#recommended reading

“The rumours of wrongdoing are very worrying. They are… they’re very concerning. And worrying.”

Christ. It was getting worse. Like watching someone trip in slow motion, arms windmilling, a tray of drinks airborne. You winced sympathetically - but only a little. Then, with some considerable effort, you turned to the bank of microphones and cameras in front of you.

“If Director de Fontaine has nothing to hide,” you said, bright and clear and utterly lethal, “she should welcome the investigation. Transparency isn’t optional, especially when national security’s on the line. I intend to work with Congressman Gary to ensure we get the answers we’re owed.”

A flicker of a smile. A practiced nod. The press parting before you like the Red Sea. Behind you, Barnes was still muttering apologies.

He caught up to you down the corridor, away from the cameras.

“You could at least try to sound interested, Barnes,” you said, not breaking stride. “You get everything handed to you and still show up late to every goddamn meeting with the attention span of a houseplant.”

He didn’t flinch. Just smiled. That lazy, infuriating smile.

“You’re cute when you’re mad.”

You didn’t look at him. Just kept walking.

“And you’re desperate when you’re flailing. Did that line come from a focus group too?”

He laughed quietly behind you, and you heard the rhythm of his footsteps quicken to catch up.

At the hearing room doors, he stepped ahead and held one open for you, all courtly manners and mischief.

“After you,” he said graciously.

You paused just long enough to meet his eyes. “Thank you, Congressman.”

“Anytime,” he murmured. You watched his eyes drop to your mouth as he spoke.

The hearing was already packed. You squeezed through the crowd, nodding a few hellos and tossing a few warm smiles around, and slipped into a row with a couple of spare seats. Barnes did a token sweep for another seat, then sat beside you anyway. You slid along a little more to make space, but his thigh still pressed against yours in the tight space.

He was watching the panel. You were watching everything else.

Not just the speakers, though you nodded along at the right moments, flipped through your briefing with quiet precision, underlined something with a swift drag of your pen. But your eyes tracked the room, the audience, the reactions. Calculated, clinical.

You looked bored, but he’d seen men put bullets in heads with less focus.

When Congressman Gary pivoted to the question of “unauthorised experimentation on enhanced individuals” - that’s when you started writing in earnest. Not the scattered notes of a bored politician trying to look busy. Your pen moved with purpose and resolve. He couldn’t help himself.

He leaned in.

“Taking names?” he murmured.

You didn’t look up. “Something like that.”

You crossed one leg over the other, the slit of your skirt slipping open. Without missing a beat, you tucked the hem under your notepad.

Next to you, Barnes shifted on the wooden bench - not uncomfortably, but deliberately. Like he was making sure you noticed.

“Do you mind?” you hissed, eyes still forward.

“Not at all,” he murmured, maddeningly calm. “I just think it’s funny.”

You glanced at him, unimpressed.

“The whole ice queen act,” he added, voice low. “You don’t wear it as well as you think.”

You didn’t answer - wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, you turned back toward the front, just as Congressman Gary started dressing down Valentina.

He leaned closer. “Tell me again how I don’t belong here. I like the sound of you angry.”

“You’re pissing me off, Barnes. I should hate you.”

His smile curled slow and dangerous. “Then do it harder.”

The panel called recess.

You stood quickly. “Read the packets. Stop expecting everyone else to clean up after you. You’ve been given a platform and I’m sick of asking you to use it.”

“I’d never expect that from you, Congresswoman.” He was still seated, eyes on yours. “You coming to Oversight and Reform this afternoon?”

“Why? Need someone to hold your hand?”

“Wouldn’t be the worst thing. You taking control.” A pause, then a whisper, low and rich: “Not the first time either, I’d bet.”

You froze for half a second - heat licking your spine - then shoved it down.

“Congressman Barnes,” you said, voice clipped, “excuse me. Some of us have a little more to do than standing around and looking pretty.”

You didn’t wait for a response. You just walked - and hated that you could feel his eyes on your back the whole way.

~~~~

You bounced from meeting to meeting, replied to constituent emails through your lunch (half a sandwich and doughnut from one of your staffers birthday celebrations).

By the time the afternoon rolled around you could feel a dull thud behind your eyes and tension in your shoulders.

The Oversight and Reform chamber was already buzzing when you arrived, your team filtering into the back row while aides scrambled with coffee and colour-coded folders. Barnes was, predictably, late. Again.

You took your seat, adjusted the mic, and caught your reflection in the monitor ahead. Composed. Sharp. Unbothered.

Then came the chair scrape.

He'd strolled in with that infuriating mix of deliberate calm and coiled tension - like someone used to walking into dangerous rooms and pretending they weren’t. You knew better. Everyone with a clearance file did.

Still, he had the nerve to be five minutes late and act like he owned the place.

His seat was two down from yours. You could still feel the weight of him.

The committee chair banged the gavel and called the meeting to order.

It didn’t take long for Barnes to say something you didn't agree with. It seldom did.

“I think what the Congresswoman meant to say is that the committee has a duty to ensure transparency - even if it means questioning institutions we usually trust.”

You felt your spine straighten.

You didn’t let it slide.

“Excuse me, Madam Chairwoman,” you said coolly, “but I don’t need Congressman Barnes to interpret my words for me. I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself. Shocking, I know - a woman in Congress with opinions. I’d like to remind him that some of us actually worked damn hard to get here. We weren’t all voted in on a pretty face.”

The assembled press pool gasped. Flashbulbs lit up the room briefly. You returned to your notes with a slight shake of your head like you hadn’t just cut him off at the knees.

With a slow tilt of his head, Barnes smiled. “And I’d like to remind the Congresswoman that former Hydra assassins probably have to work just as hard to have our opinions heard. It’s not a competition - though it’s useful to know you think it was the face that got me elected.”

“Well it sure wasn’t the resume,” you replied, not missing a beat.

He leaned back slightly, cool as ice. “It got your attention, sweetheart.”

The press pool giggled.

You didn’t.

He should’ve stopped there. But no - Barnes always had to win.

“Also, that’s twice today you’ve called me pretty. Careful, Congresswoman - keep that up, I’ll start thinking you’re going soft on me.”

You felt the breath catch in your throat - not from the words, but the ease with which he said them. Like he knew exactly how to pull the pin and wait for you to go off.

God, you wanted to snap. You could already see the headline: “Firebrand Congresswoman Loses Cool with Ex-Assassin Heartthrob.”

So instead, you smiled. Controlled. Polite. Lethal.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to manage your expectations, Congressman. I don’t do soft. Not in committee. And certainly not for you.”

You didn’t look at him - but you didn’t have to. You felt it.

The shift.

The silence.

The slight, involuntary pull of breath before he looked away with a smirk.

You claimed that win.

Barely.

The hearing adjourned in a flurry of papers, aides swooping in with updates, and whispered questions. You stood, collected your notes, and didn’t look at him.

But you could feel him behind you - that annoying heat, the sense of someone who hadn’t earned their seat but still filled the room like he had.

“Congresswoman,” he said as you turned toward the exit.

You paused, just enough to make him think you might listen.

Then you looked over your shoulder, expression flat. “Late. Under-prepared. Cocky.”

He arched a brow, held out his hands. “Guilty as charged.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

He stepped closer, dropping his voice. “You’re not wrong, you know.”

That made you pause.

“I was late. I didn’t prep enough. But I watched you.” His eyes locked on yours, unexpectedly steady. “And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you be the only one taking this seriously.”

You blinked. Once.

Then you smirked - just enough to throw him off.

“I’ll believe it when I see it, Barnes.”

And then you walked away.

But your pulse was kicking just a little too fast.

And behind you, he watched you go like he was starting to realise exactly what he’d signed up for.

~~~~

Valentina’s fundraiser was in full swing when Bucky arrived, late, because of course he was. Black tie, polished boots, every inch of him scrubbed into something presentable. He hated these things - the glad-handing, the fake smiles, the hunger for power of those who thought they were gods.

Still, he could play the game when he had to. And tonight, he had to. He had to get to the bottom of whatever Valentina was up to.

He moved through the crowd with practiced ease, nodding where he needed to, eyes skimming until they landed -

There.

She was laughing - low, smoky - at something Congressman Gary had just said, one hand grazing his arm as she leaned in to make her point.

The dress should’ve been illegal. Dark, shimmering, backless. Red lips, bare skin, and a smile like she’d already won.

He didn’t just see her. He felt her - a punch to the gut, precise and inevitable.

He’d meant to head for the bar.

Instead, he stood there, thinking one thing, and one thing only:

He was in so much trouble.

“Looks like Doug’s in trouble,” he heard someone snigger behind him. Someone from Treasury,

“Nah, he’s soft on her. Calls her the lioness. If she’s on your side, she’s loyal as fuck.” Someone else replied.

“Yeah but if you cross her, she’ll fucking eat you alive! You seen the way she chews out people in her own party?” They turned, spotting Bucky before he could sneak away. “She’s had you a few times, Barnes.”

“Pretty sure you’re her current snack.”

“Good news is, if you make it out, she’ll stand by you.”

“Unless you do something stupid.”

“Story of my life,” Bucky told them wryly, raising his glass. “‘Scuse me fellas, gotta go into the lioness’s den.”

~~~~

You looked him up and down over the rim of your champagne flute, hoping the glass distracted from where your eyes were traveling. The suit fitted him beautifully. Tailored - it had to be, off the rack would never have fitted across his broad shoulders. The bow tie was crisp and tied perfectly. He nodded politely at Congressman Gary and made a beeline for one of the exhibits. You watched him carefully offer his card to Valentina's closest aide — Meg? Belle? Mel! Disappointment washed over you; you'd thought better of him.

Mel glanced over at you, catching your eye for just a second before turning back to Bucky with a tight smile. Clearly, she’d learned how to handle Barnes better than you had.

You shifted your weight, straightening the skirt of your dress, feeling the prick of heat in your cheeks - not from the room, but because Bucky Barnes had just shown you a side you hadn’t expected. And you didn’t like it. Not one bit.

Congressman Gary’s voice cut through the din, “You’re watching him like he’s a stray dog. Planning to collar him?”

You forced a smirk, “More like figuring out if he’s worth the trouble.”

Doug laughed softly. “Always so cautious. I like that. And I think he likes being caught by you.”

You rolled your eyes at him, your mentor and friend, then your eyes flicked back to Bucky, still deep in conversation with Mel. Charming, of course. He always was. But the tilt of his shoulders gave him away - too stiff for comfort, too still for someone enjoying himself.

Good, you thought. Let him sweat a little.

When Barnes approached again, laser-focused on Congressman Gary, you made your excuses to leave.

“Congresswoman, you’re leaving?” His voice held a note of disappointment - or maybe it was something else. You weren’t sure if you imagined it.

“Not at all,” you said coolly, lifting your glass. “Just in need of more champagne.”

He smirked, eyes flickering to your glass and back up to your face.

“Is that your polite way of escaping me?”

You rolled your eyes and turned away, the soft click of your heels barely masking the flutter in your chest.

You watched from the bar as he led Congressman Gary to a dark corner in an area you knew was a camera black-spot. He was up to something, and you didn’t like it.

It wasn’t that you disagreed with his policies. It was that you resented how effortlessly he got there. The fame. The name. The jawline. Meanwhile, you’d been fighting tooth and nail for every vote, every headline, every ounce of credibility. And then along came Captain America’s brooding bestie, soaking up goodwill and soft-ball interviews like they were oxygen.

You narrowed your eyes. That wasn’t just politics; that was maneuvering. And you were damn sure he wasn’t just making friends with Doug.

The thought made your teeth clench.

You wanted to find out exactly what kind of game he was playing.

When he joined you at the bar, you did your best to ignore him.

“Get you a drink?” he asked. “Something better than cheap champagne?”

“Negroni, please.”

“Nice choice.” He raised a hand to the bartender, who slid over your negroni and a whiskey for him.

“Interesting chat with Congressman Gary?”

You sipped. “I could ask you the same thing?

“Just making conversation.”

“Well, I’m having dinner with his wife next week.”

He grinned. “Maybe we should make it a double date.”

“I don’t think so, Barnes. Didn’t you already spend the night working your charm on Valentina’s staffer?”

“Mel?” He scoffed. “That wasn’t flirting.”

You raised your glass with a polite smile. “Sure it wasn’t. Thanks for the drink.”

You stepped away, leaving him standing there with his grin - and whatever game he thought he was playing.

To your frustration, he followed you.

“Why’d you ask?” he feigned indifference. “Jealous?”

You glanced at the plaque, deliberately not looking at him. “Hardly. I don’t date.”

“Neither do I.” His smirk grew.

“But you’ll chat up twenty-something aides?”

“There you go again, Congresswoman.”

“Don’t misread me,” you said firmly. “I'm looking out for her, not you.”

He leaned in, voice low. “Told you - you’re soft.”

You didn’t answer. But the heat in your cheeks gave you away.

He stepped back, smug. “Not that I mind. Keeps things interesting.”

You exhaled a quiet laugh. “There are far more interesting things in this room than me, Barnes.”

He gave you a look that landed like a challenge. “I’m not so sure about that, ma’am.”

You caught the flicker in his eyes. Genuine, curious, dangerous, and turned away before it could spark anything more.

~~~~

A few days later, you were at your desk by 7:30, coffee in hand, notes spread in a perfect semicircle. The Capitol skyline was just coming to life when your aide, Kara, breezed in armed with her tablet and breakfast.

“Morning,” she said, barely looking up from the screen. “The press secretary’s flagged your quote from last night’s energy subcommittee. They want approval to push it to Politico. It’s sharp, but not too sharp. I think it hits.”

You nodded. “Tell her yes, but ask if she can thread in the clean energy jobs angle.”

Kara tapped quickly. “Noted. Also, I confirmed the reservation for Le Diplomate tonight, 7:30. Congressman Gary’s wife requested the patio.”

You laughed fondly. “Brave of Jenny. The forecast says rain.”

“She says she likes the risk.”

“Then maybe she’d enjoy politics more than her husband does.”

Kara grinned, scrolling. “One more: Congresswoman Alvarez’s daughter had the twins last night. You want to send something?”

“To both of them, please. Get the florist on E Street. Peonies if they have them for Ally, sunflowers for the Congresswoman. Add a note - warmest congratulations, proud of her, hope she’s resting, and then congratulations to the best Abuela those twins could wish for.”

“Got it.” Kara paused, glanced up briefly. “And, just a flag - Barnes hasn’t been in for Oversight this week. He missed Judiciary, too.”

You didn’t look up from your notes. “Is he on leave?”

“Not officially. No out-of-office. No one has seen him since the gala. Staff’s tight-lipped.”

Of course they are.

You flipped a page in your binder with more force than necessary.

“He’ll turn up. He always does.”

But it felt thinner than usual. The line you told yourself.

Kara moved on. “Your lunch with the clean water coalition is still on, but they’re bringing a new rep. He's a former lobbyist, a little slick. You’ll want to keep the high ground.”

“I always do,” you murmured.

Kara swapped your coffee for a fresh cup and put down a plate with a croissant you hadn't seen her holding.

“Let me know if Barnes shows up. Or doesn't.”

“Got it, boss.”

By the end of the following day, you’d signed another two appropriations letters, spoken on the floor, and given an impromptu press gaggle outside Budget. Your shoes hurt. Your voice was hoarse. But the momentum felt good.

Until 4:15.

The committee room was already half-full when you arrived - a rare joint session with Homeland, which meant cameras, crowded aisles, and a lot of posturing. You scanned the table automatically. Kara had left your notes and a bottle of water at your seat. You adjusted your blazer, nodded to the Chair, and paused.

Barnes’s seat was empty. Again.

You didn’t react, not outwardly. Just smoothed your papers and sat down.

The last time he'd missed one of your meetings, he'd sent a personal note of apology. Handwritten and accompanied by a piping hot flat white from the good coffee place down the road, not the on-site Starbucks.

This time, nothing.

The meeting started. You made your points. Asked your questions. But the whole time, your eyes kept drifting back to that empty chair - and the nameplate sitting in front of it.

By the time you got back to your office, your inbox was full, your feet were aching, and Kara was waiting with a folder of flagged correspondence and a packet of Advil.

“Oh,” she said, picking up your TV remote and turning it on, “you’re going to want to see this.”

A live-stream. Midtown New York in total chaos.

Firetrucks. Crowds. Police tape. A helicopter camera panning wide over the city skyline.

Rubble fell, raining down onto civilians.

Then you saw him.

Barnes.

Heaving a slab of concrete up and away from families.

Your inhaled sharply. He was in combat gear, moving with purpose, flanked by others you didn’t recognise - two women, a man with a shield that wasn’t Captain America’s, a guy in a red suit.

“What the hell…” you murmured, dropping into one of the chairs next to the TV.

Kara lowered the volume. “No statement from his office. Nothing from Capitol Security either. But that’s definitely him.”

You swallowed.

So he hadn’t skipped your meeting.

He’d skipped town.

You leaned forward, elbows on your knees, eyes locked to the screen. He looked different - not just the gear. Sharper. Lighter on his feet. Like something had clicked back into place. There was a scratch on his face, he was covered in dust and debris.

Then, on live TV, you watched him disappear.

Not a cutaway. Not a blur.

He vanished before your eyes.

“Get me someone who knows what the fuck is going on,” you said, without looking away.

You didn’t move from the chair for a long time. Kara had left to make calls. You barely noticed.

They’d disappeared. Literally. One second they were there, and then… not.

Not even the feed anchors knew what to say. You’d seen a lot of things in politics. You’d never seen that.

You felt sick, and you weren’t sure why.

He was maddening.

Quiet in chambers, but sharp when he spoke. Thoughtful. Disciplined. Disarming. And somehow, he always knew exactly how to counter your speeches with calm logic that infuriated you.

He didn't grandstand. He didn’t speak much at all. And he didn’t seem to care that he was in way over his head - or worse, he did care, but still kept making the right calls. Winning more favour in Brooklyn every damn time.

You couldn't understand why the cameras loved him.

Actually… that one was obvious.

But you really couldn’t understand why he smirked at you like he was waiting for you to figure something out.

And now you'd never know.

Were they dead? All of them? Were the black marks dashed across the concrete and glass of New York City all that was left?

It felt like hours had passed - you weren’t sure. A handful of colleagues had gathered behind you, murmuring.

“Guess he finally got bored of us,” someone joked.

“Or someone told him what a committee actually is,” another said dryly.

You sighed, not taking your eyes off the screen. “They could be dead, for all we know.”

As the words left your mouth, figures began reappearing on the streets of New York - a child, an elderly couple. All of them terrified and relieved in equal measure.

Then, in exactly the spot they'd vanished, Barnes and his… friends? teammates? stood blinking into the daylight. They looked at each other, the relief evident, their camaraderie clear to see.

In the corner of the screen, behind the chaos, you spotted movement. Valentina de Fontaine, unmistakable, directing camera crews with one hand and smoothing her jacket with the other.

The screen went black, the news anchor filled for time, explaining that an emergency press conference was due to begin at any moment. When the feed came back, the angle had charged. A backdrop had been dragged into place. A podium appeared.

You watched the press conference unfold with mounting disbelief. Valentina was slick as oil, milking the moment like she’d waited years to pull this trigger.

Kara returned, hands full of updates, but froze at your expression.

“Do I need to kill the feed?”

“No,” you said flatly. “I want to hear exactly how deep this bullshit goes.”

And then there he was again, emerging from behind the backdrop.

Bucky Barnes. No suit and tie. No committee assignment. Just that familiar scowl, standing half a step behind Valentina like he wasn’t sure how he’d ended up there.

Like maybe he hadn’t agreed to it.

Not that it mattered. The cameras caught him all the same.

You exhaled.

“Well,” you murmured. “I guess he’s not coming back then.”

All That Remains Is Us - (Steve x Reader) - @saiyanprincessswanie

You're Worth Everything - (Nick x Reader) - @castielscaplan

Hot Stuff - (Lee x Reader) - @societyfolklore

Not Funny - (Ransom x Reader) - @societyfolklore

Space Race - (Lee x Reader) - @buckybarnesfic

Got the Blues - (Lee x Reader) - @buckybarnesfic

Social Blunder - (Lee x Reader) - @buckybarnesfic

The 99th Chance - (Curtis x Reader) - @castielscaplan

He's Just Watching Out - (Bucky x Reader) - @castielscaplan

I Did It For You - (Nick x Reader) - @castielscaplan

Only You - (Bucky x Reader) - @societyfolklore

Field Day (2) - (Steve x Reader) - @holylulusworld

In the darkness - (Curtis x Reader) - @tarithenurse

Nightmare - (Dark!Curtis x Reader) - @tarithenurse

Use Your Words - (Bucky x Reader) - @jobean12-blog

The Best View - (Bucky x Reader) - @jobean12-blog

It's the Little Things - (Bucky x Reader) - @callalillywrites

Clint sees EVERYTHING - @nekoannie-chan

Where the World Cannot Enter - (Bucky x OFC, Steve x Reader) - @nekoannie-chan

Mouth full of...? - (Jake x Reader) - @buck-star

Trouble - (Bucky x Reader) - @buck-star

Burnin' Up - (Lee x Reader) - @sunday-bug

Study Breaks: Lee - (Lee x Reader) - @sunday-bug

Mine Baby [3] - (Bucky x Reader) - @castielscaplan

The Contract - Chp 2 - (Bucky x Reader) - @mickimoo1409

Our Love Was Meant to Be - Chp 2 - (Steve x Reader) - @callalillywrites

Best Night - (Bucky x Reader) - @navybrat817

Typographical Error - (Steve x Reader) - @navybrat817

Safe and Comfortable - (Bucky x Reader) - @sergeantbarnessdoll

Beautiful - (Ari x Reader) - @buckets-and-trees

Bonus:

⭐ The British Book of Spells and Charms by Graham King. A survey of British folk magic, arranged by spell type. They're mostly spells from the nineteenth and early twentieth century, but some of them are older. This is a mini treasure trove of British folklore.

Traditional Wicca: A Seeker’s Guide and The Witch’s Path by Thorn Mooney. I haven’t actually read the former, but I like Mooney as an author, and I really appreciated The Witch's Path as a general guide to how to apply what you learn about magic, especially if you’re experiencing burnout. Worth reading even if you’re not Wiccan.

The Crooked Path and The Witch’s Sabbath by Kelden. The Crooked Path is a beginner’s guide to Traditional Witchcraft, a tradition that evolved alongside Wicca and is inspired by historical witchlore. A good introduction to witchcraft in general. The Witch’s Sabbath is about the Sabbath concept in particular, and how you can apply it to your practice.

Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways, The Devil's Dozen and The Black Toad by Gemma Gary. Gemma Gary is one of the big names in Traditional Witchcraft, which I've been getting more into in the last couple years. I appreciate learning about her practical application of folklore and folk magic as a coherent modern tradition. Definitely worth reading if you're interested in a tradition of witchcraft apart from Wicca (or if you're interested in theistic Satanism, but want it to have a more folk horror aesthetic). More advanced than Kelden's material.

🔮 Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic by Tabitha Stanmore. A scholarly examination of folk magic and its practitioners in medieval and early modern Europe. Stanmore humanizes this history by telling the stories of individual people in a very conversational style.

🔮 ⭐ The Cunning Man's Handbook by Jim Baker. A study of the practices of primarily English folk magic, alongside material from various manuscripts, making it something of a study-cum-grimoire. Very dense, but absolutely packed with material.

⭐ A Complete System of Magic by William Dawson Bellhouse, edited by Daniel Harms. An edition of the magical notes of a nineteenth-century English cunning man, William Dawson Bellhouse. British folk magic, straight from the tap.

🔮 The Visions of Isobel Gowdie by Emma Wilby. A study of Isobel Gowdie, a woman accused of witchcraft in early modern Scotland, whose lurid confession heavily influenced modern witchcraft. I have already learned so much about Scottish witchcraft and folklore from this book!

Hermeticism and Alchemy

⭐ The Corpus Hermeticum. The foundational text of Hermetic philosophy, from Hellenistic Egypt. It's a set of short dialogues between Hermes Trismegistus, the legendary founder of Hermeticism (sort of the ancient equivalent of Merlin) and various other figures. I recommend The Way of Hermes, the translation by Clement Salaman et. al.

⭐ The Emerald Tablet. A very short, cryptic alchemical poem that first appeared in a medieval Arabic manuscript. It supposedly instructs the reader on how to create the Philosopher's Stone. (There is only one Emerald Tablet, and it's less than a page long.)

🔮 The Secrets of Alchemy by Lawrence M. Principe. A summary of the history of alchemy, written by a scholar for a lay audience. A great introduction to it! Leans more in the direction of alchemy being early chemistry than occult philosophy, though.

🔮 The Experimental Fire: Inventing English Alchemy, 1300–1700 by Jennifer M. Rampling. A scholarly history of the development of English alchemy in the medieval and early modern period.

🔮 A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery by Lyndy Abraham. Exactly what it sounds like — a dictionary of motifs in alchemical artwork, what they represent, and how they relate to each other. Excellent if you want to begin to understand alchemical art.

Alchemy and Mysticism by Alexander Roob. An encyclopedia of images related to alchemy and magic, styled like museum exhibits. Also good if you want an overview of alchemy and other philosophical ideas in Western esotericism, or want a catalogue of images related to the subject, or just want to know what all those cryptic pictures mean! For a book mainly consisting of image captions, it's surprisingly dense.

Real Alchemy: A Primer of Practical Alchemy by Robert Allen Bartlett. Instructions for how to actually perform alchemical experiments. (Do not play with mercury.)

Practical Alchemy: A Guide to the Great Work by Brian Cotnoir. A general introduction to chemical and spiritual alchemy, directed at occultists.

The Philosopher’s Stone by Israel Regardie. Regardie's analysis of alchemical texts and artwork, through the lens of the Golden Dawn system. I recommend the version with Chic and Sandra Cicero’s additional essays and commentary.

Ceremonial Magic and Demonology

⭐ Grimoires, including (but not limited to) the Lesser Key of Solomon, Ars Notoria, the Grande Grimoire, the Grimoirum Verum, the Picatrix, and the Book of Abremilin the Mage. I recommend getting scholarly editions of them, like the ones by Joseph Peterson and Stephen Skinner.

🔮 Grimoires: A History of Magic Books, The Art of the Grimoire, and The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft and Magic by Owen Davies. Owen Davies is a celebrated scholar in this field. The first book is a scholarly introduction to grimoires. The second is a survey of magical diagrams and alchemical art from manuscripts. I haven't actually read the third one yet, but it's an Oxford Handbook and I trust Davies, so it's on the list.

The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish. A history of and introduction to the Western esoteric tradition, not directed at practitioners. This is a great place to start, if a bit outdated.

The Book of Grimoires: The Secret Grammar of Magic and A Dictionary of Ancient Magic Words and Spells by Claude Lecouteux. The former is a survey of spells from various grimoires, arranged by type, which is a good introduction to grimoire magic if you're feeling overwhelmed. The latter is a dictionary of incantations and voces magicae from magical texts around the world. (Also recommended if you're a worldbuilder and you need ideas.)

Secrets of the Magical Grimoires by Aaron Leitch. A general introduction to grimoires, another good place to start if you're feeling overwhelmed.

🔮 A Grimoire Encyclopedia, Vol. 1 and 2 by David Rankine. This is a very dense, scholarly two-volume encyclopedia on grimoires. The first lists all the grimoires we know of, all their manuscript copies and call numbers, etc. Great if you want to look up manuscripts! If you're not a scholar, I would just get the second one, which compares the content of all the grimoires to each other, listing spell ingredients and correspondences.

🔮 Unlocked Books by Benedek Láng: Part of Penn State University Press's "Magic in History" series, this is a scholarly book about medieval and early modern manuscripts of occult texts, and the state of occultism in Europe.

🔮 Conjuring Spirits: Texts and Traditions of Medieval Ritual Magic by Claire Fanger. Another book from the "Magic in History" series, this is a compilation of scholarly analyses of medieval ritual magic in various grimoires.

🔮 Magic in the Middle Ages by Richard Kieckhefer. An academic but readable book about the history of medieval magic.

A Dictionary of Demons by Michelle Belanger. A long list of every demon found in historical grimoires. Great if you’re interested in demonology!

A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels by Gustav Davidson. A long list of every angel in the huge corpus of Abrahamic texts.

🔮 Magus: The Art of Magic from Faustus to Agrippa by Anthony Grafton. A historical study of a specific culture of ceremonial magic among the European elite. Haven't read it yet, but it looks very promising!

🔮 The Magic Books: A History of Enchantment in 20 Medieval Manuscripts by Anne Lawrence-Mathers. A brand new work of scholarship on the history of medieval magic through the lens of manuscripts specifically. Very excited about this one!

Practical Magic

Hands-On Chaos Magic by Andrieh Vitimus. Still one of my favorite occult books. It takes a decidedly chaote approach towards magical practice, but that means it isn't working within any specific religious framework (e.g. Wicca) It teaches you all the necessary skills you'll need to practice magic, and encourages experimentation. If you do the exercises in this book, you'll have learned the basics.

Nocturnal Witchcraft, Gothic Grimoire, and Nocturnicon by Konstantinos. These are great if you’re a spooky type. Nocturnal Witchcraft was one of the first “advanced” books I read. Nocturnicon is the most advanced, and concerns death and lovecraftian magic. Despite the edgy presentation, I like Konstantinos' down-to-earth, conversational style.

Shadow Magick Compendium by Raven Digitalis. A guide to Shadow work and general magic with a spooky bent. This book introduced me to sigil work and some other magical practices that I still use. I like Raven Digitalis' writing style a lot, and I also have his Goth Craft and Esoteric Empathy.

Sorcerer’s Secrets: Strategies in Practical Magick by Jason Miller. A general guide to magic, good for beginners. I read this one pretty early on, and it got me thinking about the logic of magic in a way I could easily understand. I've also heard good things about Miller's Consorting With Spirits, though I haven't read it.

The Essential Golden Dawn: An Introduction to High Magic by Chic Cicero and Sandra Cicero. An introduction to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn’s system of magic, one of the foundational systems of Western occultism. Even if you don't plan to practice it, it's a good idea to get a basic understanding of it.

Ancient Greek Magic

⭐ The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation by Hans Dieter Betz. An English edition of the Greek Magical Papyri (or PGM). It is the earliest known grimoire in the Western tradition, one of our best sources for Ancient Greek magic, and an absolute gold mine.

🔮 Drawing Down the Moon and Redefining Ancient Orphism by Radcliffe G. Edmonds III. The former is a scholarly but accessible overview of the different types of magic in Ancient Greece and Rome, and their place in Greco-Roman culture. It covers the definitions and contexts of magic, curses, love spells, divination, theurgy, philosophy, basically everything you need to know. Even if you're not interested in Ancient Greek magic, I recommend reading it, because it's a good introduction to the anthropological study of magic in general. The latter is a much denser look at Orphism specifically, also recommended if you're interested in mystery cults.

🔮 ⭐ Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John G. Gager. English editions of curse tablets!

🔮 ⭐ Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds by Daniel Ogden: A sourcebook of ancient literature concerning magic.

Ancient Magic: A Practitioners Guide to the Supernatural in Ancient Greece and Rome by Philip Matyszak: A simple and straightforward introduction to Ancient Greek magic, less scholarly but very easy to follow.

⭐ The Golden Ass by Apuleius: A Roman novel about a man who is turned into a donkey by a witch. A very entertaining story, also our source for "Cupid and Psyche" and one of the best sources on the Mysteries of Isis that we have.

⭐ The Orphic Hymns: A New Translation for the Occult Practitioner by Patrick Dunn. Exactly what it says it is, a translation of the esoteric Orphic Hymns directed at modern practitioners. I've had a lot of success with it!

The Hekataeon by Jack Grayle. By far the best modern grimoire I've found, synthesizing ancient PGM-style magic with modern folk magic. I've had a lot of success with this, too!

Misc

🔮 The Western Esoteric Traditions: A Historical Introduction by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. Exactly what it says it is, an introduction to the historical development of Western magic. It's a bit out of date, and it skips over the Middle Ages almost entirely (so make sure to pick up one of the books on medieval magic!), but it's still worth reading.

🔮 Occult: Decoding the Visual Culture of Mysticism, Magic, and Divination by Peter Forshaw. A history of occultism through the lens of art history! Similar to The Art of the Grimoire and Alchemy and Mysticism.

⭐ The Red Book by Carl Jung. My personal favorite mystical text, with some truly stunning artwork. It is a trip. I recommend studying Jung in general if you're interested in mysticism.