The Whys and the Wherefores of the Occult Library

As we mark our first week since launching The Occult Library, we’d like to address a question which many have no doubt considered. This is the question of “Why” we chose to begin such a project. While the answer to this question is multifaceted, a number of central concerns guided our efforts.

The foremost concern is the lack of a centralized resource for compiling & detailing the works of occult publishers. While a great number of occult publishers offer their works to the community, no singular resource has been established to detail bibliographic information across multiple publishing houses.

The need for such a resource concerns many groups: practitioners, researchers, collectors, casual readers, and so forth. While we have faith in the ability of these groups to search & discern for themselves, we did identify a great deal of needs related to both content discovery and the prevalence of misinformation.

To address the first concern: While there exists a small group of publishers that given circles are aware of, there exists a larger group which readers may rarely – if ever – encounter. We asked how these readers might find and seek out such publications.

In the so-called ‘old days,’ one would enter an occult bookshop, browse a shelf, and uncover an entire span of previously unencountered books & publishers. While the web is vast, it does not always offer the same kind of efficiency and browsing that a traditional shop displays. Our goal is to offer a similar experience to that of a physical library or shop – insofar as our  platform allows for efficient content discovery.

As for the second concern: Over the course of many years, a number of troubling patterns regarding misinformation have been identified in the occult literary milieu. While these are numerous, the most urgent patterns center on the misattribution of book editions, and a secondhand market culture which is detrimental to the buyer.

One common example is the pattern of standard edition texts finding themselves listed on the secondhand market as misattributed ‘deluxe’ editions. This is not only detrimental to the buyer: it also muddies the waters of the publication community, and brings the secondhand culture into disrepute.

Another common example is the inflated rate of secondhand offerings which are sometimes sold while the same publication remains in current print by the publisher at its original cost. In this case, the consequences are the same.

In turn, The Occult Library became focused on listing both the publication status and original price of works within the community. This effort was established in hope of combating misinformation regarding editions, as well as an often-inflated secondhand market.

All of these goals were central during the 2018 creation of a community spreadsheet detailing editions, publication status, and cost. However, this effort became far too time consuming, and the need for a navigable and ready platform was needed.

In turn, The Occult Library was established with the time and effort of volunteers concerned with improving and strengthening the occult community.

We believe this resource will shape and grow the community for the better, and we look forward to continually working towards this goal.

With warm wishes for the new year,

– The Occult Library Staff