High Priest: Raymond Buckland, the Father of American Witchcraft

by Jason Mankey, Raymond Buckland (primary_contributor)

Explore the life of Raymond Buckland, the father of American Witchcraft, in this extensively researched biography based on his own unpublished memoirs.

Casting new light on one of the first modern self-identifying witches in the US, Jason Mankey invites you deep into Buckland's life. Known for bringing Wicca to America and sharing it through his writing, Buckland penned more than forty titles, placing him among the most prolific occult authors of all time.

Drawing on exclusive access to Buckland's unpublished memoirs, personal letters from Gerald Gardner, and firsthand accounts, Mankey reveals intimate details of Buckland's remarkable journey. From his Romany roots and his childhood during WWII to his many media appearances and little-known hobbies, such as flying ultralight aircraft, this biography covers it all, including a special section on the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft.

Genres: Biography, Wicca, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

Published May 8, 2025

Reviews

[Matal “The Mischling Princess” Baker]

Jason Mankey’s “High Priest: Raymond Buckland, the Father of American Witchcraft,” is a well-written biography. Buckland shared a love of theater. Although it’s not noted in this biography, it was a passion that he shared with fellow witch Patricia Crowther.

As I was reading this book, I was struck by how Llewelyn authors have no “…final say…” over either the titles of their book or even the subtitles (pg. 268). This alerted me instantly to micromanagement, and it only got worse—to the point of being control freaks. The video is a case in point.

On page 230, Mankey discusses the video, “Witchcraft: Yesterday and Today” (later released as, “Witchcraft: Rebirth of the Old Religion”), featuring Buckland and a cast of several others. Someone quite familiar to the publishers was creating the video. And yes, Llewelyn was paying for it and knew what the video contained. Usually, you pay (or finance) and let the professionals complete the job. Afterwards, you review the project. But the publisher wanted IMAGES—not CVs, mind you, but photographs—of the cast who were appearing in the video. So, what would have happened if one of them was overweight? Or was missing a limb? What would the publishers have done then? It left a bad taste in my mouth; image isn’t “everything” but content IS.

Buckland had an enormous influence on the American witchcraft community. In many ways, he reminded me of Gerald Gardner and fell into many of the same traps (e.g., falsifying academic credentials, and etc.). But like Gardner and Buckland, all humans have failings and Buckland was able to move past many of his.

Mankey did a superb job researching Buckland’s life. However, he left out information on his children. Although they’re mentioned, the author didn’t discuss the impact that the early death of his son had on him; I would have liked to have read more about this. Overall, this was an excellent book.

[Helen Griffus]

What an interesting read! Jason has done a masterful job of bringing to life the story of Raymond Buckland. This work is filled with truths, even if they may change the perception of how we see this venerated elder of the Craft, and gives wonderful insights into the life of a man. It's truly worth the read.

[Thomas]

Gods this was good. The story Mankey weaves about Buckland is factual and insightful. The chapters become better and better up until the one about Uncle Buckie’s Big Blue Book, then there was a slight slog, but if you push through it the final chapter “Immortality” is really rewarding and beautiful.

I loved all the “remembering Ray” sections as well as the selection of snippets from Buckland’s work.

[Sandra Fargo]

Ray Buckland was already such a fixture in American witchcraft by the time many of us encountered him that it became easy to think of "Buckland" as a name on book covers rather than a man who had actually lived through an extraordinary period in the Craft's history. Jason Mankey gave me a much fuller picture. I knew the familiar outline of Gerald Gardner, the introduction of Gardnerian Wicca to the United States, the museum, Seax-Wica and of course the Big Blue Book, but there was a surprising amount here that I either never knew or had only encountered as bits of Pagan community lore. Seeing everything placed into the context of Buckland's life made the history feel considerably more complicated and human.

I especially appreciated that this isn't a work of unquestioning hero worship. Mankey clearly respects Buckland and understands the enormous importance of his contribution, but Ray is allowed to be opinionated, ambitious, funny, difficult, inventive and occasionally contradictory. That's far more interesting to me than polishing one of our elders into a plaster saint. There are also wonderful glimpses of the early American witchcraft community, when traditions and organizations we now discuss as history were being built by actual people who disagreed with one another, made mistakes, changed direction and sometimes had spectacular falling-outs. Having lived through some of the later decades of that world, I found myself recognizing the atmosphere even when the particular stories were new to me.

Mostly, High Priest reminded me how much contemporary American witchcraft rests on the work of people whose names younger witches may know without knowing much about them. I have used Buckland's books for decades and still learned an enormous amount here about the man who wrote them and the circumstances surrounding that work. Mankey doesn't ask us to agree with everything Ray believed or did in order to recognize what he accomplished, and I'm grateful for that. I finished wanting to pull my battered Big Blue off the shelf again, except now the name on the cover feels a little more like a person.

[A Vanore]

I love a good biography and this one never fails to deliver. I confess to being a big fan of Mankey's work, so I'm probably a bit biased.

This work can be a bit dry and pedantic from time to time, but these are qualities I genuinely appreciate in a good biography. Mankey's research is fantastic. There are some factual errors, primarily in historical symbology and human relationships, but being real this is witchcraft and everybody has their own perspective (and, sometimes, their own version of the truth).

There is a wonderful sense of humor in Mankey's writing that really lends itself to Buckland's spirit! This is a work of love, respect, kindness, and mindfulness. In my top witch biographies of All Time.

[M Aghazarian]

A bit longer than I think strictly necessary, and there were parts where the author's conclusion about Ray's actions or decisions seem somewhat misaligned (i.e. presenting him in a more positive light than the facts do), but I think this was a great overview both of his personal life as well as the introduction and rise of Wicca in America. I visited the Buckland Museum in 2019, and now that I have the greater cultural context for it, would like to visit again.

[Todd Hanson]

Required reading for pagans of any sort

An excellent biography. The author clearly explains his sources. Embellishments are at a minimum. A fascinating read to discover a great man, and witch.

[Juliette]

I really enjoyed this book! The "Remembering Ray" sections were some of my favorites. I also liked how pieces of Buckland's work were tied in at the end of each chapter.

[Gwydion]

Very good biography of Raymond Buckland.