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Libraries and the Occult

Cecile Dubuis

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of MA of University College London. September 2004

Abstract
The principal aims of this study are to look at how libraries currently deal with occult collections and as to why such materials are still not widely available to the public through the library system. Its intent is to cover both historical and current collections, how libraries have dealt with them and on the classification difficulties that arise from such a broad yet relatively untouched subject. A further section of the dissertation will consider some of the history of occult collections, on where they have gone to, on the changes or lack thereof between then and the present day, and on how some libraries advertise such collections whilst others still hide them away. Another aspect of the project will discuss some of the issues of censorship and how the occult field is under constant pressure to either remain hidden or to prove its validity and useful. Here, I will also consider some of the current controversies and the librarians dilemma. The majority of the collections that I have been able to access and explore are based in London, or in other parts of the United Kingdom. However, I have also incorporated studies on important collections that are housed overseas. In addition to both historical and present day collections, a further section looks at the future of the occult collection with regard to online resources and current library-building projects.

The occult, whilst continuing to enjoy a significant growth in interest with the public at large, remains predominantly unchartered territory for the librarian. This study will try to consider and discuss some of the issues that surround this most mysterious of subjects.

Signed declaration
I declare that this dissertation is my own work and that all sources have been acknowledged

Cecile Dubuis

II

Contents
Items
Chapter 1. Introduction
1.1 The definition of an occult collection 1.2 A new demand for a new society 1.3 Misconceptions and controversy

Page no.
1 1 2 4

Chapter 2. Classification
2.1 The difficulties 2.2 How different classification schemes deal with the occult 2.2.1 Dewey Decimal Classification 2.2.2 The Library of congress Classification 2.2.3 The Bliss Classification 2.2.4 The Librarie Lucien Dorbon 2.3 Special collections 2.3.1 Generalities 2.3.2 The Ferguson Collection 2.3.3 The Harry Price Collection 2.4 The alternative

6 6 8 8 12 14 17 20 20 21 23 26

Chapter 3. Library Collection


3.1 Occult as a main subject 3.1.1 The Library of Avalon 3.1.2 The Theosophical Library 3.2 Libraries on other subjects but with a very Substantial occult section 3.2.1 The Wellcome Library 3.2.2 The London Library 3.2.3 The Warburg Institute 3.3 Public Libraries

29 29 29 35

41 41 45 49 54

III

3.3.1 The Battersea Lending Library 3.3.2 The New York Public Library 3.4 Other special libraries in the UK 3.5 Major collection outside the UK 3.5.1 The Bibliotheca Hermetica Philosophica 3.5.2 The Monash Library

54 55 56 59 60 61

Chapter 4. Censorship
4.1 Introduction to censorship 4.2 Occult representation 4.3 The librarian dilemma 4.4 Children and the occult literature 4.5 The Harry Potter dilemma 4.6 Conclusion to censorship

63 63 65 66 69 68 71

Chapter 5. The historical tradition and the online revolution


5.1 Libraries as keeper of forbidden knowledge 5.2 The tradition of occult library 5.3 The online revolution 72 72 73 75

Chapter 6. Conclusion
6.1 The future 6.2 Summary of what has been covered

77 77 78

Bibliography Appendices:

81

Appendix 1: Bliss PX: The Occult Appendix 2: The Magical Library of Harry Price, exhibition booklet Appendix 3: Exhibition leaflet: Confession of a teenage witch.(Wellcome) Appendix 4: London Library subject sub-divisions on science and miscellaneous Appendix 5: London Library map Appendix 6: Monash Library exhibition on the occult (prints from their WebPages.) IV

Chapter 1. Introduction
1.1 The definition of the occult
According to the Oxford English dictionary, the term Occult in the sense of not understood or able to be understood by the mind, beyond the range of ordinary knowledge, dates from 1545. By 1653, the accepted meaning of the word had extended to cover those would be sciences of the ancient and medieval worlds, such as magic, alchemy, astrology and theosophy, which were supposed to contain some knowledge of, or to have power to activate, the secret and mysterious forces of nature. However, it took the work of Eliphas Levi in 19th century Europe to develop occultism into a way of looking at the world, with its own rites. In fact, the beliefs, theories and techniques embraced by the terms occultism or esoterism were already widely known in later antiquity and some of them such as magic, astrology, theurgy and necromancy, had been invented and systematized some 2000 years earlier in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The historical field of occultism might remain very imprecise but for one point which happens to circumscribe it: the written history of occult philosophy does not start until more or less the dawn of Christianity. (Nataf, 1996, p1)

Firstly, we should clarify and discuss what an occult collection includes. The principal misconception surrounding the subject has arisen from years of censorship and taboo; that the occult only concerns certain dangerous and negative influences such as Satanism or demonology. This is not the case. Instead, whilst these issues are certainly part of the occult, the subject encompasses many other aspects of interest and study. There are too many topics involved to be able to present a complete list here. However, as a way to illustrate what would come underneath the occult banner, here is a short list 1

of keywords which would most likely be found on the shelves. I have used many of these keywords in my searches on the subject.

Supernatural, Paranormal Para-psychology and Pseudo-sciences Alchemy Magic (white, Enochian, natural, angel and black) Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Druids, Earth Goddess Spells, Amulets, Charms, Rituals Divination methods: Palmistry, Tarot, Crystal, Oracles, Physiognomy and Runes Satanism, Devil-worshipping, Demonology, Exorcism, Possession Vampirism, Zombies, Monsters and Revenants UFOs, Aliens, the Unexplained, Crop circles, Standing Stones, Loch Mess Monster Myths, Legends and folklore Ghost, Haunting, ESP, Psychoanalysis, Reincarnation, Secret Societies, Freemasonry, Gnosticism, Rosicrucianism, Sects, Knights Templar Alternative religions (Tantrism, Taoism, Sufi, Voodooism, New Age) Occultism, Esoterism, Theosophy and more

1.2 A new demand for a new society


Contrary to some of the more fundamentalist views, the occult ,in all its forms, is a popular subject. Todays society is more open-minded and enjoys a greater freedom of expression than has been the case previously. Whilst societies and organisations that involve themselves in various aspects of the occult have always been around, it is only relatively recently that they have become accessible rather than hidden and secretive. The Internet has been instrumental in allowing these organisations to promote 2

themselves and to inform others, which gives them the ability to publish information online without prejudice or censorship. The sheer breadth and number of these organisations testifies to the demand in these interests; London alone has a great many pagan groups, folklore societies, New Age associations, vampire communities, Gnostic societies and alchemical research groups to name but a few. This does illustrate a need for written material and yet, whilst so many publications are available either online or in the shops, a comparatively small amount is available within libraries.

Despite this, a lot of library literature shows awareness in the increase in interest and demand for occult-related materials. The literature of pseudoscience is vast, yet endlessly fascinating. The demands for books and articles on extrasensory perception (ESP), monsters, unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and a host of such subject is great and rising(Thompson, 1884,p176) Anyone visiting a large bookstore cannot fail to notice how many shelves are devoted to subject commonly labelled mind, body and spirit. The fashion for new age' shows no signs of abating (Wilkins, 1999, p70) Boom in the States in the sale of occult books, books in the new age category had risen by 75% since 1993. (Daily Mail, 29th October, 1998) We can see this change reflected in the literature of today, with the last thirty years witnessing an increase in books dealing with what the Dewey Classification Schedules call controversial knowledge; the occult sciences, the paranormal, the esoteric as it is variously know. (Wilkins, 1999, p70) Lastly, as Bogey said in his article on the subject: The occult is booming and book sales in the new age/occult category have risen at twice the rate of books as a group. As a result this area may not be adequately represented in libraries.(Bogey, 1996, p145)

1.3 Misconceptions and controversies


Today the term occult denotes a variety of knowledge beyond the range of everyday experience. Whether supernatural, mystical, magical or paranormal the interest and the demand are there. The labels may vary from one bookstore to another but the majority will have a section dedicated to the occult. London has many bookstores that specialise in the subject and most will agree that their clients and readers are not all lunatics with dangerous ideas. The materials are being used by scholars and researchers as well as by individuals with a personal interest in the variety of aspects that form the occult. One of the librarys roles is to mirror society and its range of interests and whilst the demand for materials is clearly there, coverage of the topic within the library is frequently poor and somewhat narrow. One of the most frequent remarks found in the various articles that I have read on this subject is the lack of analysis of user needs in conjunction with the evident increase in interest. It would be understandable if the interest simply wasnt there, but it is, and many institutions are still uncertain of how to deal with the controversy and difficulties associated with the occult. Many of the debates on the topic concern the legitimacy of the subject matter and the fact that it is not yet completely accepted by the academic world as a valid field of study. As such, the existing sources of information are of dubious provenance. This in turn leads to difficulties in choosing which materials to hold as part of a collection. The process of integrating or building upon an existing collection will vary immensely, depending upon whether you are a believer, a sceptic, simply curious or completely opposed to the subject.

This dissertation will look at some of the issues described above. The next chapter will look at some of the classification difficulties whilst the third chapter will consider some of the major occult collections presently available and how they deal with the issues 4

surrounding the subject. Chapter four will focus on the issue of censorship and how it has shaped the history of the occult collections. Chapter five will delve further into both the historical background and the online revolution, before finally looking into the library projects that are happening around the world today.

Chapter 2. Classification of the occult


2.1 The difficulties
The growth in publication and demand for occult or pseudo-scientific literature has raised a number of issues. One of these issues concerns the classification of these diverse and apparently new subjects. At some stage most libraries will encounter the subject of the occult. Relatively few will deal with it in the same way, even though the purpose of subject arrangement is to assist the reader in locating books belonging to the same or similar fields. Unfortunately, the occult seems to be one of the least considered subjects when it comes to classification. This can often result in materials being divided among other subjects such as philosophy, psychology and religion. This can make it difficult to find occult materials. In such cases, a further difficulty can arise for the user; that of asking for help in locating occult books. Frequently arising from historical taboos and misconceptions, reactions may not always be negative or judgmental but it does depend somewhat on the beliefs and opinions of the library staff concerned. Particularly those who eschew the subject from a standpoint of little or no personal knowledge.

An example of the diversity of where such materials can be shelved can be obtained by looking at how bookshops handle the subject. Whilst they do not need to follow the same classification schemes as the library, they still have to arrange the materials in a way that helps members of the public locate the required items. Frequently, esoteric and occult literature will be found under a wide range of subject headings: Self Help,

Psychology, Religion, Womens Literature and even Cookery (magic and herbs!). Few bookshops will actually use the term Occult due to the stigma attached to it. More frequently, if a bookshop carries these publications, they will be shelved in a section more euphemistically termed New Age, Mind, Body and Spirit or simply just Spirituality. An example of this practice can be seen mirrored in the public library. Even though the Dewey name for 133 is Parapsychology and Occultism, the library will frequently refer to this section as The Unexplained. This is the case within Southwark libraries. As previously mentioned, depending upon which scheme is used, occult related materials may be collated with or integrated into other main subjects such as Religion, Philosophy, Psychology and Social Sciences. None of these are particularly wrong as the occult covers such a large range of issues. As such, it will rarely have its own class status. In the past the items were either catalogued with the sciences (Alchemy was seen as a legitimate science before being ruled out as an occult science) or within miscellaneous. I came across this early classification list in Shohams Library classification. (Shoham, 2000, p41) In the early eighteenth century, the Sion College Library was classified by subject: A Bibles, Concordances B Liturgies C Rabbinical authors D-E Commentaries on the Bible

X Philosophy Y Philology Z English, French and Italian Philology AB Miscellaneous: Coins, Magic, Witchcraft, Demonology IB Dictionaries in all subjects (Shoham, S, 2000, p41).

When unsure, it is usually safe to use miscellaneous. Unfortunately for today, the subject is a little too large to fit within miscellaneous any more. Another difficulty encountered by libraries is the fact that many of the books will not have previously been catalogued, which eliminates the possibility of copying or checking another institutions records. Decisions will often have to be made by the institution alone and guidance in this subject is not as widely available as with the more popular subjects.

2.2 How the different classification schemes deal with the occult.

Whilst it would be impossible for me to consider every classification scheme here, I have chosen to look at a few that have dealt with and considered this topic.

2.2.1 Dewey Decimal Classification

When dealing with a large general collection, Dewey is frequently the scheme chosen. Here, the different keywords of the occult subjects are reasonably well represented. To most public library users 130 and more specifically 133 will be the first place to check for materials. However, not all occult related items will be located under this number. Heres a list of where in Dewey materials may be located:

In the 000s (Computer Science, Information, General works) under: 001 Knowledge In the 100s (Philosophy & Psychology) under: 110 Metaphysics 130 Parapsychology & occultism 140 Specific philosophical schools 150 Psychology 170 Ethics 180 Ancient, medieval & eastern philosophy 190 Modern western philosophy In the 200s (Religion) under: 200 Religion 210 Philosophy & theory of religion 280 Christian denominations & sects 290 Other religions In the 300s under: 360 Social problems & services (with 366 for various secret societies) 390 Customs, etiquette & folklore
Table 1: DCC 130 main sections 130 Parapsychology & occultism 131 Parapsychological & occult methods 136 (unassigned) 132 (unassigned) 137 Divinatory graphology 133 Specific topics in parapsychology & occultism 138 Physiognomy 134 (unassigned) 139 Phrenology 135 Dreams& mysteries

Table 2: DCC 133 section and its subdivisions 133.1 133.2 133.3 133.4 133.5 133.6 133.8 133.9 Apparitions Parapsychological and occult aspects of specific things Divinatory arts Demonology and witchcraft Astrology Palmistry Psychic Phenomenon Spiritualism

133.42 Demonology .422 Satanism (Devil worshipping) .423 Evil spirit (including incubi, succubi, vampires, werewolf) .425 The evil eye .426 Demoniac possession

.427 Exorcism of demons 133.43 Magic and witchcraft 133.44 Spells, curses, charms .442 Love spells and charms .443 Good luck spells and charms .446 Therapeutic spells and charms

This is just one example. Some sections have even more subdivisions f. Astrology, for example, has subdivisions for all the different signs of the zodiac, planets and other aspects. The other main section is Religion. Dewey is sometimes seen as being biased towards the Christian religions and western thought as Christianity uses most of the 200 section (200-289) whilst the other religions are crammed in under the 290s. Occult and witchcraft can also be found across different fields within religion.

Within 203 Public worship and other practice 203.1 Religious healing 203.2 Divination 203.3 Witchcraft (work on witchcraft under 133.43 and work on modern revival of witchcraft under 299.94) 203.4 Offering, sacrifice 203.42 Human sacrifice

Most other alternative religions are crammed in the 290s

Table 3: DCC 290 Other Religions 290 Other Religions 296 Judaism 297 Islam, Babism & Babai Faith 299 Religions not provided for elsewhere 299.1-8 in Africa, north America 299.9 Religions of other origins .92 Religions of other ethnic origin .93 Religions of eclectic and syncretistic origin .932 Gnosticism .933 Subud .934 Theosophy .935 Anthroposophy .936 Scientology .94 Religions based on modern revivals of witchcraft (Class here Neopaganism & Wicca)

291 (Unassigned) 292 Greek & Roman religion 293 Germanic religion 294 Religions of Indic origin 295 Zoroastrianism

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In our modern society it may seem strange that the Zoroastrians have their own subdivision whilst pagans are a subdivision of a subdivision, despite Paganism now being a recognised religion with a very large following.

To check this I tried searching different libraries catalogues using the Dewey system to see which sections yielded the most popular results. Using the keywords occult as well as Wicca and Magic, the most popular result was 133 as well as a few under 364 (part of social science mainly concerning books on murder relating to occult practice or rituals). Esoteric is one of the keywords which doesnt seem to be well represented within Dewey, the only entry is under Esoteric Associations and societies in 366.1-5, with 366.1 being the Freemasons, 366.2 being Knights of Phythias etc. Folklore has its own section and unusually, is also within social science under 398 with sections for ghosts, werewolves, vampires, cannibalism and death customs. In Dewey, as in most classification schemes, the occult is also covered under the arts, history and in literature. In 130, there are also 3 unassigned sections leaving scope for future development. One rather unusual placement is for UFOs and Aliens, which are kept within 001 Knowledge. 001.1 Intellectual life 001.2 Scholarship 001.3 Humanities 001.4 Research 001.9 Controversial knowledge .94 Mysteries (reported phenomena not explained like Atlantis, Bermuda triangle) .942 Unidentifiable flying object (UFO) including any human-alien encounters .944 Monster and related phenomena (including yeti, loch ness monster) .95 Deceptions and hoaxes .96 Errors, delusions, superstitions 11

Strangely in most public libraries I have used this type of book and they are usually found under 133 mixed in with the rest of the weird literature.

2.2.2 Library of Congress Classification


In the LCC, the largest section given over to occult related subjects is under BF.
Table 4: LCC B-BJ Philosophy. Psychology B BC BD BF BH BJ Philosophy as general Logic Speculative philosophy Psychology, parapsychology, occult Sciences Aesthetics Ethics, social usages, etiquette

Table 5:LCC the three categories in BF BF BF 1-990 1001-1389 Psychology 908-940 The hand. Palmistry Parapsychology 1001-1-1045 Psychic research. Psychology of the conscious 1048-1108 Hallucinations. Sleep. Dreaming. Visions 1111-1156 Hypnotism. Suggestion. Mesmerism. Subliminal projection 1161-1171 Telepathy. Mind reading. Though transferred 1228-1389 Spiritualism. Including mediumship, spirit messages, clairvoyance Occult sciences 1404-1486 Ghosts. Apparitions. Haunting. 1501-1562 Demonology. Satanism. Possession. 1562.5-1584 Witchcraft 1585-1623 Magic. Hermetics. Necromancy. 1651-1729 Astrology 1745-1779 Oracles. Sibyls. Divinations. 1783-1815 Seers. Prophets. Prophecies. 1845-1891 Fortune telling 1891-1055 Miscellaneous mainly UFOs and aliens

BF

1404-1999

(Information copied from Library of Congress Classification, 2001.)

Another section where occult related works might also be found is in the BL-BQ sections for Religion and the BR-BX sections for Christianity.

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Table 6: LCC BL-BX BL BM BP BQ BR BS BT BV BX Religions. Mythology. Rationalism Judaism Islam. Bahai Faith. Theosophy, etc. Buddhism Christianity The Bible Doctrinal Theology Practical Theology Christian Denominations

As an example here, paganism can be found under BL432. However, there is no entry for Wicca even though it is the most popular of the pagan religions. The term Nature worship is used instead. Some entries may also be found under the Christianity section as the bible will have subentries for words such as occultism, devils and witchcraft. In many ways, they are related.

Another section where occult works may be found is under Z. However, this is unlikely to see much use as it pertains to bibliography. Nonetheless, bibliographies relating to occultism, astrology, exorcism, ghosts and the like are to be found under Z6876-6880.

Whilst searching on the Yale University Library catalogue, I used the word occult as my principal keyword to see if the majority of the books would come under the sections mentioned above. I discovered that most items were found under BF and BP. However, works dealing with alchemy were actually catalogued under QD (Science-Chemistry) with only a few works located in the BH or BF section; these dealt with the more magical aspects of alchemy. From the standpoint of tradition this does make some sense since it was only in the nineteenth century that alchemy was no longer viewed as a proper science. Since then, things have changed and it is no longer seen as a valid aspect of chemistry, so it does depend to a large extent on the personal opinions of the cataloguer as to whether the books are likely to be found in either B or Q. Additionally, I found a number of books dealing with the occult and the Third Reich under DD 13

(History Germany). This is also subject to controversy since not everyone agrees that the search for the Holy Grail was part of Germanic history. Consequently, such titles may be judged to be historical or occultist fantasy.

Another anomalous topic is that of UFOs and extra-terrestrials. At present, these are lumped in with miscellaneous. However, in recent years, interest in the subject has literally exploded. This subject frequently accounts for the largest volume of books in the miscellaneous section within most public libraries. This section is likely to require more detailed headings as the subject is growing rapidly.

Generally speaking though, looking at the list of subject headings for the occult field in the LCC shows it to be very comprehensive as it appears to cover most subjects.

2.2.3 Bliss Classification (BC2)

Table 7: BC2 overview of the main classes. A/AL AM/AX AY-B C D E/GQ E F G H I Philosophy and Logic Mathematics General Sciences, Physics Chemistry, Chemical engineering Space and Earth Science Biological Science Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, etc. Botany Zoology (inc. Agriculture and Ecology) Physical Anthropology, Human Biology Psychology and Psychiatry J K L/O P Q R S T U/V W X/Y Education Society History Religion, Occult, Morals and Ethics Social Welfare & Criminology Politics & Public administration Law Economics & Management Technology, Engineering Recreation, Arts, Music Language & Literature

At first the class P in Bliss was mainly concerned with religion and ethics, after revision it became a class with three distinct main classes, often interlinked They are Religion (P), the Occult (PX) and Morals and Ethics (PY).

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Adding the occult to religion is a logical and reasonable change because of the nature of these subjects, especially as religion really is a mixture of theology, philosophy and social content.

Table 8: BC2, P main subdivisions P PB PD Religions, Theology Systematic Theology, Theology Proper Practice of religions, Religious activities, Devotional religions PF PG PX PY Religious systems Religions and Mythologies Occult Morals and Ethics

PX is for the Occult and naturally, I will be looking at that section in detail. However, relevant subdivisions may also be found under religion. In this scheme, religion is not predominantly Christian as was seen to be the case with Dewey. It covers a wider range encompassing the well-known through to the lesser known areas and groups. Mysticism (PBY) also has an alternative at PW, should there be a need for it to be seen as a main class. PW is strategically situated between Religion and the Occult, as indeed is frequently the case with the subject of Mysticism itself. Once again Folklore is in a completely separate section and can be found under KMV Q. PBM provides a section for supernatural beings including dragons, monsters and ghosts. Individuals such as shamans, magicians and witch doctors can be found under PDF (Founders of religions). Most older religions are housed under PG for Religions and Mythologies. This section covers areas ranging from freethinking and primitive religions through to the likes of druidism, witchcraft and spiritualism (which are also represented under PX). Commonly linked with both Wicca and witchcraft, Pagans are represented under PFE.

This classification is very comprehensive; most of the facets of the occult are represented within PX 15

Table 9: BC2, PX section PX6 PXA PXB PXC PXD PXE PXF PXG PXJ PXK Psychology, EPS, Paranormal research. Philosophy of the Occult Practice of the Occult Events, general processes Numbers and numerology Substances, alchemy Heavenly bodies, astrology Human body (physiognomy, phrenology, palmistry) Disembodied persons, spirits, spiritualism Other spirits, supernatural beings PXL PXM PXN PXP PXQ PXR PXS PXV PXW Artefacts (cards) Other Communications, ESP, etc. Or in PX6 Divination, mantic arts, prediction Magic Witchcraft and sorcery Demonology and necromancy Writers and writings of the Occult Movements, societies, etc.

More detailed subdivisions available in illustrations 2 & 3. Bliss does have a lot of details for examples within the Magic section PXQ

Table 10: BC2, PXQ for magic PXQ BM Rituals BV Black Mass BW Others, A/Z PXQ Q Sympathetic magic QR Imitative magic, mimicry QS Contagious magic, correspondences R Symbolic magic, expressive magic S Instrumental magic SQ Productive SR White magic SS Protective ST Destructive magic T Black magic

This is just one example but it does illustrate the precision available. No other scheme that I looked at had so many choices of rituals and types of magic available. This system could be easily adapted for an esoteric or occult collection because of the amount of classes already provided. Nearly all of the keywords that I have used in my definition of the occult and in the various searches and catalogue searches are cited in the index and have a place in this classification. Some of the keywords that I was unable to find in this scheme are UFOs, aliens and flying saucers. These are, however, not always attributed to the occult and are frequently to be found within science or folklore and as such, their absence is less surprising. Wicca and New Age, as discussed previously, are not available either. 16

Fashion trends do play a part in this and, even within occult literature, terms are often used interchangeably: Witchcraft, Wicca and Neo-paganism to name but a few. In one form or another, they are still represented in some way.

This is one of the rare schemes that has recognised the occult as being more or less a main class. Bliss also allows different aspects of the entries to appear in different classes. Alchemy is more likely to be represented in the occult as well as in science. Similarly, astrology will often appear in both the occult and astronomy, whilst some of the supernatural beings are frequently represented in both religion and folklore. The standard citation order enables combinations with categories, from the general through to the specific. BC2 is flexible and provides a very thorough representation of the diversity and range of the topics within the occult field.

2.2.4 Librarie Lucien Dorbon


This classification scheme is not in use in any library at present, as far as I am aware. Originally, it was created by the Lucien Dorbon bookstore, which specialised in occult and esoteric literature. Consequently, even though their books were specifically for sale, they still went through the same process of organisation to assist the public in finding the materials that they were interested in. I have decided to discuss it here as I have never come across anything like it before. Quite clearly, the creators of the system put a great deal of thought into it.

Unfortunately, I was unable to locate much information about the bookstore, which no longer seems to exist. Nonetheless, they appear to have produced a large quantity of information in the occult and esoteric fields at the beginning of the twentieth century in France. The Librarie Dorbon was in its time, the one place to go to obtain occult works 17

and I therefore feel that it is important to discuss their unique system of classification here.

The information was gathered using the manual they produced, a three volume bibliographical work of all their occult and psychic science items. (Caillet, 1912) In it they explained how their subjects are classified. The system they used was called the Science of the Magi and dates back to antiquity. It is based upon the idea of there being three worlds or orders.

1. The Divine (the Archetype) 2. The Natural (the Macrocosm) 3. The Human (the Microcosm) 1. The Divine world is mainly for immaterial ideas, doctrine, theosophy, and thoughts. The three main divisions are: Mysticism (miracles, apparitions, prophecies) Religions (sects, secret societies) Philosophy (exoteric, metaphysic)

2. The Natural world is more practical. The Meta-sciences (black and white magic, witchcraft, grimoire) The Sciences (numeracy, astrology, alchemy)

3. The Human world, where man is the main subject. Invisible man (magnetism, hypnotism, suggestion) Ethnology (history, sociology) Letters and Arts (myths, legends) Anthropology (Buddha, Jesus, Plato) Medicine (hermetic, death) 18

Many tables are also available in their bibliographical works. Even after many readings, I still found it very complex to use and to understand as it requires a large amount of fore-knowledge of the different topics to be able to use it well. I have listed some of the subdivisions and smaller sections here to give a feel of where some of the key subjects would be found.

Table 11: The three orders in Dorbon system 1. The Divine Order 1.1 Mysticism 103.Cabbala 105. Spiritism 111. Apparitions 1111. Dreams 112. Oracles 113. Stigmata 1.2 Religion 1211. Oriental religions 1212. Mythology 1213. Secondary religions 12131. Druidism 1214. Sacred books 12141. Tarot 122. Christian theology 1221.Bible, inquisition 12224. Antichrist 12312. Templars 12331. Rosecrucians 2. The Natural order 2.0 Meta-sciences 201. Magic 202. Witchcraft 2021. Talisman, amulets 2022. Secrets, grimoire 203. Divination 2.1 The Sciences 211. Maths 212. Physics 2122. Geography 2124. Alchemy 21241. Chemistry 3. The Human Order 3.0 Invisible man 301. Animal Magnetism 302. Personal magnetism 303. Metaphysics 3.1 Ethnography 314. Sociology 3.2 Letters 3201. Periodicals 3202. Encyclopdia 3203. Theatre 3.3 Arts 3.4 Anthropology 3413. Monsters 3.5 Medicine

One can only imagine that the shop was organised in this way. Unfortunately, like so many occult collections, it is no longer in existence and I havent discovered any other collections using a similar system. Theoretically, I can see how it worked. In practice it would be confusing particularly, when it came to deciding where each new item would go.

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2.3 Special collections

2.3.1 Generalities

Another way for libraries to deal with such unusual collections is to keep them together in their own organisational unit; something normally referred to as a special collection. Frequently special collections will require different treatment to that of a normal one and are more than likely to be housed entirely separately. Their physical environment is also frequently different as special care is often needed to help guard against damage and theft. Special collections can come from a variety of sources including demand arising from members particular interests, as a gift from society benefactors or as a purchase by the library if deemed to be complementary to their existing collection.

Quite often private occult collections will either be donated to a library or be sold at an auction. During my research I came across a wide range of private collections evidenced in the main by the existence of their catalogues. Most of them were very difficult to trace as many have been bought by other private collectors. Of the many private collections, most were sold at auction and as is often the case, these collections become dispersed once the owner or founder has passed away. However, two large private collections went on to become special collections and I will be discussing them next.

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2.3.2 The Ferguson collection

Ferguson was a great collector and also a professor at the University of Glasgow from 1874-1915. His private collection mainly dealt with alchemy, chemistry, occult sciences, witchcraft, Cabbalism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry and gypsy literature. The collection comprises over 7,500 volumes including 104 incunabulas and 317 manuscripts primarily on alchemy. All of the books in his collection were catalogued by Ferguson himself and he also added detailed bibliographical entries and notes. Ferguson also catalogued the extensive alchemical collection of James Young in Bibliotheca Chemica in 1906 (this collection is now housed in the University of Strathclyde Library). The Alchemy Research library website describes these collections as follows: Together they provide access to 85-90% of all alchemical books. Ferguson, whose knowledge of alchemia was reputedly unequalled, had arranged the books in alphabetical order under the authors name.

When he died the collection was divided up and sold in two lots. One of these lots was bought by Glasgow University with the help of a special fund whilst the rest was sold by Sothebys. In 1943, Glasgow University published a two-volume catalogue of the collection available in their purpose built department of special collections.

In answer to concerns that the collection was unable to expand a side project was established in 1997 called the Alchemical Research Library. This project continues to acquire volumes complementary to the Ferguson collection. These books will eventually become part of the collection proper and will be kept in perpetuity. The classification of the collection is, like many special collections, slightly different to the librarys collection as a whole and as such is stored as a whole under one unit. 21

Illustration 1: Catalogue search with the Ferguson collection as location

Surprisingly, many of the items have now been catalogued and their details are available electronically. The Glasgow University Library has set up a wide range of different ways of linking into the collection. Many of the keywords such as demonology, witchcraft and occult in the online selective subject index will take you straight to the Ferguson Special Collection page. Additionally, the catalogue can be searched in a variety of ways and the library also has a significant quantity of books on this subject in their normal collection. In 1985, an exhibition called the Damned Art was organised by the library to show the books relating to the history of witchcraft and demonology. As with many special collections, it is hard to tell how the collection itself have been organised, although each item does appear to have its own number.

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Illustration 2: the Ferguson Collection online page.

As a whole, the library uses the Library of Congress subject headings and, whilst the classification numbers do not appear to follow the scheme completely, searching the main catalogue will yield results for most aspects of the occult under the Anthropology section K.

2.3.3 The Harry Price collection

Also known as the Harry Price (1881-1948) Library of magical literature, this special collection is housed in the historic collections section of Senate House in the University of London. The collection ranges from 1533 to the twentieth century and comprises over 14,000 books, pamphlets, press cuttings, manuscripts, photographs, slides and artefacts. This collection is unique in the U.K. and the material is based on the cultural history of attitudes towards the occult. Harry Price was a psychical researcher and as well as keeping the notes from all of his recorded investigations, he also collected lots of works 23

on psychical phenomena, spiritualism, hypnotism, occult works by multiple authors and in many languages. The collection used to be housed in the National Laboratory for Psychic Research, which he created (from 1922-1927). It moved to the University of London Library after it was bequeathed to them. This collection is unusual as it consists not only of books but also equipment used for investigations and sances, odd objects like gramophones records, lantern slides, admission tickets to a Houdini show, medals and coins celebrating different artists, a rapping hand, prophetic writings, personal correspondence, drafts of lectures, reports regarding psychical investigation, magic and the paranormal.

As with the majority of special collections, the system of arrangement is unique to University of London Library, The collection has no original order because readers were allowed to consult the material before it had been arranged and described by an archivist. The order has been imposed by an archivist, which reflects the major activities of the creator. The fonds have been divided into 9 sub-fonds which are: HPA Papers relating to personal matters and early interests HPB Legal and financial papers HPC Papers relating to psychic research HPD Publications and other related material HPE Papers relating to radio and film HPF Manuscripts and printed material HPG Photographic archive HPH Film archive HPI Artefacts Access to this collection is unrestricted for the purpose of private study and personal research within a supervised environment and restrictions of the librarys Palaeography

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Room. Non catalogued material may not be seen. (Aim25, University of London home page, online)

This collection is slightly different as one of the Price's goals was to prove the existence of psychic and occult phenomena. He was a lifelong investigator into such fields and his interests are reflected in the collection. Unlike the rest of the libraries I discuss in this study, I did not come across this one until nearing the end of my research. It was only whilst investigating the Psychical Research Library that I discovered that the actual main collection had moved to Senate House. Even in the 1927 library catalogue, the collection is described, as being the most complete collection every important book on phenomena and pseudo-phenomena every language and of every age (Price 1929, p68). Consequently, I was surprised to come across this collection at such a late stage in my research, though this may be due to the collections apparent lack of promotion. As Steve Connor writes in his articles about it, The Harry Price collection is one of the great and unsung glory of the University of London Library- the collection is not nearly as famous and visited as it ought to be. I even wonder sometimes whether the collection the Harry Price collection is not sometimes of an embarrassment to the ULL. (Connor, 2002, online).

He also states that when the collection was made available to all a lot of books went missing. However, the real problem, as described by Alan Weesencraft (who was in charge of the collection) was that they used to get a lot of lunatics in. Connor describes how he was allowed to study the collection on the chilly eighth floor, under the genial eye of Alan Weesencraft, the keeper of the collections secrets. He was the only person who not only knew what was in the collection, but also where is was. (Connor, 2002, online). Connor also describes the difficulties encountered when searching for such

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materials and how useful it is to be aware of the range of keywords one subject might be under, and to have the ability to access the collection as a whole and not on an item-byitem basis. I have not included institutions such as the Bodleian Library or the British Library in the following chapter for this last reason. Since this article, things have improved. An exhibition about the collection is on show presently, offering a rare opportunity to see some of the items together. (See Appendix 2).

The classification scheme here was designed to fit the collection and consequently does not follow any recognised scheme, as is the case with most special collections. I could also have included this library in the next chapter on collections but decided against it even though they have some material on the occult (under sociology on the 6th floor). This is because the majority of the collection is in the special collection HPL described above.

2.4 The alternative

Predominantly, the occult comes under other larger headings. However, as the scope of collections evolves, the issue of the occult as a subject heading on its own has frequently been raised. One person advocating that the occult should have its own heading is Langbridge in his chapter on the classification of philosophy, religion and the occult.

The term occult itself is used with a wide range of meanings. Admittedly there is a common element to them all (hidden things), but for classification purposes some analysis is necessary. Here, as in all areas of knowledge, distinctions must be made 26

between phenomena, theorical and practical disciplines. The occult has been poorly treated in most classification schemes, partly because it is not taken seriously in the academic world, but also because occult phenomena and occult studies have been confused. Difficulty really comes from the multiple meanings for some of the keywords. We may sum up this brief survey by saying that there should be a class for occult studies quite distinct from science or religion and that its main ingredients should be magic, including such activities as healing by occult means, and the writings of the esoteric tradition. The scientific investigation of uncommon faculties and phenomena, on the other hand, belongs to the discipline of science. The most significant factor of all occult studies is their symbolic forms of expression. This puts them in the same category as art and religion, in contrast to the rationale disciplines of science, philosophy and history. (Langbridge, 1976. p72-74)

Unless a specific classification is created (as seen in the Dorbon and in the next chapter discussing the Library of Avalon and the Theosophical Library), in most schemes the occult will be attached to another group.

Due to the growth in the volume of publications and in the interest in the subject matter it is possible that the occult will indeed have its own section in the future. This will depend on both cultural and academic changes. At present, no academic courses are available specifically on the occult although the subject is not completely ignored and many other courses do touch on it. Myths, legends and strange phenomena are frequently researched by the scientific community with a view to either proving or disproving them. As Wilkins discusses in his articles if the occult did eventually achieve academic acceptance and become a curriculum based subject, a second hurdle

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presents itself; the common library problem of what should be acquired from the vast number of items issued every year.(Wilkins, 1999, p71).

Clearly, this is looking far ahead and before these problems of acquisitions present themselves, the subject does first need to be accepted as a serious field of study. Such materials and their subsequent classification could then be looked into properly.

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Chapter 3. Library collection


3.1 Occult as a main subject.
3.1.1 The Library of Avalon
(Glastonbury)

History In 1988, a small group of Glastonbury residents decided to recreate, in a modern sense, the great library which existed in medieval times at Glastonbury Abbey. They found premises and asked for donations of books, which might interest visitors and residents. They began with 200 books on mythology. From those small beginnings, the library has now a stock over 8.000 books. All have been donated by the public, by publishers, and by members. No books are bought. (Library of Avalon, 2002, online) I visited the library on the 14th June 2004 and the collection has now exceeded 10.000 books. Funding is via a membership scheme, an annual national literary competition, and donations: the library is registered as an educational charity.

Collection When the collection was started by author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, the books were mainly on mythology and particularly on Glastonbury itself. As describe in Rosalind Johnsons article on the library Geoffrey Ashe saw the library as a resource for literature on mythology from Glastonbury and around the world. But as he asked for donations to build up the collection, the scope widened. People gave books on comparative religion, the environment, alternative technology, complementary

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therapies, astrology, divination, occult studies, science fiction and fantasy, as well as mythology, archaeology and history. A local minister encouraged the development of the section on Christianity, and the stock was further enriched by the donation from the Wessex Research Group library. (Johnson,1999 p524)

As explained above, the collection is wide and varied. The majority of the books can be borrowed with the exception of collections lent to them by societies. These loans are kept together and labelled separately so that it is clear that they can be used as reference materials only.

Other collections in foreign languages are also available on demand but due to the lack of space, these are kept outside the library at this point. The library also has a special Arthurian collection. This includes materials on archaeology, legends and people, as well as material on Somerset and Glastonbury itself; works cover both the historical as well as mythological aspects of the region.

Fictional works are also included as long as the book fits within the librarys theme and spirit. The childrens section comprises books whose theme also suits the library rather than just including books that touch on myth or fantasy, as there would simply be too many of these.

Donations and membership Donations are the key to the librarys survival. These come from a variety of sources including the local community as well as from visiting authors, tourists and individuals. Reference access is completely free of charge. However, the library also relies heavily on subscribing members. They offer three levels of membership; a six month

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subscription is available for researchers and visitors, an annual subscription and a lifetime membership. Plans to create a distinction between becoming a friend or a borrowing member of the library are under discussion at the time of writing.

Classification. The library has developed and copyrighted their own classification system. Naturally, this is called the Library of Avalon Classification. This scheme has been extended over a number years to accommodate the diversity of the subject matter before finally gaining formal copyright status in 1990. Whilst it hasnt been used by another institution as yet, the scheme could prove a valuable commodity for other, similar collections in the future.

Originally influenced by the BLISS scheme, the system uses 2 letters (occasionally 3 for further subdivisions) and the first three letters of the authors surname. The scheme divided into three main headings: Nature, Mind and Spirit, and Special Collections.

Table 12: Library of Avalon headings A Reference (Nature) B The Universe C-F The Earth G-H Society I-M The Individual N Human Products (Mind and Spirit) P Knowledge Q Esoteric Knowledge R Mythology S-V Religion (Special Collections) W Somerset and Glastonbury X Arthurian Y Children books

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This scheme starts with the Universe and Science and extends toward more spiritual topics. Broadly-scoped headings such as The Individual will extend into subdivisions such as health, healing, pathology and spirituality. Due to copyright reasons, I am unable to illustrate the entire system. However, a fairly extensive subject index is available onsite to help direct the reader to the right letter and the shelves are also clearly labelled to facilitate this.

Examples of subdivisions Under Mind and Spirit (P-V) P Knowledge PB is philosophy PC is metaphilosophy Q Esoteric Knowledge QB Occult studies QBB Ethic bodies- Chakkras QBC Astral Projection QC Reincarnation QN Cartomancy QNB Numerology

Catalogue A catalogue is available on the website. Unfortunately, not all of the information here is up to date, a situation presently under revision. Browsing the library is still the best way to locate materials. Borrowings are recorded in a ledger using pen and ink; an antiquated system that seems to work well for them.

Censorship. As a visitor to a place that enjoys such diverse cultural interests, you wouldnt expect to hear that the library has had any problems with censorship. It came as something of a

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surprise then to hear that some items have generated complaints and that requests for the removal of certain items have been received. Clearly though, when you house subjects that are diametrically opposed such as works on the Bible and Aleister Crowleys books on the dark arts and Satanism in close proximity to each other, it can lead to complaints as the follower of one objects to the presence of another. However, given that one of the librarys guiding principles has always been to hold an open collection that encompasses all aspects of religion, myth and magic it is naturally going to be subject to the dogmatic principles of some of its users. In spite of this, it does hold a large and varied collection and the majority of works that come within its remit are likely to considered and accepted.

Future In many aspects, the library is quite different from others. Due to the lack of Internet access, fax machines or photocopiers it is unable to offer some of the more usual services. On the other hand, it is quite rare to find a library staffed by people who are all genuinely interested in the subject matter. The library is a little book paradise with an excellent collection of esoteric works. After all, it is located in Glastonbury; a place whose history is firmly rooted in the myths and legends of the region. At present, the library has around 90 members and ways of attracting more are always being considered. The library has also let its space out for use by suitable associations such as the Earth Mysteries Group for the purpose of holding meetings and giving lectures, and as such provides a perfect setting for such events.

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Illustration 3, 4 & 5: Library of Avalon photos

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3.1.2 The Theosophical Library


(London)

The Theological Library is privately run by the Theolosophical Society for the benefit of members of the society and for individuals interested in becoming subscribers. The London headquarters contain one of Europes finest collections of esoteric books available for loan and includes works on Theosophy, Astrology, Mythology, Parapsychology, Yoga and World Religions.

History Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott and William Quan Judge founded the Theosophical society in 1875, and it is now active in over 50 countries worldwide. There are currently 38 lodges in the UK and many of them will have libraries of varying size. The London lodge is also the national headquarters and holds the main library collection. Two other extensive collections are also available in Leeds and Torquay. The Theosophical library was opened in 1880. The society is composed of a wide range of people, religions and interests with a common desire to study religious truths and to share the results of their studies. This movement has been described as the most important movement to have influenced the growth of occultism in the twentieth century (Walker, C. p67.)

Illustration 6: Helena Blavatsky

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Collection and access The main stock consists of a lending section of approximately 12,000 volumes, plus periodicals and audiocassettes. A reference library is also available onsite but the access is restricted; most of the material here is rare and contains a lot of first editions. Here, the books are all kept within locked glass cabinets. This was originally Madam Blavatskys personal collection. Any member of the public can join with a 10 deposit and books can be borrowed with a hire charge of 50p per item, more valuable books can also be borrowed but a deposit will be required in these instances. Only one librarian maintains the library and its collection and the opening hours are mainly restricted due to this. They are Tuesday to Friday 2-6.30pm and on Sundays 4-8.30pm when there is an evening lecture.

The layout of the library The library itself comprises three rooms, the first of which contains the enquiry desk, general encyclopaedia, reference works, bound journals and oversized books. The main room follows on from this and houses the bulk of the collection. The last room is kept locked and contains the reference library. Some duplicates and less frequently used materials are also kept in a storage room elsewhere.

Acquisitions and catalogue Most of the acquisition decisions are made by the library committee, which consists of the librarian and two executive members of the society. Most of the new acquisitions are from the societys own publications sent from the branches across the world. The society also has three publishing companies. Unfortunately the British one has been

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dormant for the last few years. The librarian is the main person responsible for identifying new publications via specialist bookshops and esoteric events. Purchases are made with the agreement of the committee whilst suitable donations do not need to be approved. The library only acquired a computer for the first time last year, so only fairly recent acquisitions are available in an electronic catalogue (around 80 publications); the remainder of the collection is only available via a card catalogue. This catalogue can be searched by subject and author and forms the main searching tool for the collection. Entries to this only ceased a year ago. The ability to find suitable slips and cards was becoming increasingly difficult. The reference collection also has its own separate slip catalogue for authors and card catalogue for subject. The periodicals are mainly by the Theosophical societies around the world although organisations such as the Buddhist Society, the Astrological Society and the Society of Psychical Research are also represented. There are no plans at present to electronically catalogue the reference collection due to the rarity of some of the books and their insurance value. Consequently, access still has to be discussed individually.

Most books within the esoteric and occult fields will be consider for the collection but due to money and space restrictions, unless they are of great importance to Theosophy, only one item per author is a general rule. Some subjects are also less likely to be added due to historical disagreements. For example; books on Hatha Yoga, the Black Arts (specifically the Satanic Bible by Anton La Vey) are not part of the collection. This is due to the founders dislike of the arts that may cause bodily harm. Conversely, generic literature on movements such as the Church of Satan is included whilst, as in the example given above, more specific doctrines are unlikely to be accepted by the

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committee. Other types of books unlikely to be considered for the collection are those by religious societies who maintain arms budgets. On the other hand, the latest donation received by the society consisted mainly of works by Aleister Crowley and these are now going to be included. The library has only had the one complaint about a book in the collection but this was based on the fact that the author was an apprentice of Crowleys and also a recognised paedophile. As a result, this book was immediately withdrawn. The relatively low profile of the library suggests that the bulk of its readership is made up of society members in the main and it is probably this factor that leads to the extremely low level of complaints. The purpose of the society is to study and research the different wisdoms and religions of the world and as such, is less likely to find an issue with censorship compared to some of the other libraries and organisations that are more within the public eye.

Classification The classification system was created with the founding of the library in 1880. Unfortunately, the present librarian was unable to give any further details about its creation. The system used is unique to the library having been specifically created for it.

The subjects are divided between letters and the books are then organised in alphabetical order by the authors name.

Table 13: Theosophical Library main headings A Theosophy B Psychic World C Comparative Religion D Philosophy- East & West E Mysticism F Science G Modern Civilisations & Cultures H Fiction J Alternative Health K Folklore & Mythology L The Arts M Yoga N Ancient Civilisations O Western Occultism P Psychology R Astrology & Divination S Society

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Table 14: theosophical Library subdivisions examples O Western Occultism O1 general O2 Hidden tradition (Chivalry, Holy Grail, Druids) O3 Kabbalah O4 Number, sound, colours, tarot, crystal and sacred geometry O5 Hermetic and Alchemical O6 Historical and bibliographical O7 Masonry O8 Modern School

Some larger sections also get further subdivisions


Table 15: Theosophical Library, C section C Comparative Religion C1 Religion C2 Scripture

C20 General Indian texts C20.1 Vedas and Purana C20.2 Tantric works C20.3 Upanshads C21 Hinduism C22 Modern Sects

It is the responsibility of the librarian to decide where each book will go. He does not rely on the use of other sources for assistance as the majority of the publications will not have been catalogued previously. Cataloguing decisions are based upon the presence of keywords in any introductory sections of the book as well as in the index. The most frequently used keywords will generally be used as keywords in the catalogue.

One of the most surprising things about this library is the extent of the collection given how little it is used. This is mainly due to the misconception that you need to be member of the society or at least have an interest in the theosophist movement to use the library which, as I discovered, isnt the case. However, there are plans for more extensive publicity to be carried out in the future. Hopefully special libraries such as 39

this will continue to survive through the support of the organisations that maintain them. Nonetheless, it was like discovering a little esoteric heaven in London

Illustrations 7, 8 & 9: Theosophical Library photos

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3.2 Libraries on other subjects but with a very substantial occult section
3.2.1 The Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine
(London)

Often mistaken simply for a medical library, The Wellcome Library collection spans works on numerous subject areas that have impacted on the human condition physically, spiritually and psychologically. The library is full of surprises, even for those with interests outside medical science. (Library own booklet).

Illustration 10: Magic page from the Welcome Library Booklet

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In addition to the obvious ranges of medical and scientific works, the collection covers the subjects of religion, folklore, witchcraft, magic, astrology, alchemy and much more. The general collection comprises 600,000 printed volumes, of which 70,000 books and journals are available on open access shelving. The early printed book collection (up to 1851) comprises 66,000 items as well as a large archive and manuscript collection, oriental collections, iconographic collections, a medical photographic library and other visual and audio resources.

Three different classifications are used within the library, the clinical collection of medical textbooks and journals uses National Library of Medicine classification. The information service, audio, film and visual collection uses the information services classification designed by the library itself .The history of medicine collection, where the occult materials are located, uses a modified version of Barnard.
Table 16: Barnard versus Wellcome Barnard A Generalia B Natural Sciences C General medicine D History of medicine E Specific disease Wellcome A Science B Medicine C Hospital, Medical education D Anatomy E Specific disease

As a result, the placement of occult subjects differs here. They can be found under PY (P: Neurology and Psychiatry- PY: Psychical Research including spiritualism, occult psychology, radioaesthesia and water divining). You could almost assume that they relate to a disease, as they are placed next to dementia and kleptomania. CZ (C: General Medicine-CZ: medical folklore ZQF (Z: Geographical, Anthropology & Sociology-ZQ: Social & cultural anthropologyZQF: Folklore, mythology, magic and religion.) Few keywords were actually available in the index.

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In the Wellcome Library, books relating to the occult would be found in the following sections:
Table 17: The Wellcome Classification and occult related subjects A: Science Science and religion Alchemy Astrology Animal lore/ zoology AS.CZ Dragon, unicorn B: Medicine Medicine 17-20th C. Anthropology BUA Medical folklore BUC Traditional Medicine (including shamanism, witch doctors..) Occult Medicine and Science BV.AA Renaissance, Arcana, Golden Down BV.AS Freemasonry, Rosicrucian, secret societies BV.AK Philosophy of the occult, symbolism BV.CA Secret doctrine, individual occultist: Blavatsky, Crowley BVA Magic and medicine (in Russia, ancient worlds) BVB BVBA Witchcraft Cannibalism BVC Medical Astrology BVD Spells, Grimoire BVDA Vampirism BVE Demonology, Devil & Possession BVF Cabala BVG Amulets BVH Crystals &Gems BVI Evil Eye BVK Tarot, Divination C: Hospital, medical education, nursing CACBA CW Religious Orders, knight templars, hermits, knights of Malta Religion & Medicine (including faith healing, leper knights, miracles)

ABA AHA AJA AS

BQ-BT BU

BV

CA

These subdivisions are described using shelving marks and indices. Barnard also makes use of numerous tables, which can be added after the letters to be more precise and descriptive. In the library they have simplified the table usage to just 4 subdivisions. The first letters of any classmark represent the general subject area. 1. Author. If the book is about one of the general subjects listed as above, the first 3 letters of the authors name will be added. Example

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2. Place. Following the table created by Barnard, place can be determined by a number BVB.36 Witchcraft in France 3. Time. All classmarks can also be broken down by time division BVB.AA5 Witchcraft in the 16th century BVB.361.118 Witchcraft in Paris in the 19th century 4. Genres. The use of this depends upon the section involved but it is mainly for the type of document. (.AD for conference, .AH for essay, .B for bibliography) BV.ENC: Encyclopaedia of the occult BVA. AK Dictionary of magic

The exact quantity of books available in these subjects is hard to determine as not all are on open shelves and older materials are not always available in the catalogue.

To get a general idea here are some examples on the numbers of books found for different keywords in the library catalogue (this does not include the manuscript or archive materials which, in the case of sections such as alchemy and witchcraft, will also be of fair size.)

Table 18: Wellcome catalogue search results Keyword Occult Magic Religion Hits 165 1361 4998 Keyword Witch Alchemy Dragon Hits 182 1676 137 Keyword Witchcraft Devil Vampire Hits 723 320 14

Some people may be surprised to find such materials here. However, they have historically been considered a valid part of academic science and, even when threatened by Christianity, the occult sciences were frequently used to heal the sick. In the Wellcome library, they do not see these subjects as taboo but embrace them as historical testimony. On occasion, they have even advertised these aspects of their collection by exhibiting some of the rare books and materials using their subject as the theme. This 44

allows them to promote some of the less well-known aspects of their collection as well as to educate and inform their visitors. As they describe onsite: (See Appendix 3) White magic was practiced by wisewomen who knew the basics of herbal medicines and were thereby quasi-medical practitioners to poor, rural communities.

3.2.2 The London Library


(London)

This library is the countrys largest independent, private subscription library; it has been described as a kind of temple of Serendipity in the middle of the capital (Sproston, 2004). The library contains over one million books in all European languages. The main subject is the humanities but even though it isnt one of the main subdivisions, the library has a very substantial occult collection. Their classification system was devised at the beginning of the twentieth century and due to the scope of the collection is unique. Unlike most schemes it does not group works into one single location, instead location is determined by the physical dimensions of the work and then by alphabetical order within each shelfmark main section.

Table 19: London Library shelfmarks system The shelfmarks system. A. = Art RR. = Reading Room H. = History L.= Literature R. = Religion S. = Science & Misc. T. = Topography

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Most of the occult collection is represented within the Science & Miscellaneous classmarks. There are three sizes: 4to: Quarto 8vo: Octavo Folio

To get a reasonable idea of what is available scanning the subject list was of great importance to help ensure that I did not miss some of the keywords when looking on the shelves. This is because similar topics will be shelved in different locations, depending upon the letter of alphabet that they start with. Some of the keywords relevant to my subject have been highlighted in the subject sub-division in Science & Miscellaneous list (see Appendix 4 ). This system can make for some odd groupings. For example books about the Devil are shelved between books on dentistry and dogs. Peculiarly the materials on the shelves date back to the 1800s and can be borrowed; earlier materials are kept locked away. It was difficult therefore, to gain an appreciation of the extent of occult materials within the collection, a problem compounded by the necessity to check three different size locations for each subject. I attempted to get an approximate idea of the quantity available by combining the number of shelves with the approximate amount of books on each. It is still a fairly sizeable collection.

Table 20: Books on shelves in London Library 4to & Folio 9 16 123 15 5 17 5 8vo 40 200 2500 140 30 350 150

Alchemy Death & Death Folklore Freemason Hand (palmistry) Occult sciences Witchcraft

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This does not include astrology or materials available within the religion and reference sections. The religion section is extensive and within its subdivisions there are a lot of books on alternative religions such as Druidry, Gnosticism, the Rosicrucians, Swedeborgs, Paganism, Mysticism, Spiritualism, serpent worship and more.

The library also has a significant quantity of journals on the subject such as Lucifer, the Freemasons Magazine and Masonic Mirror as well as a complete set of the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research which is still being added to today. From my simple calculations, the occult side of the collection runs to about 5,000 volumes excluding books that were currently out on loan or those pre-1800 materials that are kept locked away.

Acquisitions in occult subjects are still being made today but only if they can be proved to be complementary to the existing collection. The history of each volume can be traced through the slips inside the books. From these, I was able to deduce that the majority of books were from the mid nineteenth century or the 1920s. Many of the volumes are rare with a great deal of first editions. At differing points, I was able to browse a 1928 publication of the Malleus Maleficarum, a French history of Witchcraft from 1900 and a number of first editions of Alisteir Crowleys works. Curiously, some of the donations have been made by the Wellcome Library, an institution mentioned elsewhere in this study.

The ambience of the place is also curiously appropriate for researches into the field. The majority of the library is in near darkness, with light switches for each aisle and an iron grid floor separating the levels so that it is possible to see several floors both above and below. (See map in Appendix 5). The main folklore section is kept within the basement

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as the size of this part of the collection necessitating the use of rolling cases. This part of the collection covers everything from British goblins to medieval fables and even Moroccan legends written in French.

The place is quite literally a maze and is catalogued in a variety of ways. For materials acquired prior to 1954, searches have to be conducted using a printed catalogue divided both by author and subject. This catalogue comprises four volumes covering different periods (1913, 1920, 1928 and 1950). A card catalogue is also available for acquisitions made between 1954 and 1983 and there are numerous keyword for this. As a result, a lot of terms have to be considered in addition to the ones in the subdivisions list and may include entries such as amulets and charms, demonology, ghosts, vampires etc.

An electronic catalogue is available for acquisitions made after 1950 and from this it is possible to gain an overview of what is available and which items have been bought in recent years. However, it soon becomes apparent that the main value of the collection is derived from the materials acquired prior to 1950.

The library is perfect for browsing but it is quite important to remember the different places to check for each subject in order to avoid missing large quantities of books. The fact that you have to check each topic individually, as well as by size, means that it is easy to overlook some sections. Their religion and folklore section is one of the largest I have come across and the quality of items in the collection as a whole makes this place both unique and unusual. Clearly, the way that each side of the occult is represented without shame or prejudice makes it one of the most comprehensive and accessible collections in London.

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3.2.3 The Warburg Institute Library


(London)

This was one of the most difficult libraries to gain access to, and also one of the most talked about collections when discussing the issue of occult collections in the pagan scene or whist enquiring in the specialist occult bookshops around London. Anticipating some form of reaction, I was quite surprised by the immediate warning received at the point of registration. Somewhat bluntly, I was advised that many of the items that I might be interested in are not available on the open shelves and that access to them was unlikely to be granted. Despite this unusual start, I was still able to see that the library has an impressive collection even just on the open shelves.

The classification here is also very unusual. The building and consequently the books are divided into four main sections: Action, Orientation, Word and Image. This unusual arrangement embodies the aim of the Library: to study the survival and the transformation of ancient patterns in social customs and political institutions (Action); the gradual transition, in Western thought, from magical beliefs to religion, science and philosophy (Orientation); the persistence of motifs and forms in Western languages and literatures (Word) and the tenacity of symbols and images in European art and architecture (Image). The uneven growth of the collections have forced us to move the sections on Magic and Science to the fourth floor (Warburg Institute, 2004, online).

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Table 21: Warburg Institute classification 4th Floor: Action F: Magic & Science (Orientation) H: Politic History D: Social History B: Western Religion G: Oriental Religions A: Philosophy E: Literature N: Preservation & Transmission of Literary and Scholarly Work C: Post-Classical Art History K: Classical Art & Archaeology CR: Modern Art

3rd Floor: Orientation 2nd Floor: Word 1st Floor & Basement: Image

On the fourth floor under the Action is the section F for Magic and Science The general divisions of section F are as follows.

Table 22: Warburg F: Magic & Science F FF FB FC FD FO FG Magic and Science Natural sciences Magic Magical objects Sorcery and secret societies Zoology, botany, mineralogy, pharmacy Alchemy and chemistry FE FN FM FH FA FI FP History of medicine Mathematics Divination Prophecy Astrology & Astronomy Cosmology Geography, cartography

Other sections of interest were folklore (DD under Social History) and some of the topics under comparative religion (BF under Western Religion). The F section is always referred to as science, which is interesting as most of the items within it are more related to magic than science, also the word occult is never mentioned or found anywhere when looking at the collection and its content. Each subsection is divided by more precise topics and details are available at the end of each bay. These details are essential as their shelving does not follow any alphabetical logic. How the classification system was developed and used was not very clear and unfortunately, no-one seemed able or willing to clarify it for me. One explanation found in an article by Dr Wind was that the 3 letters represent the three levels of classification, 50

the first letter represent the general subdivision (F for Magic&Science), the second letter specifies the general subject by using a systematic or historical differentiation and the third letter specifies geographical or chronological meanings (Wind, 1935, p193). They also separate sources and studies. In the magic section this is not always as applicable. Examples of subdivisions.
Table 23: Warburg FC & FM FC: Magic FCH 1- Sources FCD 1- Studies FCB 20FCB 785FCB 822FM: Divination FMH 1Sources 70012001875189020002320261027053010361038254110FMF 1- Studies FMO 1- 300- 500- FME 1FMN 1FMI 1FMA 1-839 General Monsters Comets Divination from involuntary movement Palmistry Phrenology Dream interpretation Crystal gazing Geomancy Fortune telling books Dice & Board games Chess Card games General Monsters Solar eclipse Comets Augury Dream interpretation Hydromancy Fortune telling books & games The Evil Eye Amulets & Magic Stones Knots & Mazes Magic Mirrors

Aside from the materials on the shelves, another interesting aspect of the Warburg library is their Yorke Collection. When searching the catalogue many of the results are to be found under the location Yorke collection especially anything more occultist.

Curiously, there isnt any information available on the Yorke Collection and its origins anywhere within the library; no details online, no handouts about how to access it and 51

no leaflets. It is simply mentioned on the catalogue. I decided to ask if I could obtain some information about what is in the collection or just some background information about it but the reaction was quite unusual and left me with the feeling that I had asked the forbidden question. Nonetheless, I was informed that it was a discrete collection and that the library did not wish to advertise it. I later found out that Yorke was a disciple of Aleister Crowley and, on his death in the 1970s, bequeathed his collection of documents on Crowley to the library. The Yorke collection is now treated as part of their archives and, like the rest of the archives, proof of research is necessary to obtain access to them. Unfortunately, the person in charge of this aspect of the library was away for the summer and as such, I was unable to find out much more. In some ways this ties in with some of the arguments discussed later about censorship and the library as the keeper of dangerous knowledge.

After talking to many different people I was eventually able to look at a PDF file about the microfilm of the collection and whilst this did not give an indication of the size of the collection it did give me some insight into the types of materials, involved as well as to what may be found in the online catalogue.

Table 24: The Yorke collection Yorke 1: Aleister Crowley Papers: notebooks, manuscripts and typescripts Yorke 2: ACP: papers relating to Ordo Templar Onentis Yorke 3: ACP: published novels Yorke 4:ACP: mixed letters Yorke 5:ACP: short fiction and drama Yorke 6:ACP: commentaries to the Book of Law Yorke 7:ACP: poetry Yorke 8:ACP: manuscripts and transcripts of authorised published books Yorke 9:ACP: diaries Yorke 10:ACP: letters Yorke 11:ACP: financial, legal and other personal papers Yorke 12:ACP: galley proofs, bound proofs, privately printed editions, a noted editions Yorke 13:ACP: catalogues, bibliographies and handlists Yorke 14:Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: notebooks

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From earlier research I had discovered that this library is also famous for housing rare tarot decks designed by varied occultists. Unfortunately no further information was available about these either.

Illustration 11: Warburg catalogue search result

When searching the catalogue some of the keywords yielded a lot of results; folklore (1536), magic (1217), tarot (109), witchcraft (601), demonology (219), occultism (599) and Crowley (773) More material is also available in their photographic collection with images covering Magic & Science, Gods & Myths and Rituals.

Their open shelves held a lot of material but this was not as varied as other, similar collections. The lack of information about what else was there left me with the impression that there was a good deal more and whilst I was not expecting to be shown every book, I was hoping to get a better view into the background and management of their collection.

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3.3 Public libraries

Most public libraries will have a small amount of books in their 133 sections; no major public collection is really available in London.

3.3.3 The Battersea Lending Library.

Whilst researching the topic, I discovered that the Battersea Library had a special collection on the occult. This came about as a result of the subject allocation made for each borough within London, so, whilst Westminster was allocated medicine, Battersea received both the Occult and Architecture. Unfortunately, whilst visiting the library in order to assess the collection, I was not granted access to it. The member of staff that I spoke to was quite judgemental, stating that he couldnt understand why anyone would want to see the collection, which is housed within the basement. Seemingly, the only way to have access to the material would be to check the catalogue and to request that specific items be brought up from the basement; something that also would require me to join the library as a member. Surprisingly, it seems that not all of the items within the collection have been catalogued and as such, suggests that there are items to which noone but members of staff there have access. Purchases for this collection ceased in 1974.

In some ways, the reactions that I encountered here reflect some of the misconceptions and prejudices that users may be confronted with when showing an interest in nonmainstream subjects. Explaining the reasons for my research was acceptable but having to justify my interest in occult material is unfair and, I imagine, a bigger issue for some users. Not able to see the collection for myself, the only information I have available 54

about the size of the collection is that it is apparently housed within approximately 12 bays of shelving.

To get a feel for the scope of their collection, I used their catalogue to conduct some searches. Whilst the results only run to the low hundreds it is clear that this library holds a larger collection than most other local public libraries.
Table 25: Battersea Library catalogue search results Keyword Occult Paranormal New age Supernatural Witchcraft Catalogue hits 94 61 97 139 145

The classification system used in both the open shelves and for the special collections is Dewey and most of the material can be found under 133.

3.3.2 The New York Public Library

I have included the New York Public Library here because they both maintain a large occult collection and, quite rarely, they advertise it as well. Seemingly, they are aware of why users may need access to such materials. The library has dedicated an entire section of its website to the occult sciences and parapsychology. In their research guide, they acknowledge the fact that many requests involving the occult do occur. Where one person might express an interest in ghosts, alchemy or witchcraft, another might be researching clairvoyance, reincarnation or other paranormal phenomena. They describe both fields as being very wide and in order to help their readers, they have created a guide providing general sources and bibliographies. (NYPL, 2004, online).

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As a library they collect a wide range of topics from esoteric magic, spiritualism and witchcraft to a strong collection on divination and theosophy. The science library has materials on flying saucers and alchemy, the Oriental division has material on mysticism and yoga, the Slavic and Baltic division has works by the occultist Blavatsky and the Schomburg Centre for research into Black culture collects titles on voodoo, santeria and related topics. They acknowledge the different focuses found within the occult subject and their website also lists the subject headings employed by the catalogue

To give a general overview of the amount of material available I have included a table showing the number of records found for some of the keywords. Some results include both fictional and non-fiction works. Two different catalogues are available. The one I used was CATNYP. Most of the collection seems to use Dewey but some results clearly use a different scheme depending upon which division the material is housed under.

Table 26: NY Library catalogue search results Keyword Occult Magic Alchemy Sects Vampire Records found 710 7111 888 1441 341 Keyword Witchcraft Parapsychology New Age Mvt. Secret societies Psychical research Records found 2002 1493 291 534 186 Keyword Paranormal Superstition Astrology Freemason Esoteric Records found 109 832 2335 72 512

3.4 Other special libraries in the UK.


As I was researching I came across more specific libraries mainly dealing with one particular section within the occult, or the esoteric, as some prefer it to be called. They were more often than not based on one movement or one philosophy. Such collections are very interesting and are usually open to the public (frequently on a 56

subscription or membership basis) but are mainly there to serve its members or followers. Here are some examples of such libraries dealing with some of the esoteric fields.

The Anthroposophical Society Library (London) This society is an offshoot from the theosophical movement (who created the theosophical library). The library contains mainly works by its founders and publications by its members as well as a number of general books relevant to anthroposophy including philosophy, mythology, occultism, freemasonry, alternative technology and sciences.

The Lucis Trust Library (London) This society is also another offshoot of the theosophical movement, created by Alice and Foster Bailey who were both prolific writers on mysticism. In 1923 they created the Arcane School to teach a mixture of esoterism with Christianity. The material available here is mainly written by its creators. Additional materials covers related subjects such as philosophy, mysticism, esoterism and Christianity. Like the Library of Avalon, the collection is based on donations and a catalogue is available on request. The size of the collection is hard to determine due to the lack of modern technology available here but the room is of a fair size.

The Society for Psychical Research Library (London) Founded in 1882 they were the first to investigate paranormal phenomenon. This library used to house the Harry Price collection discussed earlier from 1922 to 1927. Nowadays it is slightly different to other specialist libraries. Since 2002 most of the library has become available for download (for members only), the catalogue itself

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only has 1984 books, excluding the societys entire back catalogue of journals since 1884. The Paranormal Review, proceedings and abstracts are also available online. Interesting features are the page-by-page search availability and a fantastic list of keywords.

The Freemason Library (London) This is a strange case because they do not see themselves as part of the occult other than from the hidden factor. Nevertheless I thought it worthwhile to mention them here since freemasonry is one of those subjects always found within any occult collection. Their library does have a few books on subjects associated with mystical and esoteric traditions. The library is free of charge and open to all for reference access. The library itself is beautiful and the volume of books available on the subject of freemasonry is surprising. However, it is difficult to assess how much material they actually have on other occult topics and not all of it is openly available to the general public. Searching their electronic catalogue yielded the following results:

Table 27: Freemason Library catalogue search results Occult Witchcraft Knights templar 53 25 642 Alchemy Magic On Crowley 58 75 9

Fortean Picture Library (Wales) This is a curious one but one I thought worth mentioning. Unfortunately there isnt a printed word counterpart but the owners of the collection, Janet and Colin Bord are as famous for their books as they are for their pictures. They have photographed most of Britains spooky and ancient sites (from stone circles to the Loch Ness monster to strange carvings). In addition to the prints, pictures and engravings, they also maintain a specialist collection relating to Fortean phenomena: anomalous happenings of every

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kind from showers of frogs to spontaneous combustion. Another strong feature of the collection is the focus on British and Welsh folklore. They offer a subject index for their mysterious and Fortean phenomena collection ranging from abductions to the Yeti. Their antiquities and folklore collection offers a range of subjects from abbeys to witch sites. Picture can also be searched for by country. I am unaware of the current size of the collection but in 1966, it was described in the Picture Researchers Handbook as comprising 20,000 colour and 30,000 black and white images and is quite possibly significantly larger today.

It is difficult to ascertain how many special libraries within this field are around. Just in London alone, there are many societies and groups and the ones of a reasonable size are likely to collect and acquire books relating to their interest. This section gave but a small overview of the collections available and in most cases, the ones that I was able to visit in person.

3.5 Major collections outside the UK

All across the world similar material is available. Interest in the occult is international although subject to variations depending on the prevalent religions, beliefs and folklores of the region in question. For example, in the USA, parapsychology and stage magic both enjoy large audiences and this is reflected in the public library system through extensive collections of both paranormal investigation and stage magic and illusion. Significant quantities of their more famous collections appear to have been created by

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well-known magicians and these do appear to mix the illusionist side with books about the real craft of magic. These include the Houdini collection and the Milbourne Library.

The University of West Florida maintains an excellent collection on parapsychology, the occult sciences, witchcraft, alternative religions and the psychology of dreams. However, one of the most interesting aspects of their collection is the wide choice of periodicals available. In other parts of the USA, witchcraft related collections are also widely available for historical reasons. In some parts, the historical aspect outweighs the occult and has the result of increasing the level of acceptance of the material; the libraries in Salem being a prime example. Large special collections on Witchcraft are also housed in the University of Pennsylvania Library and the Cornell University Library has a collection of over 3,000 titles documenting the history of the inquisition into witchcraft and the persecution of its followers.

I will end the subject of collection with two libraries worth mentioning.

3.5.1 The Bibliotheca Hermetica Philosophica


(Netherlands)

This is a major library within the field mainly consisting of manuscripts and printed works in the field of the hermetic tradition. The library holds 19,500 volumes and using the description available on their website the term Hermetica is used to cover a heterogeneous body of works attributed to the legendary philosopher Hermes Trismegistus. These are mostly works that are philosophical, theosophical, astrological, magical or alchemical in nature.

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It is part of the Ritman Institute whose research is specifically concerned with documenting and researching European Hermetism from the Middle Ages through to the era of the Enlightenment. Manuscripts and printed books in the fields of hermetic philosophy, alchemy, magic, mysticism and Christian Kabbalah, Paracelsism, the Rosicrucian teachings, theosophical masonry, Western Esoterism, Gnosis, Cathars, Anthroposophy and more.

3.5.2 The Monash Rare Book Collection.


(Australia)

This collection is similar to others discussed earlier but I decided to include it here because of a major exhibition they held in 1998 called simply The occult. This being such a wide subject they decided to limit the books on display to those dealing with Western occultism from the seventeenth century onwards. Also available is a catalogue and a very detailed online description of the displays with illustrations and commentaries. The show had some very unusual and rare items from very famous occultists.

Their own explanation for the decision to put on such an exhibition is particularly supportive of my discussion and as such, I have decided to include it here. Some will doubtless wonder just what a bastion of scholarship such as a University library is doing with books of this nature, to which the reply must simply be that the occultisms have shaped the world-view of a great many people, and as such they simply cannot be ignore. It would be easy to underestimate the effect of the occult in our society. Virtually anyone from an English-speaking or European background will know their astrological birth sign, and even the quality press finds space for horoscopes. There are numerous references to the occult in popular culture like it or not. There can be no

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doubt that belief in one or another manifestations of the occult has played- and continues to play- a significant part in the lives of many people, and this exhibition will provide an unusual opportunity for the not-so-involved to view some of the books on which beliefs are founded.(Richmond, K, The Occult exhibition at the Monash, 1998, online). See Appendix 6.

Illustration 12: Main display case on witchcraft.

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Chapter 4. Censorship
4.1 Introduction to censorship

If your interests lie in strange phenomena, premonitions or rainfalls of frogs rather than in the academic sciences or the humanities, why should it be more difficult to obtain relevant literature via the public libraries? As with many other subjects, there is a vast resource of information available but for these subjects it is often ignored purely because of its paranormal or occult labels. In addition to the ubiquitous misconceptions and its historical background, one of the main problems arise from the issue of censorship, frequently borne of religious beliefs.

Censorship is nothing new; the suppression of information has been around for as long as the written word. As Blanchard discusses in his book, censorship of reading matter goes back a long time before the printing process was invented and book-burning began even before books assumed their modern form.

In 123 BC Chinese Emperor Shi Hwang-Ti burned nearly all the books in China in order to wipe out old ideas. The Church and State have often united in order to burn both humans and books for things they deemed immoral or against the religion in state at the time. Later anything deemed as heresy by the state was to be burned and the occult having always been seen as the enemy of the church was often the prime target.

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During Elizabethan times every printing house in London was searched twice a week in case improper material was being produced. Many subjects across time have raised criticisms, fear and as a result often become targeted by different groups in order to stop anything on their subject from being accessible. In the 1920s it was communism. One example used by Blanchard incurred in 1953 when Mrs Thomas J White demanded that the story of Robin Hood be removed from all Indiana textbooks on the ground that it followed the communist line. (Blanchard, 1955, p83). In the end it wasnt removed, however the presence of the complaint made everybody wary. Later she was appointed to the Indiana state textbook commission giving her significantly more power. The next target was to be the elimination of all books on Quaker religions. Although they were not always successful with their plans, it would still result in a proportion of children no longer having access to and choices in subject matter.

Just recently I came across an article in the 2004 June CILIP Update issue about a US school that has banned the novel Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress by Dai Sijie, from the 9th grade reading list following a parents complaint. Apparently, their 15-year old- boy was taken aback by its sexual references. Consequently, the book was removed from the curriculum and banned from the school library. The school is now required to obtain approval in advance for the following years reading list. Communism may no longer be the threat that it was once seen as, but the subjects of sex and of the occult is still seen as taboo.

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4.2 Occult representation

The Occult has always been a target, frequently because all sorts of sin can be attached to it from sexual acts to blasphemy or crime.

This is the main issue for occult topics, most often when it is represented in a negative light, particularly by the tabloid press who are more likely to show particularly bad cases. As in many fields, there are both the good and bad sides and frequently here represented by black and white magic. Headlines such as satanic ritual murders and occult child abuse are likely to fuel religious groups and their campaigns to withdraw access to certain materials, particularly for children. In America, there is a popular seminar circuit featuring clergymen, law enforcers and therapists who claim to disclose the persuasive influence of Satanism in America, each group relying on the others undocumented evidence with the vociferous backing of some fundamental Christian groups. The supposed criminal connections in all this provides the evidence that certain books or types of music can twist the minds of young people. Satanic crime seminars present a model of behaviour that sets children, so called dabblers at one end, with the clandestine Satanist at the other. Satanists allegedly sacrifice upwards of 50,000 people every year in fealty to the Evil One. We never obtain evidence of the existence of such nefarious, murderous Satanists, say the so-called experts, because they leave no traces! (Hicks, 1991 p53)

Such arguments seem incredible but they have a lot of followers. Despite the lack of provable evidence that occult books encourage vicious murders and that listening to heavy metal or devil-worshipping music, as it is often called, promotes negative effects, these arguments are still used again and again. The occult has many faces and 65

topics and, as in any field of interest, some are more dangerous than others and can be taken to extremes.

Using an interest in the occult as a reason to discriminate is not new; the past and its numerous witch trials prove that. So many attitudes and actions are easily attached to magical activities and witchcraft. At least nowadays we are no longer judging people as much on their powers and beliefs. Unfortunately in the written form it is easier to analyse and criticise.

4.3 The librarian dilemma.

Many materials on the various aspects of the occult are available in bookstores and on the Internet but when it comes to libraries it is frequently more difficult to find. Many librarians have to face the dilemma of balancing the right to read whatever we want with the pressure from different groups on what should and shouldnt be on the shelves.

This was one of the many issues in the American Libraries Annual Conference in 1992, the arguments ranged from public libraries have a duty to stock materials ranging from evangelical teachings to the satanic bible to not every kid who reads The Headless Cupid is going to wind up sacrificing chickens on Mamas dining room table. Another argument was that exposing schoolchildren to such material is equal to promoting religion in the classroom to children. Other were concerned about the danger of roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons, which they believe might lure kids into Satanism.

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The University of Minnesota conducted a study of role-playing games and their influence. As a result they found that most Dungeons and Dragons players were welladjusted people for whom game represents a healthy, creative exercise in the imagination. Unfortunately, these studies are very often ignored.

One problem is that there is no consensus within the library profession on the handling of pseudoscience materials, some openly resist the purchase of works they consider dubious; others attempt to provide a balance. While the American Library Association and other groups often support in their defence against censorship, the librarians unite readily to resist outside demands for it. There is little agreement regarding the potential for internal censorship implicit in selection and cataloguing. (Thompson, 1984, p178)

These different arguments have been talked about quite often and most of the time it is left to the librarians discretion. As Wilkins said in order to describe both side of the discussion why would any reputable library want to concern itself with New Age ideas? Is not the whole subject tainted with lunatic fringes, with misguided people taking science fiction, fantasy and mythology as the truth? while on the other hand some say that as it is a part of society, libraries should reflect this interest regardless of their own opinions.

If a library started to build such a collection, complaints would start to come in. Of that, there can be no doubt. On the other hand if it is legal, why should libraries be stopped from doing so?

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Today most of what was regarded as controversial materials in the past are now accepted (Darwin, Hitler, Freud, Marx), so why should the same not happen with materials written by Alistair Crowley, Anton Lavey, or Madame Blavatsky ? Despite the fact that they are still sometimes perceived as being dangerous, even after death, by certain religious groups, it does seem to be a rite of passage for controversial literature. Thankfully, through the actions of more open-minded or independent organisations, such books have become available.

4.4 Children and occult literature.

Frequently, censorship issues are raised because of children. Most opposition groups are aware that adults will, in some way or another, gain access to such dangerous knowledge. Should children also have freedom of access? Should they be told the truth? Is the banning of supposedly dangerous material the best way to protect them?

After all, children should not be underestimated. They have a critical mind and can very often separate fantasy from reality. They are more likely to be confused or fascinated in these subjects that are seen as forbidden. More often than not if they are told not to, young people will be more encouraged to try it. Amazingly, most of these beliefs are older than some of the religions that now seek to ban them. Recently books featuring witches, monsters and other demonic characters have raised parents concerns about their effect on young people. Libraries are increasingly being challenged about the presence of these books on their shelves. Without actual evidence of the effects of such books on children a lot of accusations are made and without actual proof of negative effects. How can a librarian decide which fantasy is damaging and which isnt ? 68

The success of books like the Harry Potter and the David Pullman books has brought to life their worst fears once again.

4.5 The Harry Potter dilemma

As well as being best sellers and at the top of most childrens wish lists, the Harry Potter series also tops the list as one of the most challenged books in libraries. The complaints centre on its alleged occult and satanic themes, its religious viewpoints and its anti family approaches and violence. Some people think that the leading character is a bad influence on children, promotes an immoral lifestyle and should be banned from elementary schools and childrens libraries. On the other hand most schools and libraries are defending such books for their positive effect at renewing childrens interest in reading.

The Harry Potter phenomenon has raised lots of comments and an endless amount of negative articles usually written by religious organisation of some kind. Due to the success of shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Angel, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and X-Files, the new generation has been accused of having been desensitised to the occult.

Some views which are raised are very strong. Author Michael OBrien said reasonable Christian parents would not permit their children to read a series of enthralling books depicting likeable young people involved in drug-dealing or premarital sex, or torture. Why, then, have they accepted a set of books which glamorise and normalize occult activity, even though it is every bit as deadly to the soul as sexual sin, if not more so? (OBrien, 2001). 69

Another concern relate to a scene about the making of a potion by cutting a mandrakes roots; apparently creating desensitisation to abortion. Other fears are that rather than having hooked a generation on reading, children are now going to search for literature with more thrills now that they have an appetite for darker and dangerous literature. Apparently the premiere of Harry Potter the movie will lead to a whole new generation of youngsters discovering witchcraft and wizardryincreasing numbers of children are spending hours alone browsing the internet in search of satanic websites (Quote by Peter Smith, general secretary of the British Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the article by Kjos, online)

One last theory against this particular series of books is quite an elaborate one. An online article proposes how the books are actually an allegory. The way that it is written and packaged to look like fantasy when, in truth, it is a true depiction of the training and work of an initiate in an occult order. Each step taken by Harry is compared to the steps of an initiating occultist. Apparently, its not just fiction, J.K. Rowlings agenda is to instil in children a familiarity with occult truth she just clothed it for fun. (Peter, online)

Do horror films and vampire novels really have such an impact on the young soul as it is sometimes suggested? Many people believe that these actually help children to consider the issues of good and evil and to be aware of the different beliefs in existence. As Stuart Hannabus phrased it Monsters have been peeping round the corners of reading for young people ever since it existed. There have been the creatures of myth and legends, like the Minotaur and the Hydra, which have percolated their way through to young people in adaptations and retellings.(Hannabuss, 1982 p301)

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Comics and films have always portrayed such images; some are banned but only on very rare occasions and only in some countries. Nowadays such decisions are rare and with the ease of buying DVDs or downloading from the Internet, you would think censorship would be more of an issue on these levels. However, the Internet is now too large to be taken on, while libraries, and especially school libraries, are still easily put under pressure. On the whole most of the issues raised are usually in conjunction with Christian beliefs because the teachings of the Bible are in conflict with stories on magic and sorcery.

4.6 Conclusion to censorship

The censorship issue is more important in the US than in the UK. In 1976, 200 protests were reported to the American Library Associations Office For Intellectual Freedom, in 1977, 300 and by 1983 it had reached 900 complaints per year. These statistics only covered the reported complaints; it is likely that many more complaints were dealt with directly by the school and its library. Obviously every book can be deemed offensive by one group or another but does it really matter? Do we need to be protected that much? With the prevalence of television and newspapers, I do not think books are the most influential items in todays society. Morals and values differ from one person to another and we should accept that if we dont like a book then we shouldnt read it. Labelling anything New Age or alternative as being dangerous is one of the key problems. As all of the subjects that come under the Occult banner are put into one bag, the protester can attack more or less everything and it is usually the lack of knowledge, combined with the common misconceptions and prejudices that are the main factor.

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Chapter 5. The historical tradition and the online revolution


5.1 libraries as keepers of forbidden knowledge

Even if none of these materials are no longer seen as forbidden these topics still provoke ambivalent feelings. After all, the occult has always held a strange place in our culture. On the other hand, such mysterious and often believed dangerous knowledge does have a place within libraries, one of whose stereotypes is that as a keeper of forbidden knowledge. There is a common perception that libraries are storehouses of knowledge. There is a common perception that within their walls lies the compendium of everything known and understood by humanity. (Bartel, 2001, online). This symbolic image has often made libraries seductive and secretive places because they can be seen as the holder of important secrets and the librarian holds the key to all this knowledge. In reality this image is very far away from todays place of the library in the information era.

Some of these stereotypes are still present and with it the concept of occult material being protected and kept from the commoner in libraries. Very often in literature and film when someone wants information on forbidden or occult knowledge, the answer will be in the library.

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In film and books like Buffy, Harry Potter, the Ninth Gate or Club Dumas, libraries always seem to have a forbidden section, where the dangerous books are kept. They either keep prohibited knowledge under lock and key or burn it (Fahrenheit 451 and the Name of the Rose). In the Name of the Rose they prefer to conceal rather than enlighten, Eco portrayed the library as a mystical, secret, even sacred place to be defended at all costs, certainly to the extent of several murdered monks. Much of the current debate on the future of libraries is no less passionate. They no longer see themselves as collection conservators, but rather as service providers, as wholesalers of knowledge. The library is no longer secret or sacred. (Owen, 1996, p98). Subsequently the meaning of occult has become hidden so it is logical that such images very often are seen as interrelated. Obviously this representation has been exaggerated through books and films but you can still sometimes get similar protective reactions when enquiring about books on such subjects. Some libraries do offer access but some of the rarest collections are either very private or very difficult to reach.

5.2 The tradition of occult library

One other tradition outside of the stereotypical or fictional image is the fact that occult libraries have always been around. The subject is not a new one; it is simply a less dangerous one to raise. There is nothing new in having such material in libraries and such collections can be traced back to ancient libraries we know the nature of the literature preserves in Egyptian temple libraries. The great body of it was of a liturgical or hermetical, occult philosophical, alchemical and medical character. (Thompson, 1962, p 2).

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However when the faith changed and Christianity decided such classical literature was to be banned due to its pagan origin these materials were no longer available to the masses, although some was protected by a few courageous librarians. By the fifth century paganism was dead, but the pagan spirit as embodied in classical literature was perpetuated, and some of the ancient classical literature was preserved and cherished, in the libraries of those few bishops who were cultivated enough and brave enough to flout the Churchs wrath. (Thompson, 1962, p43)

Across this century many other open minded collectors have tried to perpetuate and safeguard such knowledge on subjects from alchemy to the black arts to non-Christian religious books. Due to the secrecy surrounding such collections, the extent of them is unknown. However a few famous men and their libraries have gained historical status as having built such collections, thereby continuing the notion of the occult library. Even if now they are seen as simply manuscripts and rare or valuable books, in their time it was not always popular or safe to hold such prohibited materials. These are such examples:

The John Dee Library was one of the finest known libraries in renaissance England. At the time intellectuals often searched beyond the field of academic studies and became interested with the occult and in Dees case even with necromantic pursuit. He was able to continue his interest through his patronage from the monarch and aristocrats though never being very far from being condemned by the Catholic Church. He went from being adviser to Queen Elizabeth I on occult matters to being imprisoned for using enchantment, a sometimes-dangerous activity in this time.

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The Wizard of Earl library, Henry Percy was the 9th Earl of Northumberland and his interest in alchemy and other pseudo-sciences earned him the title of The Wizard Earl. Similarly to other famous intellectuals he fell foul of the crown and spent 22 years in the Tower of London. Once released, his library became crucial to him and is often talked about in occult circles as being one of the greatest. Stanislas de Guaita Library (1860-1897), spent his lifetime building a library comprising a very broad collection of books ranging from rare alchemical works to ritual and ceremonial items. His home and library became the centre and meeting ground for the study of the esoteric arts in Paris. He also created the Cabalistic Order of the Rose Cross entitling members to become Doctors of the Cabala.

5.3 The online revolution

With the rapid growth of the Internet and particularly the World Wide Web, access to information on any subject is relatively easy. Interest in the occult is mirrored by the profusion of websites available. In comparison to their physical counterparts, online occult libraries are numerous and each can be found within just a few clicks.

Searching for the term occult library can yield a vast number of results. Unfortunately, not all of these are libraries as such but frequently refer to extensive lists of titles, personal collections or to bookstores. A relatively small proportion will actually lead to physical libraries accessible by members of the public whereas a significant proportion of these sites produce bibliographical lists to help others build private or institutional collections.

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Nonetheless, whilst searching I was able to locate some libraries such as the Online Magical Library, The Psychonomicon Occult Library, The Library of Knowledge and others catering for all aspects of the occult. Some of these also offer e-books available for download. Online access to occult information is so popular that often other features are also present to help users in their research. Specialised search engines are just one of these features some of which are AvatarSearch, UFOSeek. Also to be found online are encyclopaedia like the Occultopedia. These are just some of the examples that I have come across.

Obviously online users have to be aware that between the nature of the subject and the lack of academic review of online material not all of the information may be credible or true. However at a price, some online resources can provide complete access to occult books without some of the prejudice and censorship to be encountered elsewhere. In this way, the Internet has stolen a march on the public library system in providing access to occult materials.

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Chapter 6. Conclusion
6.1 The future

As has been shown, some collections do exist and the material is available but on a relatively small scale. Some projects such as the Library of Avalon are being mirrored in new projects around the world to create collections of esoteric material on subjects that are not usually well covered in the more traditional library setting.

One of these projects is the New Alexandrian Library Project. The vision here is to create a place where knowledge from many esoteric traditions can be accessed by scholars and serious seekers. The New Alexandrian Library will be a modern, state of the art library with a capacity to preserve and to protect all formsof esoteric knowledge. Books, periodicals, special collections, music, media, digital data, etc., will all be carefully catalogued and cross-referenced to ease the work of research. The library will work to restore and preserve rare and damaged documents. The New Alexandrian Library will be primarily a research and reference library, not a lending library. The land for this project is being donated as well as the architectural plans. (The New Alexandrian Library, 2004, online).

The Library will be located in some sacred woods in Southern Delaware and run under the aegis of a non-profit Wiccan organisation created in 1984. They are mostly based on esoteric tradition and European folk religions. The collection will be inclusive of all spiritual traditions similarly to the original Alexandrian Library in Egypt. At present,

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they still have a long way to go in terms of raising the funds for the project. Nonetheless they hope to be able to open no later than 2010.

This is one of the larger projects being carried out. A smaller but similar ongoing project is the Serbian Library Project. The founder and inspiration for the whole project is Dejan Banovic, a spiritual leader and student of the Serbian Academy of Esoteric Sciences. The project was created in 1998 and has since been gathering monetary and physical donations. As a whole the project does not appear to be as well organised or developed as the New Alexandrian Library, though obviously this depends mainly on funding and resources to start with.

Such projects usually start with the vision of one person and can result in important places like the Library of Avalon. However, unlike the Library of Avalon whom has clear advantages in location with its historical and folkloric background, I am not familiar with the organisation or location of these projects so it is hard to evaluate their potential for success. Nonetheless it is inspiring to see that there is a common feel for the need to access to such materials and even though the occult or esoterism has yet to gain a more academic status, individuals and groups are creating projects to make it available.

6.2 Summary of what has been covered

Fiction of both a gothic and horrific nature now enjoy a mainstream status, so why not the non-fiction side? After all, most of the books in an occult collection are just the investigation and history of such creatures, phenomena and practices. People have always been fascinated by the supernatural, evidenced by the popularity of the fiction 78

and motion pictures available. Why would something that has been there since beginning of time be seen as such a threat? Having an interest in or reading about the occult does not necessarily make you a dangerous person, despite the fact that many organisations would like to portray it so.

I hope this study has examined some of the difficulties surrounding such collections whilst also considering why such issues are there. The nature of the subject is a complicated one but the discovery of and visits to some of the collections have made the research thoroughly enjoyable and I will await the opening one day of an institution similar to the library of Avalon in London, one that covers every aspect of this fascinating subject.

In this dissertation the libraries that I have covered were mainly English speaking. This was due to practicality and other limitations within my research. I am sure some other countries may have some fantastic collections if you were to research them in more detail. Also I decided not to include institutions like the British Library and the Bodleian Library even though they are likely to have a lot of material. This is due to the fact that they maintain enormous collections and as such, do not give any special focus or attention to the occult side. Also, access to their collections is somewhat limited and as such, it would prove difficult to gain a full appreciation of the collection as a whole.

At the outset, finding out which libraries had a significant collection was not easy. Very few advertise the fact and it was largely down to the help of fellow researchers and specialists in the subject that I started to discover them.

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In one particular visit to the occult bookshop Watkins, I was informed that there are indeed a lot of collectors around and it has since become apparent, a lot of occult material resides in private collections.

Whilst the meaning of the word occult has come to be known as hidden or concealed, the historical material on the subject does not have to be shrouded in mystery yet the location of some collections remains unknown even though it is no longer a crime to hold such interests.

Many sides of the occult are now mundane, odd perhaps but not worrisome for most people. In the last few decades many have become part of everyday life. No one considers the daily horoscopes published in newspapers to be dangerous yet trying to find a reasonable quantity of books on studying astrology or the other divinatory arts within your local library is still quite difficult.

This subject is ambiguous and marginal in virtually all ways: socially, intellectually, academically, religiously, scientifically, and conceptually. It does not fit in the rational world but this is also what makes it so fascinating and interesting. The imbalance between the amount of interest in the field and the stock within the library system is a result of such dilemmas.

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Guide to tables and illustrations


Tables
Table 1: DCC 130 main sections Table 2: DCC 133 section and its subdivisions Table 3: DCC 290 other religions Table 4: LCC B_BJ Philosophy. Psychology Table 5: LCC the three categories in BF Table 6: LCC BL- BX Table7: BC2 overview of the main classes Table 8: BC2, P main section Table 9: BC2, PX section Table 10: BC2, PXQ for magic Table11: The three orders in Dorbon system Table 12: Library of Avalon headings Table 13; Theosophical Library main headings Table 14: Theosophical Library subdivisions examples Table 15: Theosophical Library, C Section Table 16: Barnard versus Wellcome Table17: The Wellcome classification and occult related subjects Table 18: Wellcome catalogue search results Table 19: London Library shelfmarks system Table 20: Books on shelves at the London Library Table 21: Warburg Institute classification Table 22: Warburg F: magic and science Table 23: Warburg FC and FM Table 24: The Yorke collection Table 25: Battersea Library catalogue search results Table 26: NY Library catalogue search results Table 27: Freemason Library catalogue search results

Page no.
9 9 10 12 12 13 14 15 16 16 19 31 38 39 39 42 43 44 45 46 50 50 51 52 55 56 58

Illustrations
Illustration 1:Catalogue search with the Ferguson collection as location Illustration 2: Ferguson Collection online page Illustrations 3, 4 & 5: Library of Avalon photos Illustration 6: Helena Blavasky Illustrations 7, 8 &9: Theosophical Library photos Illustration 10: Magic page from the Wellcome Library booklet Illustration 11: Warburg catalogue Illustration 12: Main display case on witchcraft.

Page no.
22

23 34 35 40 41 53 62

VI

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