News, Witchcraft Out of the Shadows

15th Anniversary of Witchcraft Out of the Shadows

Posted by Leo Ruickbie on

It’s amazing to think that my first book was published fifteen years ago this year. A lot has happened since then, I got my PhD, published five more books and fifty-eight articles and chapters (as well as a ton of online posts), launched six websites and became the editor of the Paranormal Review. But Witchcraft Out of the Shadows still stands as a milestone for me: the first published book is always going to be special for any author.

A lot has happened in the world of witchcraft, too, which is why for the 15th anniversary edition I’ve added so much new material. Publishing it as an exclusive ebook edition has also meant extensively reworking the format for the digital age. I’ve also re-designed the cover to distinguish it from previous editions and make it work better as a thumbnail on sites such as Smashwords.

Despite all these changes, Witchcraft Out of the Shadows has, I think, stood the test of time. It has received many positive reviews and is still for sale in its original print edition.

I’ll leave you with the words of author Alan Richardson, the first one to support my book:

What Ruickbie has done is use real scholarship to illuminate the murky beginnings of witchcraft yet still leave us with that most precious gift of all… a sense of respect, tinged with wonder. Witchcraft out of the Shadows is an engaging book which deserves to be the benchmark for all future analyses of the Craft. – Alan Richardson, author of Priestess: The Life and Magic of Dion Fortune

For more information about the 15th anniversary edition of  Witchcraft Out of the Shadows, see:

“Treadwell’s recommends this book as intelligent and accessible.” – Treadwell’s Bookshop, London

Published by Leo Ruickbie

Dr Leo Ruickbie, FRHistS, FRAI, Associate of King’s College, is a Visiting Fellow in Psychology at the University of Northampton and the author of six books, most recently Angels in the Trenches: Spiritualism, Superstition and the Supernatural During the First World War. Actively involved in the parapsychological research community, he is a Council Member of the Society for Psychical Research and a Professional Member of the Parapsychological Association. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute. In 2021, he won third prize in the essay contest organised by the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies.