This is a useful and very interesting collection of biographies of founders, prophets, and leaders of new religions. Most of the figures are from the twentieth century, but a few are from as early as the sixteenth. The biographies are objective and informative, providing in one convenient place a great deal of esoteric knowledge about modern religion. I especially enjoyed going through the entire dictionary, discovering how dominant certain themes are among these people, such as poor education and childhood illness.
I only have two complaints. The first is---buyer beware!---the title is misleading, suggesting coverage of new religions in general. The truth is that this is a dictionary about new religions that have had a significant impact on the United States, with almost no exceptions. The coverage of U.S. religion seems to be comprehensive (including some very odd new-Pagan, etc. figures who don't seem to have a wide following--but a plus is that the author includes some very interesting Native American holy people); it just wasn't what I expected from the title. A second criticism is that the volume has a really impressive bibliography---but all references are listed alphabetically at the end of the book, rather than citing the applicable works after each entry, where they would be much more useful.

When people think of Witches and Witchcraft, the image of a cackling crone hunched over a bubbling cauldron of poisonous brew often comes to mind. Therefore I appreciated Lewis' presentation of Witchcraft as a bonafied religion, deserving of the same recognition and respect accorded other religious belief systems.

Terms covered include words related to Neopagan traditions, holidays and rituals; Craft tools, organizations and practices; methods of divination; and much more. All information is presented in a well organized manner which is easily understood and requires no prior knowledge of Witchcraft. I found the "See Also" and "Further Reading" suggestions included at the end of each reference to be extremely helpful aids that will greatly benefit those desiring to learn more.

The thorough introduction and informative appendixes are perhaps the most valuable part of this book. These include overviews of the origin and history of contemporary Wiccan and Neopagan beliefs; a chronology detailing their development; and documents important to Wiccan and Neopagan belief systems such as the "Charge of the Goddess," "Initiation Rituals," and "Craft Laws."

Overall, this is an excellent and informative piece of work but it does have some drawbacks. There are only about 284 terms covered so I felt more terms, "important names in Witchcraft," etc. should have been included. Also, some of the entries could have used a more thorough rendering. Common inconsistencies in spelling that might prove confusing to those not familiar with the Craft, such as "Caballa" and "Kaballah," should have been addressed. Finally, I feel the book is a bit pricey.

Although I wouldn't rely on Witchcraft Today as a main reference book on Wicca and Neopaganism, it would make a great companion to another reference book such as The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft by Rosemary Ellen Guiley.

The book seems well-organized but the entries are incomplete. It is not difficult to find some well-known angels are not listed in this book.

Looking for a dictionary of angels? Look elsewhere.

This book is good but I find another book "A Dictionary of Angels : Including the Fallen Angels" by Gustav Davidson much better and complete.

I found this to be the most comprehensive book on the subject of angels and related topics that I have ever seen. Whether you are approaching this subject from a biblical, historical, cross cultural, or esoteric viewpoint you should find most everything that you are looking for. Indeed, you will find much that you were not originally looking for. It is easy to find yourself absorbed for hours reading from subject to subject, seeing associations and connections that never occured to you before. I couldn't really see where the author was promoting any particular agenda or viewpoint- it all seemed pretty objective to me. Yet, the writing isn't in dry-as-dust academic style either.

The book itself is hefty 485 plus pages and laid out in dictionary form (though there is a well written introduction on the overall subject.) The illustrations are in black and white, but they are well-chosen, crisp, and plentiful.

Silly me. I thought perspectives meant more than one view. This book, while claiming to be an indifferent look at the New Age Movement, obviously is written by staunch backers of the Movement with too few exceptions to be considered balanced. People shouldn't pretend to be scholarly when they're simply being cheerleaders for an idea.

The essays in this book provide scholary insight and terrific references for the religious/spiritual side of the New Age movement. An essay drawing strong parallels between Christian Charismatic Movement and the New Age Movement to be impartial and very enlightening.

Although it is not a comprehensive work (compare with Marilyn Ferguson's "The Aquarian Conspiracy"), it is a great place for a serach for the more responsible features of New Age mysticism and spirituality.

This is not a review. The Jim Melton interview you run in relation to this text has nothing to do with J. Gordon Melton. Two different people. It would be a good idea to do an interview with J. Gordon Melton, one of the foremost academics on modern religion, cults and the New Age

The good thing about this book is that the information is all listed in alphabetical order. I was very disappointed when I read it: has little info about what the title suggests, but is instead the authors list of comparisons or tidbits of items from different beliefs, most have little or nothing to do with the idea of death and afterlife. Is this all he has to offer? It does not compare in any way to Raymond Moody or others who have written insightful and informative books and manage to stick to the subject. Maybe I just wish the book had a title that would reflect the actual info in the book. I'd like to get my money back.

First of all the forward is written by Dr.Raymond Moody, and while a lot of "researchers" throw his name around carelessly, the good doctor is careful of the work that he actually endorses. This well organised and truly encyclopedic guide is clearly worthy of his endorsement. In over a decade of personal research, this is the best single reference work on death and the afterlife that I've found. All the entries are well written, professional, and scholarly. Indeed, just by browsing through this thick volume you begin to see connections between subjects that may never have occured to you before (such as between shamanism and the mystery religions.) The highest praise that I can give this book is that it contained a sizable amount of information that even I wasn't familiar with- definately worth investing in for your library.
After all, what subject is ultimately of greater importance?

HRH fans - stay away! This is a very, very poor book, with no additional revelations about The Man. This is an exercise in fawning. Skip it, and wait for the HRH movies that rumor has in development at several Hollywood studios.

This book has come under heavy criticism for not covering any new ground (both authors have written about Howard Hughes before). That may be so (the large biblography indicates the extent to which Hughes life and death has already been dissected). However, outside of America there is less of an obsession with Hughes; so if this is the first book you have read on the subject (as is the case with this reviewer), it is actually pretty entertaining - and that is how it should be read: as entertainment rather than heavy-duty information.

Phelan and Chester, after giving a reprise of Hughes' life and death, plunge into an analysis of the chaos he left behind: no will, not much idea of how much money was in the estate, no list of assets, not even a clear place of legal residence. The person press-ganged into the role of fireman was William Lummis, a lawyer and cousin of Hughes.

In ways that only Americans can manage, the determinaton and settlement of Hughes' estate was the subject of an avalanche of litigation and bizarre claims, as a parade of fake wills and fake relatives appeared and then were removed from the stage by a large hook. In fact, the outright looniness of some of these claims makes for the most entertaining aspect of the book, although they were perhaps not much stranger than Hughes' own life.

Lummis gradually managed to consolidate the estate: the last big struggle was with the IRS. The estate (under a billion dollars; the figure varied depending on how and when it was calculated) was eventually divided amongst Hughes retainers and employees, his relatives, and the bulk (after tax) going to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The HHMI had been set up as an elaborate tax dodge, but it eventually managed to rebuild itself as a genuine philanthropic and research organisation. So Hughes (as one commentator noted) did leave a useful legacy after all - but probably not what he expected.

This book might not add much to the pool of knowledge about Hughes, but for those to whom the subject! is fairly new ground, The Money is a pretty good read.

Sociologist Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi described Lewis' work as "a travesty of research." Indeed, it is not hard to see why James R. Lewis is known as a cult apologist (defender). A simple internet search provides a wealth of documentation.

An additional buyer-beware: this book does not contain new material. All chapters are drawn from Lewis' previous works, and the material does not appear to have been updated.

Especially those in the U.S.A. Although most chapters are by no means all inclusive, they offer a good source of basic information relating to the founding and general beliefs of each group. The information is presented in an unbiased way (this is the first comprehensive guide to small religious groups and "cults" not done by a christian group), and includes information on the legal boundaries of religion in the US of A, as well as some past cases involving the exercise of religious freedoms. Most of the book goes over the means and methods of various sundry religious movements, such as the Children of God, American Sikhs, Hebrew Israelites, and so on.

This book will make a good addition to any school or library collection, especially since it is not Selling any particular brand of faith, but simply presenting information and allowing the reader to draw conclusions. Anyone with an interest in religion, mind control, sociology or psychology should appreciate the interesting information herein!