"For the expert investigation of the human will to believe, we recommend The Encyclopedia of Superstitions." — The New York TimesWhy is it said that breaking a mirror or walking under ladders will bring bad luck and misfortunate? Ever wonder why so many people throw salt over their shoulders after spilling it, or wish on shooting stars? The Encyclopedia of Superstitions holds the answers to these questions and more. This c...

Three authoritative yet accessible reference books covering the esoteric terms, concepts, and histories of magical practices and mystical thought.Dictionary of Mysticism offers concise definitions for more than 2,200 terms used in a number of mystical traditions and fields of study, including esoteric philosophy, occultism, psychical research, spiritualism, alchemy, astrology, and demonology. It also covers the studies of Buddhism, Brahmanism, Sufism, Lama...

Throughout the long centuries of human history is the want, and the need, to share information, to exchange ideas and for that knowledge and experience, for curiosity and learning, to be the basis of a civil society.In literature the ambition is much narrower. In order to be known, to be popular, you had to be published. And for that people had to know you existed and your ideas worth reading. Obviously for most of humanity’s time people couldn’t read and texts couldn’t be publishe...