Rooted in myth, mystery and the macabre, Halloween has captured the human imagination for centuries. Long associated with witches, ghouls and encounters with the unknown, it stirs our spirits and inspires our curiosity to this day. Explore the strange and the spectral with our curated selection of books, which deal in topics ranging from the symbolism of sacred rituals and the enigma of twins to the history of graveyards and the mysteries written in the stars.
1. Graveyards
Why, how and where do we inter our dead? How do we choose to remember them? Blending history, art, literature and popular culture, Graveyards explores the often moving – and sometimes surprising – ways in which societies throughout history have approached the ‘problem’ of laying the dead to rest. The discussion spans the rise of necropolises and catacombs, grave-robbing, garden cemeteries and the dangerous overcrowding of the urban dead, to monuments for fallen heroes and the evolution of modern memorial culture. Beautifully designed and meticulously researched, this book offers a lyrical and unexpected look at graveyards as both site and symbol.
2. Murder Maps
Revisit the sites of the 19th century’s most dramatic and intriguing murders, from those carried out by the ‘French Ripper’ Joseph Vacher to H.H. Holmes, the notorious Chicago hotelier. Crime expert Drew Gray’s perilous journey around the world’s most benighted regions features city- or region-wide overviews and meticulously plotted maps illuminating each crime, as well as fascinating insights into the development of police methods and technology, from the introduction of the police whistle to the standardization of the mugshot.
Discover Murder Maps by Drew Gray.
3. Cabinets of Curiosities
'Weird and wonderful … like a catalogue for the repository of the most freakish flights of scientific imagination' The Times
All knowledge, the cosmos arranged on shelves, in cupboards, or hanging from the ceiling, ‘infinite riches in a little room’ – such were the cabinets of curiosities of the 17th century. This survey traces their amazing history, from their first appearance in the inventories and engravings commissioned by Renaissance nobles such as the Medici or the Hapsburgs, via those of the Dane Ole Wurm and the Italian polymath Athanasius Kircher, to the serious 17th- and 18th-century scientists Elias Ashmole and Levinas Vincent.
Discover Cabinets of Curiosities by Patrick Mauriès.
4. Phaenomena
'Published in 1742, this extraordinary work, illustrating everything that was known of the cosmos at the time, is given new life in Giles Sparrow’s edition. This is a book ultimately as accessible to the non-scientist as it is to the specialist … a story of increasing fascination' The Spectator
In 1742, Johann Doppelmayr created his magnificent map of the cosmos, Atlas Coelestis, with intricately drawn plates that chart the constellations, planets, moons and comets. Phaenomena showcases these meticulous diagrams and tables alongside expert decoding and analysis, placing Doppelmayr’s sumptuous Atlas in the context of the groundbreaking discoveries of the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods.
Discover Phaenomena by Giles Sparrow.
5. Underworlds
'A creative compendium of underworldly delights … From Peter Paul Rubens, via 20th-century surrealists such as René Magritte, to contemporary painters including Kara Walker, Ellcock gathers together the painters, poets, divers and archaeologists daring us to look beyond the surface at what lies beneath' Financial Times
Curated by renowned image collector Stephen Ellcock, Underworlds is a darkly evocative compendium of images exploring natural, constructed, imaginary and subconscious underworlds, punctuated by thought-provoking literary, philosophical and spiritual quotations.
Discover Underworlds by Stephen Ellcock.
6. Shamans
Entering trance states, healing body and soul, invoking animals as spirit guides and journeying to incorporeal realms – these skills have been central to shamanism over thousands of years and across much of the world. In Shamans, anthropologist Max Carocci paints a vibrant and in-depth picture of shamanic cultures past and present by exploring an eclectic array of shamanic artefacts and images. From the Evenki shamans of northern and central Asia to contemporary Neo-Shamans of the West, this book decodes the symbolism and explains these extraordinary ritual practices.
Discover Shamans by Max Carocci.
7. The Book of the Dead in 1000 Pieces
Despite its name, the Book of the Dead wasn’t a single ‘book’, but a collection of funerary scrolls created over 2,000 years. These mysterious rites and rituals of death in ancient Egypt are revealed in The Book of the Dead in 1000 Pieces. Witness mourners escorting the departed to their tomb, where a jackal-headed priest recites sacred spells to prepare them for the afterlife. What follows is a treacherous journey through the underworld as they attempt to reach Aaru. Accompanying this 1,000-piece puzzle is a concertina fold-out that provides a fascinating and accessible introduction to the history of the Book of the Dead.
Discover The Book of the Dead in 1000 Pieces by Jen Russell. [Link: TBD]
8. Symbols of the Occult
Discover the fascinating origins and meanings of over 500 signs and symbols with Symbols of the Occult. From the secrets of the Maya calendar to demon-summoning seals and the secretive symbols of hermetic orders, the illustrations in this book trace a visual journey from the myths and legends of the ancient world to icons used modern culture and science. Covering astrology, alchemy, numerology, magic and more, this decoding guide is the ultimate resource for the modern occultist.
Discover Symbols of the Occult by Eric Chaline.
9. A History of Witchcraft
Witchcraft has always been a fluid and intriguing belief system taking many diverse forms, from the worship of the Greek goddess Hecate, through the witch-crazes of the 15th and 16th centuries to the development of modern witchcraft. For over forty years, A History of Witchcraft has provided the authoritative history of witchery and the occult, from the ancient world up to the present day. This updated edition features a new chapter exploring the challenges that witchcraft has faced in the past decade, including the rise of social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok, the coronavirus pandemic and new neopagan groups.
Discover A History of Witchcraft by Jeffrey B. Russell and Brooks Alexander.
10. Twinkind
Throughout history, twins have been revered as gods and reviled as monsters, often regarded with an equal measure of wonder and distrust. Their existence challenges the norm. In Twinkind, William Viney – himself a twin – explores the cultural significance of twins across the globe and throughout history. From the Aztec creation twins Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca to the disconcerting Grady twins in The Shining, Twinkind interrogates twindom in all its facets in a wide range of cultures and media from ancient times to today.
11. Ancient Egyptian Magic
'Lively and engaging … gives an insightful glimpse of what preyed on ancient Egyptian minds' Minerva
Need a love charm? Want to cure a scorpion bite? Fancy flying like a bird? An ancient Egyptian magician would have had just the thing. In Ancient Egyptian Magic, Christina Riggs explores how the Egyptians thought about magic and who performed it, using ancient texts and images to tackle the blurry distinctions between magic, religion and medicine. Along the way, readers will come to understand why we’ve come to think of ancient Egypt in such a mystical, magical way in the first place.
Discover Ancient Egyptian Magic by Christina Riggs.
