Wylundt's Book of Incense
by Steven R. Smith, Wylundt

ISBN: 0877288690
Paperback: 312 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.93 x 8.26 x 5.42

Price $14.95

One of the most vibrant gripes of the die hard Witch in today's society is the remarkable and highly frustrating lack of quality books on the creating and caring for incenses.  There's Cunningham's Book of Incense, Oils and Brews and there's... nothing. 

Wylundt's goes a long way in filling that gap by offering a simple, readable and quite utilitarian recipe book on fundamentals of all things incense.  From offering advice on the proper care, storage and usage of herbs to a reasonable discussion on the pros and cons of each form of incense (loose, cone, cylinder and stick), the author is very informative without getting bogged down in redundancy or verbosity.  An extensive study on a vast assortment of herbs commonly used in incense preparation, including magical properties, the part of the plant that is used, the type of scent it offers (woody, sweet, flowery, herby) and the planetary and elementary affiliation.  The second half of the book is filled with very direct and concise recipes to address very nearly any magical goal, based on three bonding agent bases. 

The appendices at the end of the book are extremely helpful, including a conversion chart for the more common or folk names for different herbs.  Additionally, tables on how to increase or decrease measurements in the recipes, specific planetary and elemental correspondences, magical uses ( a wonderful quick reference!!) and common weights and measures conversions. 

It's friendly without talking you to death.  It's direct, to the point and very user friendly.  It's fully comprehensive without being stodgy and overworked.  In my opinion, this is a vital "must have" for every grass-roots, hands on Witch. 

Five pentacles out of five

 

Review by Katrina Rasbold