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Libraries
and the
Occult
Cecile Dubuis
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of thedegree of MA of University College London.
September 2004
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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.
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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 beenacknowledged
Cecile Dubuis
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Contents
Items Page no.
Chapter 1. Introduction 1
1.1The definition of an occult collection 11.2 A new demand for a new society 21.3 Misconceptions and controversy 4
Chapter 2. Classification 62.1 The difficulties 6
2.2 How different classification schemes deal with the occult 8
2.2.1 Dewey Decimal Classification 8
2.2.2 The Library of congress Classification 12
2.2.3 The Bliss Classification 14
2.2.4 The Librarie Lucien Dorbon 17
2.3 Special collections 20
2.3.1 Generalities 20
2.3.2 The Ferguson Collection 21
2.3.3 The Harry Price Collection 23
2.4 The alternative 26
Chapter 3. Library Collection 29
3.1 Occult as a main subject 29
3.1.1 The Library of Avalon 29
3.1.2 The Theosophical Library 35
3.2 Libraries on other subjects but with a very
Substantial occult section 41
3.2.1 The Wellcome Library 41
3.2.2 The London Library 45
3.2.3 The Warburg Institute 49
3.3 Public Libraries 54
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3.3.1 The Battersea Lending Library 54
3.3.2 The New York Public Library 55
3.4 Other special libraries in the UK 56
3.5 Major collection outside the UK 59
3.5.1 The Bibliotheca Hermetica Philosophica 60
3.5.2 The Monash Library 61
Chapter 4. Censorship 63
4.1 Introduction to censorship 63
4.2 Occult representation 65
4.3 The librarian dilemma 66
4.4 Children and the occult literature 69
4.5 The Harry Potter dilemma 68
4.6 Conclusion to censorship 71
Chapter 5. The historical tradition and the
online revolution 72
5.1 Libraries as keeper of forbidden knowledge 725.2 The tradition of occult library 73
5.3 The online revolution 75
Chapter 6. Conclusion 77
6.1 The future 77
6.2 Summary of what has been covered 78
Bibliography 81
Appendices:
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.)
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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.
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Chapter 2. Classification of the
occult2.1 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,
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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).
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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:
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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 Religion210 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 Apparitions
133.2 Parapsychological and occult aspects of specific
things
133.3 Divinatory arts
133.4 Demonology and witchcraft
133.5 Astrology
133.6 Palmistry
133.8 Psychic Phenomenon
133.9 Spiritualism
133.42 Demonology
.422 Satanism (Devil worshipping)
.423 Evil spirit (including incubi, succubi, vampires, werewolf)
.425 The evil eye
.426 Demoniac possession
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.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
291 (Unassigned) 296 Judaism
292 Greek & Roman religion 297 Islam, Babism & Babai Faith
293 Germanic religion 299 Religions not provided for elsewhere
294 Religions of Indic origin 299.1-8 in Africa, north America
295 Zoroastrianism 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)
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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
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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
BFBH
BJ
Philosophy as general
Logic
Speculative philosophy
Psychology, parapsychology, occult SciencesAesthetics
Ethics, social usages, etiquette
Table 5:LCC the three categories in BF
(Information copied from Library of Congress Classification, 2001.)
BF 1-990 Psychology
908-940 The hand. Palmistry
BF 1001-1389 Parapsychology
1001-1-1045 Psychic research. Psychology of the conscious
1048-1108 Hallucinations. Sleep. Dreaming. Visions1111-1156 Hypnotism. Suggestion. Mesmerism. Subliminal projection1161-1171 Telepathy. Mind reading. Though transferred
1228-1389 Spiritualism. Including mediumship, spirit messages, clairvoyance
BF 1404-1999 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
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
Religions. Mythology. Rationalism
Judaism
Islam. Bahai Faith. Theosophy, etc.
Buddhism
BRBS
BTBV
BX
ChristianityThe Bible
Doctrinal TheologyPractical 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
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(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 Philosophy and Logic J Education
AM/AX Mathematics K Society
AY-B General Sciences, Physics L/O History
C Chemistry, Chemical engineering P Religion, Occult, Morals and Ethics
D Space and Earth Science Q Social Welfare & Criminology
E/GQ Biological Science R Politics & Public administration
E Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, etc. S LawF Botany T Economics & Management
G Zoology (inc. Agriculture and Ecology) U/V Technology, Engineering
H Physical Anthropology, Human Biology W Recreation, Arts, Music
I Psychology and Psychiatry X/Y 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 Religions, Theology PF Religious systems
PB Systematic Theology, Theology Proper PG Religions and Mythologies
PX OccultPD Practice of religions, Religious activities,
Devotional religions PY 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
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Table 9: BC2, PX section
PX6 Psychology, EPS, Paranormal research. PXL Artefacts (cards)
PXA Philosophy of the Occult PXM Other
PXB Practice of the Occult PXN Communications, ESP, etc. Or in PX6
PXC Events, general processes PXP Divination, mantic arts, prediction
PXD Numbers and numerology PXQ MagicPXE Substances, alchemy PXR Witchcraft and sorcery
PXF Heavenly bodies, astrology PXS Demonology and necromancy
PXG Human body (physiognomy, phrenology, palmistry) PXV Writers and writings of the Occult
PXJ Disembodied persons, spirits, spiritualism PXW Movements, societies, etc.
PXK Other spirits, supernatural beings
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/ZPXQ 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 ProtectiveST 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.
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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
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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)
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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 2. The Natural order 3. The Human Order
1.1 Mysticism 2.0 Meta-sciences
103.Cabbala
105. Spiritism
111. Apparitions
1111. Dreams
112. Oracles
113. Stigmata
201. Magic
202. Witchcraft
2021. Talisman, amulets
2022. Secrets, grimoire
203. Divination
1.2 Religion 2.1 The Sciences
1211. Oriental religions
1212. Mythology
1213. Secondary religions
12131. Druidism
1214. Sacred books
12141. Tarot
122. Christian theology
1221.Bible, inquisition
12224. Antichrist12312. Templars
12331. Rosecrucians
211. Maths
212. Physics
2122. Geography
2124. Alchemy
21241. Chemistry
3.0 Invisible man
301. Animal Magnetism
302. Personal magnetism303. 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.
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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
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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-by-
item 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
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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 EarthG-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 HinduismC22 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
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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 WellcomeA Generalia A Science
B Natural Sciences B Medicine
C General medicine C Hospital, Medical education
D History of medicine D Anatomy
E Specific disease 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 anthropology-
ZQF: 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
ABA Science and religion
AHA Alchemy
AJA Astrology
AS Animal lore/ zoology
AS.CZ Dragon, unicorn
B: Medicine
BQ-BT Medicine 17-20th C.
BU Anthropology
BUA Medical folklore
BUC Traditional Medicine (including shamanism, witch doctors..)
BV Occult Medicine and Science
BV.AA
BV.ASBV.AK
BV.CA
Renaissance, Arcana, Golden Down
Freemasonry, Rosicrucian, secret societiesPhilosophy of the occult, symbolism
Secret doctrine, individual occultist: Blavatsky, Crowley
BVA Magic and medicine (in Russia, ancient worlds)
BVB BVBA Witchcraft
Cannibalism
BVC Medical Astrology
BVD
BVDA
Spells, Grimoire
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
Vampirism
BVE Demonology, Devil & Possession
BVF Cabala
BVG Amulets
BVH Crystals &Gems
BVI Evil Eye
BVK Tarot, Divination
C: Hospital, medical education, nursing
CA
CACBA Religious Orders, knight templars, hermits, knights of
Malta
CW Religion & Medicine (including faith healing, leper knights, miracles)
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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 Hits Keyword Hits Keyword Hits
Occult 165 Witch 182 Witchcraft 723
Magic 1361 Alchemy 1676 Devil 320Religion 4998 Dragon 137 Vampire 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
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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 S. = Science & Misc.
L.= Literature T. = Topography
R. = Religion
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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
8vo
Alchemy 9 40
Death & Death 16 200
Folklore 123 2500
Freemason 15 140
Hand (palmistry) 5 30
Occult sciences 17 350
Witchcraft 5 150
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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
F: Magic & Science (Orientation)
H: Politic History
4th Floor: Action
D: Social History
B: Western Religion
G: Oriental Religions
3rd Floor:
Orientation
A: Philosophy
E: Literature2nd Floor: Word
N: Preservation & Transmission of
Literary and Scholarly Work
C: Post-Classical Art History
K: Classical Art & Archaeology
1st Floor
& Basement:
Image CR: Modern Art
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 Magic and Science FE History of medicine
FF Natural sciences FN Mathematics
FB Magic FM Divination
FC Magical objects FH Prophecy
FD Sorcery and secret societies FA Astrology & Astronomy
FO Zoology, botany, mineralogy, pharmacy FI Cosmology
FG Alchemy and chemistry FP 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,
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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 20-
FCB 785-
FCB 822-
The Evil Eye
Amulets & Magic Stones
Knots & Mazes
Magic Mirrors
FM: Divination
FMH 1-
Sources
700-1200-1875-
1890-
2000-2320-2610-2705-3010-3610-3825-4110-
FMF 1- StudiesFMO 1-
300-
500-
FME 1-
FMN 1-
FMI 1-
FMA 1-839
General
Monsters
Comets
Divination from involuntary
movement
Palmistry
Phrenology
Dream interpretation
Crystal gazingGeomancy
Fortune telling books
Dice & Board games
Chess
Card games
GeneralMonsters
Solar eclipse
Comets
Augury
Dream interpretation
Hydromancy
Fortune telling books & games
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
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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 discre
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