Practical Candleburning Rituals
Author: Raymond Buckland
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
ISBN: 0-87542-048-0383

Overview:
Despite some padding to make it seem otherwise, this is a book of spells. 3 tables, 8 pages of instruction on candle burning, 5 pages on "the Darker Side" (Mr Vader, you've a call on line 1) and 8 pages of magick for people who can't burn candles (but bought a Candle-burning book) and the rest is devoted to rituals. This book is far more of a cookbook than a How-to-cook book. While there is nothing wrong with this per se, it falls significantly short of the "... clear and concise modern Pagan book on 'how to do it'" that it is described as on the back.

What I liked:
This is one of the few Llewellyn books that actually admits that magic isn't all happiness-and-white-loving-light. It includes rituals "To wind the love of a man or a woman", "to bring pressure to bear on an enemy", "to gain power over others", "to arouse jealousy" and "the break up a love affiar" - all types of spells that make most shiny-happy writers go on a bout of ranting the three-fold law and free-will. I also like the fact that for most of the spells, there is a Christian as well as an "Old Religion" form.

What I disliked:
The length and complexity of the rituals. The incantations are incredibly long and often call for multiple castings - personally if i was going to spend that amount of time on a ritual, i wouldn't be using candle magic to do it; there are much more efficient ways to accomplish this. There is also a great deal if moralizing going on here. There is an introduction that drops in the free-will ethics and clearly states that they are only here for historical interest. At the end of "the Darker Side" there is the required Magick-is-not-a-Toy, Fate/Karma/what-have-you will track you down if you attempt this at home.

What could be changed:
Simpler incantations. Some more history to go along with the spells listed (since some are only there for the historical interest). Bibliography. And trash the pictures littering the pages, they've little relevance to the book itself.

My ratings:
Readability: Two monocles. The material itself is simple to read and understand, the rituals themselves ramble on.
Information: 4 teaspoons of salt. No bibliography, no indication as to where these historical spells came from.