many ways a founding mother of Neo-Paganism.

Glad I bought it to keep on the shelf for reference. I felt a sense of belonging and felt seen as, page after page, my own experience of accepting myself as Pagan and Witch was reflected back to me.

For beginners: this book is highly referenced among Pagan circles and you will hear about it quite frequently if you attend workshops, seminars or are generally socially active in the Pagan community. I appreciated Adler's commentary in the prologue as it includes valuable and informative information about how she came to write the book and what she has learned since it was published. The book itself is a comfortable blend of academic and anecdotal writing that includes some of the most intensive firsthand research into contemporary Pagans from our own perspectives. Adler comes off as highly credible and her insights are a welcome relief from other similar books that come across as too academic. The writing is very humanist, easy to follow and very citable as Adler is considered an authority on the Pagan community (mostly in part to this book). This is a very valuable product to have in my Kindle collection. Edit: (7/28/14) Margot Adler's work has been tremendously influential and helpful to the Pagan community and she will be sorely missed.

The latest edition has been brought up to date on many counts, though it would readily stand on its own legs with regards to an overview of a variety of pagan relgions/beliefs as well as to paint a historical picture of where/how many different systems have come/evolved from. It gives you plenty of brainfood to mull on as well as a lot of historical perspective (even if it is limited to the lens of one author and several hundred different practioners of various systems).

One of the premier commentators on NPR was a Pagan Priestess in her personal life. How can you do better to understand Paganism in it's many variations than to benefit from her multifaceted experiences? I always enjoyed her spots on NPR but never realized she was Pagan until I heard her obituary. This book was updated in 2006, so it is as good as it can get, and it is quite good. A smooth read that stays interesting while being informative and entertaining. I am sorry she will not be around in person to teach and inform anymore.