Sybil Leek's Book of Curses

by Sybil Leek

Dame Sybil Leek was an astrologer, writer, lecturer and, by religion, a witch. She’s been credited with being the first contemporary woman to promote Wicca. While still living in England, she owned an antique shop. After she wrote a book entitled A Shop in the High Street, she was invited, in 1964, by an American publisher to come to the States to speak about antiques. She used this opportunity to also speak about witchcraft. She appeared on several televisions shows, including To Tell the Truth and The Amazing World of Kreskin. She moved to Florida in the late 1960s. For much of her later life, Sybil Leek divided her time between Florida and Houston, Texas. She wrote several books, including Diary of a Witch and Sybil Leek’s Book of Curses. She died in Melbourne in 1982.

Genres: Witchcraft, Paganism

162 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Dubbed "Britain’s most famous witch" by the BBC.

Because she rose to media fame in the 1950s after the repeal of the 1735 Witchcraft Act in 1951, she had an effect upon the formation of neopagan witchcraft, namely the religion of Wicca. Strong in defense of her beliefs, Sybil sometimes differed and even quarrelled with other witches. She disapproved of nudity in rituals and was against the use of drugs, but she was at odds with most other witches in that she did believe in cursing. She was one of the first of the modern day witches to take up environmental causes.

Reviews

[Scott]

Believe it or not, this was in my junior high school library.