Customer Reviews

An Encyclopaedia of Occultism

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is not the first of its kind. It is in a large way very much like and some parts are even in part a translation of the J.A. S. Collin De Plancy's Dictionnaire des Sciences Occultes, (which was created in two volumes in 1848). A lot of the entries are eerily similar and have the same subject matter with few differences. Although I must admit its easier to read Spences' version if you are not familiar with French and if you could find a viable copy of De Plancy's work. Between the two you can get a massive amount of information concerning the subject. Some entries are more extended in one version than the other.

I own the 1960 edition, and after reading lots of books on the occult, I always turn to this one at the end if something is unclear. This is the best there is, even if it's old.

This was the first comprehensive coverage of its kind covering the topic of occultism, and was originally titled with a long, daunting title peculiar to its 1920 origins. Dover's reduced the title to a managable read and provided a fine reprint of a dictionary-style set of entries which embrace occult terms and explore the roots of mythology, folk literature, and the occult. A thrilling, oft-cited resource packed with important keys to understanding, this will still prove applicable and important to modern audiences.

This book is exactly what the title says it is. Spences Encyclopedia of Occultism was originally published in the 1920s (I think) so its pre-Crowley, and before new age and UFO stuff was in the mainstream. It was more or less impossible for me to read this cover to cover like I do 95% of what I review before I had to return it to the library but I can't see why anybody with an interest in Occultism wouldn't find this to be a useful resource to have around.