Customer Reviews

Manuel Bibliographique Des Sciences Psychiques Ou Occultes

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

 

 

The bibliography is, of course, an essential scholarly tool. This three-volume compendium of occult texts is by far the best of what is otherwise a bad lot --- there are a lot of terrible bibliographies of occultism out there, but this one is something else again. Not only does it include nearly every important text, it also has them in multiple editions, so you can figure out what was published when. Caillet also includes brief biographies of the authors, and these are often very useful introductions to sometimes obscure figures.

The set was compiled in 1912, so of course it doesn't include anything recent; the really depressing thing is the prices he gives --- oh for a time machine!

If you are compiling a serious library of occultism in any period prior to the 20th century, you need to have this. It is expensive, of course, but worth it. Put it on the shelf with Thorndike, and you've got the keystones of a good occult library.

The only real problem with this set is that many of the texts are extremely difficult to find. For some people, the fact that it is in French will also be a problem.