Dictionary of Mysticism and the Esoteric Traditions [Paperback]

Nevill Drury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1992

Nevill Drury has compiled nearly 3000 informative cross-referenced entries covering fascinating aspects of myth, mysticism, folklore, and occultism. Tthe result is a cornucopia of facts on everything from the hierarchy in Hades to a means of predicting the future with pins and talcum powder. the is a useful reference book and a browser's delight. Nevill Drury is an internationally recognized authority on mysticism and the paranormal.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

First published in 1985 with the title Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult , this book is a true dictionary, not an encyclopedia. It contains short, single-paragraph definitions or synopses of various subjects in the areas of mythology, parapsychology, the occult, and mysticism. The book contains many short biographical sketches, but while the subject entries are uniformly accurate and well done, the same cannot be said for all the biographies. In some cases birth and death dates are lacking. Some (e.g., Eric Digwall, D.D. Home) contain careless errors that could easily have been prevented by simple checking. The book as a whole, however, makes up for these deficiencies by supplying a source of information that will not readily be found elsewhere. For subject collections.
- Gordon Stein, Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Prism Pr Ltd; Revised edition (August 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185327075X
• ISBN-13: 978-1853270758
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure trove- both up-to-date and timeless, March 15, 2004

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dictionary of Mysticism and the Esoteric Traditions (Hardcover)

What an excellent publication. The minute I picked this volume up I knew that it was something special. I have several dictionaries and encyclopedias on occult and esoteric topics but there is just something about this one that I had to have. First of all, as I flipped through looking for the subjects that I am primarily interested in, I found that they were all there. Then, when I looked up a few topics that I had questions about, they were there as well. The definitions were concise, pithy, and to the point. In addition the design of the book is elegant and the accompanying illustrations were selected with taste. The back cover states that this dictionary is a browser's delight- and that is a perfect description. The more I browse it, the more respect I have for the editor's knowledge and perspective.

As for the contents, you have literally everything: magical formulae; the nature of spiritual beings; the meanings of signs, symbols, and secret rites; astrology; numerology; tarot; historical accounts of hauntings and psychic occurrences; biographies of leading figures in the field, their lives, philosophies, and writings; religious and esoteric texts such as the Egyptian coffin texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Zohar; great legends and myths of the world; folklore from around the world; the nature of transpersonal psychology; and no doubt much more that I haven't found yet. All of it is written with clear focused understanding- and often that little helpful obscure fact that you weren't familiar with.

You could do far worse than to make this your primary reference for the mystic, occult, and esoteric. Indeed, I have not seen better.

It should be noted that this is a totally revised evolution of the editor's earlier _Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult_.