The Witches’ Almanac Spring 2006 to Spring 2007 (Issue 25) © 2006

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The Witches’ Almanac     Spring 2006 to Spring 2007  (Issue 25)  © 2006  The Witches’ Almanac Ltd.  ISBN  1-881098-34-6      112 pages  Paperback    $8.95  (U.S.)

 

When I first learned of the passing of Elizabeth Pepper into the Summerlands last year I was saddened.  Over the years I have enjoyed “The Witches Almanac” and I feared that an era was coming to an end.  A year without the Almanac seemed interminable.  There was a decade where it was not produced and I really missed it.  I soon discovered, however, that Ms. Pepper had made provisions for this annual to continue.  This year’s edition is the first post-Elizabeth volume to be produced, and is the 25^th in the series.

 

There are little things missing this time around.  Ms. Pepper had a passion for using medieval woodcuts for illustrations and it appears, to me, that there are fewer of these than usual.  These illustrations gave the annual a certain feel and style.  So, perhaps, we will see a change in some of the stylistic points.  That remains to be seen.

 

The “meat and potatoes” of the Almanac, however, remains unchanged.  The same production team is in place; the same principles guide the production of the work; and the same sense of having a fun, usable almanac comes through.

 

It seems that every year sees the introduction of more Pagan/Wiccan-themes almanacs, calendars, and date books.  This, however, is the one that started it all, as I remember it.  It wasn’t always easy to find, but the hunt for it was part of the fun of it.  Now it is routinely available and easy to find, but it is still fun.

 

How accurate the weather predictions are remains to be seen (the missed the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year).  The stories and articles are, as always, both entertaining and informative.  They consist, as usual, of items culled from around the globe.  There is the story of the Frog Prince (from the Brothers Grimm), an article on Zeus, background on the Yoruba Orisa Oya, and assorted other items.

 

I am sure that I will finds myself coming back to this volume in the years ahead, as I have with the other editions I possess.  The information is timeless and the price, although much higher than it was in 1971 (What isn’t?), is still most reasonable.

 

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