This is the MOST basic occult & Wicca 101. I got this second hand, thankfully. I was under the impression that this was written more as a memoir, which I actually enjoy from magical people. The first chapter or two was written that way and I was happy. I liked that the author's background seems to be more English hermeticism, which is a little different from most witches in the US. And to be fair, the book is easy to read & has a pleasant, conversational tone. I tired very hard to finish because I planned to review it. I got about 2/3 through, but couldn't finish since it was such a waste of my time & frankly boring.
The problem is that it quickly turns into a VERY generic overview of occult/new age topics. One quick chapter gives the basics on tarot. Another - crystals. A third - auras & chakras. And so on. It'd be one thing to read about a person's experiences with their first tarot deck, how they deepened their practice, their search for different decks, what they learned that's unique, etc. That isn't here. It's literally reads like "tarot exists, here's a one page history, here's a list of what the cards are." You can find WAY more detail for free online. There's nothing new or original here.
I guess if someone where an ABSOLUTE beginner, who doesn't even know that topics like tarot or crystals or auras exist - they would like this book. Then again I can't imagine such a person seeking out this book before looking online. Again, maybe if the book came out in the 1970's or 80's it would be helpful? Nevertheless, this is one of those infamous useless 101 books that have given New Age publishing a bad name.