"Wandlore" is a fantastically brilliant book written by one of the more amazing wizards of our time. Replete with lore drawn from many traditions, yet forthrightly told from the perspective of a Druid, this book takes an entirely new and sensible approach to magic. Magic is not about Kabbalah, or about fancy-dress rituals in Egyptianesque temples, nor is it about religion. It is simply part of nature, for Dr. MacLir and I think he reflects the theories of magic held by many Bards, Seers, and Druids today. Magic is taken by this author to be a particular way of using the energies and forces of nature -- those odd little buggers being studied by subatomic physicists these days. These forces -- and the power that flows through a wand -- are quanta of intelligence, or what we might call "information" for lack of a better word.Alferian MacLir has clearly done a lot of study and original thinking, and his book reflects this. It is not a "how to carve" book or a rehash of Wicca or ceremonial magic. It has some of his tips on using tools to carve and shape a wand, but it is really a book encompassing the history of magic, magical theory, the purpose of rituals, and the central place of the imagination (belief) in work with dryads and the spirits of stones, crystals, and metals.My favorite chapter turned out to be the one on Quintessence. Here's an example of an eye-opening passage: "When you enchant a wand after all the work of physically constructing it, you apply your ethereal body to the etheric body of the wand. The etheric body is where the power of imagination lies, the ability to affect changes in the astral dimension of existence through one's mind" (pg. 180). Alferian MacLir has a clear-eyed view of these various levels of being -- ideas and terms that have been around for generations, but are so often obscured by mystical and murky language. He discusses how the various "meanings" of wood, stone, and mythical beast can be woven into a complex of ideas or forces. For instance, an oak wand with a carnelian reservoir stone and a magical core of gryphon feather, combines the qualities of each. The wand exhibits the strength, fruitfulness, and thunderbolt qualities inherent in oak, plus the fierceness, the guardian quality,the far-seeing power, and the union of heaven and earth in the gryphon. Then add this web of qualities to the carnelian's protection from evil, revitalizing power, manifesting power, and balancing of body and spirit. What you get is an entirely new entity which unites the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms with the human spirit of the user.What this book is not: It isn't a Harry Potter spin off. The author acknowledges that some of his ideas were inspired by Harry Potter, but he is not talking about storybook magic for kids. And he isn't talking about wands as they have appeared in fantasy fiction. This book is about doing real magic with real magical tools.The author makes his process and method accessible to people from any magical tradition. The book is full of quotes and references to other authors and a serious attempt has been made to bring together information that is otherwise scattered through a hundred different books. He also gives references to some web sites that explore topics (such as Aether) in more depth. The assignment of different trees toy different alchemical elements, deities, and folklore makes for fascinating and even entertaining reading. Finally, kudos to Llewellyn Worldwide for producing a beautiful book with some great design elements. Once you get this book in your hands, you will not want to put it down!