Elliot Rose

First published in 1962, Elliot Rose's A Razor for a Goat is a study of witchcraft as a religion, whether the religion was a form of pagan survival or a depraved Christian (or anti-Christian) heresy. Rose surveyed witch-scares, fairy folklore, 'ritual' deaths, the Canon Episcopi, and goliards for evidence for witchcraft, and to make some suggestions about the reality behind the popular beliefs on witchcraft societies and Sabbats. One of the first studies to debunk the dominant theory of the time that witchcraft had been an organized pre-Christian religion, A Razor for a Goat is listed on many anthropology, religion, and history course bibliographies. This reprint has a ten-page foreword by Richard Kieckhefer that gives a historiographical examination of the importance of this book, and situates it within the discipline today. Closely reasoned, and written with a rare wit, A Razor for a Goat is a classic study and excellent survey of the literature and history of witchcraft.

For thousands of years, astrologers have recognized that every planet has an influence over our lives. This book shows how the positions of the planets at the moment of birth determines emotional and rational characteristics, and also how the energies these planets represent continue to influence throughout life. Illustrated with examples from the lives of the well-known and those of her clients, Rose Eliot's book explains what each of the planets represent, what their cycles mean and how to deal with their effects in the most constructive way. It also includes simple tables and graphs which enable the reader to look up their birth month and year to see when significant planetary cycles will be in operation.