Thisncopy of Nancy Garden’s Witches actually belonged to a Wiccan church.
Published in 1975 as part of J. B. Lippincott’s Weird and Horrible Library, Witches is a heavily illustrated trip through centuries of witchcraft, folklore, magic, persecution, charms, curses, flying ointments, familiars, historical trials, and the strange things people have blamed on witches over the years. It moves from Circe and ancient Greece through European witch lore and into modern practitioners, with photographs and macabre period illustrations scattered throughout.
Stamped on the title page is The Church of Iron Oak, Inc., Palm Bay, Florida. Iron Oak was a Wiccan church affiliated with the Aquarian Tabernacle Church and became part of a very public fight over Pagan religious freedom in Florida during the 1990s. The congregation faced zoning complaints, accusations of supposed “Satanic” activity, protests, court proceedings, and eventually helped inspire what became the Florida Pagan Gathering. Christian clergy even came to the congregation’s defense during portions of the dispute, arguing that Wiccans deserved the same religious protections afforded to other faiths.
Author Nancy Garden would later write Annie on My Mind, the groundbreaking 1982 YA novel that became one of the defining works of LGBTQ+ young-adult literature. Garden ultimately received the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award for her contribution to literature.
Details
Author: Nancy Garden
Title:Witches
Series:The Weird and Horrible Library
Publisher: J. B. Lippincott Company
Place: Philadelphia & New York
Date: 1975
Edition: First edition
Format: Hardcover with original illustrated dust jacket
Subject: Witchcraft, folklore, magic, occult history & juvenile nonfiction
Provenance: Former copy of The Church of Iron Oak, Inc., Palm Bay, Florida; institutional ownership stamp present
Condition: Used vintage condition with moderate handling wear consistent with an institutional/reference copy. Original dust jacket shows wear, rubbing, and old clear-tape marks. Interior shows age toning, the Church of Iron Oak ownership stamp, and a black line marking. Binding remains together in the photographed condition. Please review all photographs carefully.
