Dictionary of the Occult

by André Nataf

The occult aims to modify the world and those who live in it by disciplines not recognized by modern science. This work covers the story and the nature of occultism, detailing occult figures of the past such as Bacon, Bohme, Hiram and Nostradamus.

Genres: Occult, Reference, Nonfiction, Mythology

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Minäpäminä · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very uneven collection of tidbits of information. Like an all night Wikipedia binge in covers. The entry on taoism made me doubt the factuality of the whole work. There were some serious mistakes about some very basic things that would have been easy to fact check, but apparently no one bothered.

Feels a bit dirty, but still manages to leave one unsatisfied. Doesn't really work as an introduction either. I got the feeling some of this might be from the translation, though.

Quite francocentric.

[Keresaspa · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading this book I was finally able to see my true inner self for the first time. That's right, I was rolling my eyes so much they went right back inside my head. I would love to meet the author though, I'd be able to retire on the proceeds of the magic beans I could flog to him. I managed the first fifty-odd pages then skimmed the rest, enough was more than enough.

My quest for a level-headed dictionary of the occult continues, as this four-yards-of-words-for-every-inch-of-sense nonsense certainly isn't it.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and interesting comprehensive dictionary packed with information about the inner secrets of occultism.

[Kelly Lemieux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book in the wizard Merlin's home town of...it is either Carmarthen or Caerleon, on the Welsh/English border, just north of the shire of Devon. I was back in Europe for the first time in five years, on a family vacation that included myself, my mother, my step-father, my brother, and my sister-in-law. I bought the dictionary in a bookstore in that town and discovered the Wordsworth publishing house does really excellent editions with a low budget price point, like Dover Pubs. The content is illuminating (ha!) The encyclopedic entries cover what is better called secret or lost lore, like a Hobbit book by Tolkien. The word 'occult' is simply the Latin for 'occluded' meaning occluded knowledge. Not that this dictionary disincludes entries on Satanism and Anton LeVay. Also included are biographical entries on important ancient, medieval, and Enlightenment age thinkers, and entries on alchemy, history, and hidden information. Definitely a worthy addition to my personal library.

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quite interesting dictionary of all things occult, from Edgar Cayce to the more mythical magical and occult practices. It's quite a collection of random bits, but they're interesting. The only real flaw is that sometimes the type is sort of smudgy when in greyed out boxes that are supposed to highlight an interesting fact - and do the opposite by smudging it out into nearly unreadable squiggles.

[Nastaliq · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting read. A brief encyclopedia of occult topics. For those interested in learning about occultism, this could be a good place to start; although, primary sources may be fruitful as well.

[Amber Moors]

I know almost every entry by heart.

[Iain Watson]

DICTIONARY OF THE OCCULT- (Wordsworth Collection) (Wordsworth Collection) by A. Nataf (1997)

[Liam O'nade]

This volume is a reference source to literature in the English language throughout the world. It provides a survey of the world-wide literary tradition of this area, and offers explanations of genres, movements, critical terms and literary concepts.