The Dictionary of the Esoteric by Nevill Drury =A9 2002
Watkins ISBN 1-84293-108-3 344 pages Includes Further Reading
paperback $17.95 (U.S.) $23.95 (Canada)
Unlike many books in this genre, which rely on full page illustrations
to pad out there contents, there are a mere 13 full page illustrations,
plus about a page worth of charts and six pages of Further Reading.
So, out of 344 pages, 324 pages are devoted to definitions and
explanations.
Obviously, as a reference work with over 3,000 entries, this book is
not intended to be read straight through. Before I began a thorough
look-through I rummaged at random. Based on that spot-check I found
some surprising omissions. Although Gerald Gardner was included,
neither Dorothy Clutterbuck (his initiator) nor Monique Wilson (his
magical heir) was included. Voodoo was included, as was Macumba, but
Santeria was missing. The Book of Thoth and The Book of the Dead made
the cut, but the Book of Shadows didn't. Even more baffling (to me)
was the fact that Dr., Leo Martello was listed, but Raymond Buckland
was ignored. There appeared to be no rhyme or reason for inclusion or
exclusion.
There are some flat-out errors contained between these covers. Some of
them may simply be a matter of dated research material. The entry for
"Council of American Witches" which seems to indicate
("...practices rites..." that this group, which ceased to exist in
1974, is still active. A few moments on the internet would clear up
such misconceptions. Other errors, however, have no such excuse. Dr.
Gerald Gardner is called a warlock, which is defined in the entry
devoted to it as "The male counterpart of a female witch. The term
is also used to describe a sorcerer who is skilled in summoning
supernatural evil force and practicing black magic. See Satanism."
Oops, excuse me? Although Mr. Drury says in the entry for "witch":
"The term is more commonly used to describe female practitioners,
but can also be used for males." He follows that with "A male
witch is also known as a warlock." Even the most cursory review of
modern writings would have indicated a change in that perception. That
is the equivalent of calling Jews "Christ killers." At the least
it is insensitive and inflammatory. At the worst it is downright nasty
and unnecessary.
Even though the preceding instances cause me to question the total
reliability of this work, I have to concede that (overall) the good
points far outweigh the bad. Since this book is dedicated to the
"esoteric" and not, necessarily, the "occult," there is (in my
opinion) a preponderance of information on psychic and metaphysical
subjects. If you are looking for a book heavy on magickal subjects,
mystery traditions, and New Age religious beliefs this book may NOT be
for you. If, on the other hand, you want to know more about psychic
phenomena, investigations of those phenomena, and esoteric religious
thought and movements, you will probably want to add this book to your
reference shelf.
As I said at the start of this review, this book isn't designed to be
read through so I skimmed a great deal of it, but dove in periodically
(especially where I was at least moderately familiar with a topic).
Although I found things I could (and did) disagree with, for the most
part I found it to be largely accurate, concise, and easily understood.
These factors encourage me to recommend this book for the general
reader on esoteric topics.
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