High Magic’s Aid by Scire (Gerald B. Gardner) is not a typical witchcraft book by today’s standards. It is not a how-to manual. It doesn’t pander to a culture of mass market self-help in easy to digest, bite sized pieces (don’t worry, we’ve all been there). What the book does provide is a historical record of the evolution of wicca and witchcraft during the last century.

Originally published in 1949, High Magic’s Aid comes from a time when witchcraft was still illegal in the UK. Imagine that (on second thought, don’t)! Under such harsh laws, which would later change in 1951, Gardner found a way to publish and distribute information about witchcraft, paganism, and ceremonial magic by way of writing a fantasy novel. He is even said to have sold his book in the gift shop of the Witchcraft Museum on the Isle of Man. If you ask me, Gardner was totally Witchn for his bravery and political resistance. Such qualities are becoming more relevant in the current of history, which begs the question: are we heading back to those times? That the subject is even up for debate is frightening. I digress.

 Set in medieval England, Jan Bonder yearns to regain the lands and title that rightfully belong to his family. Along with his brother Olaf, they enlist the help of a wise old leech named Thur. Together they seek High Magic’s Aid. As their magic becomes successful, they are advised by a spirit ally to seek the witch and high priestess, Vada who later reveals her magical name to become the heroine of the tale, Morven. Together, they set out on a quest to conquer tyranny and in so doing, form a coven of their own.

With heavy influences from Margaret Murray’s Witch Cult Theory and the Key of Solomon the secrets embedded in this book are not purely Wiccan. Rather they appear to be a mash up from various sources with some recognisably Wiccan elements. Here we depart from my area of expertise at this time, for I am but a student in the outer court of a British Traditional Wiccan coven. If anyone has a deeper insight, or wishes to fill any gaps in my knowledge, please feel free to do so.

I could not finish this review without giving you a warning. High Magic’s Aid has the feel of an unedited manuscript. The text is rife with errors, making it a much harder read than it needs to be (take into account the fact that, due to unique circumstances in his childhood, Garder evaded a formal education and taught himself to read and write). That certainly doesn’t mean the book isn’t worth your time. I wholeheartedly believe it is, not only as a historical curiosity, but I also thoroughly enjoyed the characters and found myself musing over them once the book had ended. I might very well name a future cat after Morven or Thur!

Here are the specs from my copy:

High Magic’s Aid by Scire (Gerald B. Gardner, 13 June 1884 – 12 February 1964)

Foreward by: Philip Heselton

Published by: Dark Dragon Publishing

Year of publication: 2023

Number of pages: 285

Cover art: Michael Houghton and the Atlantis Bookshop

Cover reconstruction by: Evan Dales WAV Studios

© Pentacle Enterprises 1993

Notice: Apart from autocorrect, no AI was used in the writing of this post. © 2026 Scott Rose. All rights reserved.