Double double, toil and trouble...

Today I am reviewing two encyclopedias of the Occult: The New Encyclopedia of the Occult by John Michael Greer (2003), and the Enclyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Fourth Edition, Edited by J. Gordon Melton (1996). First I will discuss the latter, older book and then look at what (if any) improvements are offered in the newer title.

Melton's encyclopedia is very well written, with numerous primary sources quoted in depth. For example, the entry on Seances includes many excerpts from magazines, letters and journals written during the nineteenth century. This provides an interesting and satisfying reading experience, but my only complaint is that some of these wonderful excerpts are not cited clearly enough. The list of sources is given at the end of the full entry, with no clue anywhere as to which source contained which quote. There are no pictures or diagrams, which is one major lack, but the index is fantastic, as are the bolded terms sprinkled throughout the entries that alert you to related entries. I learned a lot about occult phenomena and groups from this encyclopedia.

How useful is it? Well I've never had to use it yet, but once in a while we get a patron looking for a good book on the subject. I would recommend this encyclopedia with the one caveat that sources could have been cited better. Despite its age, it doesn't suffer from being too dated, so I think it remains pretty useful.

Greer's encyclopedia does have occasional pictures, symbols and diagrams, which is an important plus over Melton's. Greer provides a detailed bibliography at the end but no index, and very few direct quotes or primary sources. There are fewer total entries in this encyclopedia but they are still thorough and well-written. Greer neutrally presents historical information and assesses any unproven claims or controversies. At the end of each article you find notes about related words or topics to see and additional sources. About as useful as Melton's, but this is the one I would give to a high school student doing a project, because of the important addition of a little visual content.

One of my colleagues noted, though, that it could have used a LOT more images. I agree! Ultimately, the question of which encyclopedia is better is kind-of a push. Although I'm not over the moon for Greer's encyclopedia, it is a bit more updated and pictures are important!

Dewey Decimal Number: 133.03

Rating: 3Q, 2P

Dewey Decimal Number: 133.03

Rating: 3Q, 3P