What do you think?
Rate this book
The Book of Wizardry: The Apprentice's Guide to the Secrets of the Wizards' Guild
Tongue-in-cheek and deliciously droll, "Cornelius Rumstuckle" is the fictional narrator of The Book of Wizardry . Now featuring a new cover, this highly entertaining guide to wizardry makes genuine magical ideas accessible to young adults. Brennan's fun wizard training manual is filled with interactive activities: how to make a wand and other wizard tools, discover your Wizard's name, switch on Wizard's Power, read the future in the Wizard's Oracle, and more. Those who successfully complete the Wizard's Adventure and crack the code in this book can become an accredited member of the Wizard's Guild. A YALSA Teen Top Ten Title (2003)
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
8 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Cornelius Rumstuckle
6 books4 followersCornelius Rumstuckle is a pseudonym of J.H. Brennan. His bio states that he "joined the Wizards' Guild in 1514 and became its youngest president ever seventy-eight years later, a post he holds to this day."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 17, 2019
I’m not sure why, but I think I was just expecting something a bit more Harry Potter-esque, and it was definitely meant for a younger audience than myself.
August 2, 2017
This is a book I bought a long time ago at a bookstore on a whim. I started reading it soon after but I stopped for reasons that I will explain in the review itself. I finished reading it last month or so. Yes, this book's review is much delayed in coming. It is not a novel so I can't use my usual criteria. Instead, I'll just write my impression in a couple paragraphs.
This book is basically arts and crafts + choose your own adventure with a frame narrative to pull everything together. An elder wizard, Cornelius Rumstuckle, has been chosen by the Wizard's Guild to teach anyone who picks up the book how to use magic. The bulk of the bulk is written as lessons for the trainee/reader and the last bit is the "Wizard's Journey" which serves as a test for the trainee/reader.
It is written so that it sounds as though the elder wizard is talking to the reader instead of sounding like a schoolbook, such as Cornelius anticipating questions and responses. Of course, this is a work of fiction so that's not actually happening but it is remarkable how it keeps up the act. After making the four magic tools, for instance, he says that the trainee/reader is not going to be taught how to use them for anything until they have "joined the guild", that is, finished the book.
It is the magic tools that made me pause reading the book for a while. One of them is making a fan from bird feathers and they have to be found on the ground (gifts from the birds, as Cornelius puts it). Not only is that time consuming (and possibly unhealthy via disease) but it can be difficult in some areas. Combine this with how the trainee/reader is not supposed to read lessons out of order, and you have a recipe for someone putting the book away and forgetting about it.
There's also the "magic" of astrology, where a wizard can look up connections between activities and constellations and/or planets and do a little ritual which supposedly helps in mundane tasks, like finding a rare music CD. Yeah, the magic is doing things the non-magical way with invisible and unnoticeable back up. At least there's still the "you'll be taught the big stuff later" thing as with the magic tools.
However, at some points, the author doesn't try. Like the magic method of memory, which is the Memory Palace method started up by an ancient Greek who the author says was never magical.
The "Wizard's Journey" at the end is a choose-your-own-adventure thing. Out of all the lessons from earlier in the book, only the astrology stuff is really necessary. I find it annoying because of the numerous fake outs. The ending, where the trainee/reader finds the entrance to the Wizard's Guild tells the trainee to send a letter to the publisher saying as much. I haven't done that because this is an old book so whoever was responsible for responding is probably not doing it anymore.
Bottom line is that this is a fun read. It is certainly better at the "I want to be a wizard" wish-fulfillment angle than any novel due to its frame narrative.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Book of Wizardry" a B
This book is basically arts and crafts + choose your own adventure with a frame narrative to pull everything together. An elder wizard, Cornelius Rumstuckle, has been chosen by the Wizard's Guild to teach anyone who picks up the book how to use magic. The bulk of the bulk is written as lessons for the trainee/reader and the last bit is the "Wizard's Journey" which serves as a test for the trainee/reader.
It is written so that it sounds as though the elder wizard is talking to the reader instead of sounding like a schoolbook, such as Cornelius anticipating questions and responses. Of course, this is a work of fiction so that's not actually happening but it is remarkable how it keeps up the act. After making the four magic tools, for instance, he says that the trainee/reader is not going to be taught how to use them for anything until they have "joined the guild", that is, finished the book.
It is the magic tools that made me pause reading the book for a while. One of them is making a fan from bird feathers and they have to be found on the ground (gifts from the birds, as Cornelius puts it). Not only is that time consuming (and possibly unhealthy via disease) but it can be difficult in some areas. Combine this with how the trainee/reader is not supposed to read lessons out of order, and you have a recipe for someone putting the book away and forgetting about it.
There's also the "magic" of astrology, where a wizard can look up connections between activities and constellations and/or planets and do a little ritual which supposedly helps in mundane tasks, like finding a rare music CD. Yeah, the magic is doing things the non-magical way with invisible and unnoticeable back up. At least there's still the "you'll be taught the big stuff later" thing as with the magic tools.
However, at some points, the author doesn't try. Like the magic method of memory, which is the Memory Palace method started up by an ancient Greek who the author says was never magical.
The "Wizard's Journey" at the end is a choose-your-own-adventure thing. Out of all the lessons from earlier in the book, only the astrology stuff is really necessary. I find it annoying because of the numerous fake outs. The ending, where the trainee/reader finds the entrance to the Wizard's Guild tells the trainee to send a letter to the publisher saying as much. I haven't done that because this is an old book so whoever was responsible for responding is probably not doing it anymore.
Bottom line is that this is a fun read. It is certainly better at the "I want to be a wizard" wish-fulfillment angle than any novel due to its frame narrative.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Book of Wizardry" a B
August 19, 2021
This book just has fond memories for me because I bought it from the second hand bookshop in a castle I visited as a child on a trip to the uk.
It has a few genuinely really helpful things that have actually helped me in life eg. understanding the method of loci, a really good relaxation technique to help with sleep and helping me develop the ability to visualise a building like a castle in my mind to the smallest detail and have it make sense which I've found helpful in my own writing and drawing.
No its not a genuine spellbook for anyone practising witchcraft, its more akin to that one wizardology book. it's fun, i still enjoy flipping through it for nostalgia as a 23 y/o and I'd say if you find it, buy it.
It has a few genuinely really helpful things that have actually helped me in life eg. understanding the method of loci, a really good relaxation technique to help with sleep and helping me develop the ability to visualise a building like a castle in my mind to the smallest detail and have it make sense which I've found helpful in my own writing and drawing.
No its not a genuine spellbook for anyone practising witchcraft, its more akin to that one wizardology book. it's fun, i still enjoy flipping through it for nostalgia as a 23 y/o and I'd say if you find it, buy it.
March 2, 2018
I remember picking this book up to read when I was a young teen and not only found it very entertaining but a bit mesmerizing this being a time for me before I had discovered Harry Potter. You could imagine my surprise when I cracked the code and sent it off only to receive my certificate displaying my entry into the Wizard's Guild! I thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to find a copy for my son.
October 27, 2021
The entire book is extremely interactive. The first half of the book is about making and learning the things you need to be a wizard. The second half is a choose your own adventure/single player RPG game. I read it as just a choose your own adventure, I didn’t play the game, but I’m holding on to the book so I can play it later. It’s a good book, written perfectly for a single person and there’s really nothing you need another person to help you with (though you have the option)
July 29, 2009
The Book of Wizardry is about a young wizard who learns every thing he/she needs to know. Then that wizard goes on a quest to find the Wizard's Guild. But here is the twist, it's one of those books where you get to choose what the character does. Like if you want the character to go left you flip to page 100 and the book tells you what your choice did. The external conflict is that there are tons of obstacles like dragons and witches that can kill you, so you have to puck the right thing to do or you die. There is no internal conflict, the entire book is about the obstacles in your way, the character has no feelings and no story line.
I can connect this book the world. In the medieval years, people would go on quests to find treasure or some sort of prize. The same thing is happening in this book. You are traveling to find the Wizard's Guild.
I give this book three stares. Because it is fun and interactive. You are in command of the character and you tell it what to do. I recommend this book to anyone who loves interactive books.
I can connect this book the world. In the medieval years, people would go on quests to find treasure or some sort of prize. The same thing is happening in this book. You are traveling to find the Wizard's Guild.
I give this book three stares. Because it is fun and interactive. You are in command of the character and you tell it what to do. I recommend this book to anyone who loves interactive books.
October 12, 2015
This book is a very good read. It is a fairly short book for those you don't have much time, and interesting for those that are bored. It is something that I have never seen before. A book of Wizardry.
The first part of the book is all about how to make a wand, how to get relaxed, how to build (well, rather find) your castle, etc. It is pretty interesting. You can find most of the stuff to make your tools, the wand, pendalum, and some more around the house. You can easily find some paint and a stick for your wand, or fishing line and a large bead for the pendalum, clay for the bowl, etc.
The second half was my personal favorite. The Wizard's Adventure. It is a choose your path adventure with tons of outcomes. It is interactive, exciting, and enjoyable. You actually get to battle monsters, using a dice as your weapon to do damage, and collect treasure. It was very fun for me because I did it and tryed the many outcomes a couple of times.
The first part of the book is all about how to make a wand, how to get relaxed, how to build (well, rather find) your castle, etc. It is pretty interesting. You can find most of the stuff to make your tools, the wand, pendalum, and some more around the house. You can easily find some paint and a stick for your wand, or fishing line and a large bead for the pendalum, clay for the bowl, etc.
The second half was my personal favorite. The Wizard's Adventure. It is a choose your path adventure with tons of outcomes. It is interactive, exciting, and enjoyable. You actually get to battle monsters, using a dice as your weapon to do damage, and collect treasure. It was very fun for me because I did it and tryed the many outcomes a couple of times.
March 13, 2008
Wonderful book. Great activities to introduce one to the mystical arts.
June 18, 2008
it was cool, but bossy......
i liked the end thing- good for bored ppl
and the castle thingy was neat
i liked the end thing- good for bored ppl
and the castle thingy was neat
June 4, 2010
Got it just for "funsies". It's a cute book for the young-adult crowd. I'm sure folks can actually get a lot more out of this than Twilight ;)
July 28, 2010
I really liked this book. It had a lot of fun things in it and was written with humor. I even did a lot of the projects in it, including keeping a wizard's journal. It was fun!
March 13, 2014
i think this book makes my dream come true to become an wizard thanks for the publication and the author of this book
November 8, 2018
read the first half, haven't done the second half (The Wizard's Adventure) yet
September 17, 2011
It was fun to read. That is my only defense.
February 2, 2015
Predobra Kniga
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews