Editing Drawing Down the Moon (book) (section)

{{Short description|1979 book by Margot Adler}}
{{Infobox book 
  | name           =  Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today
  | image          =  Drawing Down the Moon.jpg
| image_size = 200px
  | caption  =  The first edition cover of the book.
  | author         =  [[Margot Adler]]
  | country        =  [[United States]]
  | language       =  [[English language|English]]
  | subject        =  [[Sociology of religion]], [[History of religion]]
  | publisher      =  [[Viking Press]]
  | release_date   =  1979
  | media_type     =  Print ([[Hardcover]] & [[Paperback]])
  | pages          =  
  | isbn           =  
  | oclc           = 515560
  | dewey          = 299.94
  | congress       = BF1573
}}

'''''Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today''''' is a sociological study of [[Paganism (contemporary)|contemporary Paganism]] in the United States written by the American  Wiccan and journalist [[Margot Adler]]. First published in 1979 by [[Viking Press]], it was later republished in a revised and expanded edition by [[Beacon Press]] in 1986, with third and fourth revised editions being brought out by [[Penguin Books]] in 1996 and then 2006 respectively.

According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', the book "is credited with both documenting new religious impulses and being a catalyst for the panoply of practices now in existence"<ref name=Goldscheider>Goldscheider, Eric. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/28/national/28religion.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=margot+adler+drawing&st=nyt&oref=slogin  Witches, Druids and Other Pagans Make Merry Again in the Magical Month of May], ''The New York Times'', May 28, 2005.</ref> and  "helped popularize earth-based religions."<ref>Ramirez, Anthony. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE2DB1238F931A1575BC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2   Another Hit Could Give Witches a Bad Name], ''The New York Times'', August 22, 1999.</ref> Adler was a [[Neopaganism|Neopagan]] and "recognized witch"<ref name=Goldscheider /> herself and a reporter for [[National Public Radio]].<ref>NPR. 2006. Margot Adler, NPR Biography, NPR website, accessed August 27, 2006 [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2100166]</ref>

The book is an examination of [[Neopaganism in the United States]] from a [[sociology|sociological]] standpoint, discussing the history and various forms of the movement.  It contains excerpts from many interviews with average Pagans, as well as with well-known leaders and organizers in the community.

The first edition of the book sold 30,000 copies.<ref>[[#Ori95|Orion 1995]]. p. 130.</ref>
Successive versions have included over one hundred and fifty pages of additional text and an updated contacts section.  It has been praised by [[Theodore Roszak (scholar)|Theodore Roszak]], [[Susan Brownmiller]], ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'' and the ''Journal of the [[American Academy of Religion]]''.<ref>[http://www.biblio.com/isbn/0807032530.html 0807032530 – Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler – 9780807032534<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>