Have you ever dreamed of having a vintage occult library right in your own home? A dusty, antique sanctuary full of eldritch secrets, like something out of Miskatonic University?
While vaulted ceilings and dire artifacts might be out of reach for most of us, you can ensure your bookshelves are forever stocked with one-of-a-kind, darkly bound hexes and spells. This is your short, go-to guide to the best vintage occult booksellers.
Warning: if you see a book and fall in love with it, buy it! Books tend to sell out quickly because there is usually only one in stock (re: special limited editions). However, the same book, different edition, is sometimes re-stocked.
Cemetery Gates
Cemetery Gates, an “afterlife-based vintage and handmade boutique with a penchant for the macabre,” is the mecca for vintage occult books – especially for you witchy folks. In addition to books, this shop has a myriad of other dark goods, including jewelry; bar & home goods; medical, occult, and morbid ephemera; and even taxidermy.
Book recommendations:
Witchcraft for Tomorrow (1978) by Doreen Valiente
The Devil of To-day: How He Works (1906)
Geography of Witchcraft (1965) by Montague Summers
Pugsley’s Room
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Pugsley’s Room is a dealer in antiques and oddities. While they specialize in vintage books (their edition of The Bell Jar is particularly gorgeous) their occult treasures are worth noting. You might think of Cemetery Gates as the purveyor of witchcraft books and Pugsley’s Room as the purveyor of alien and UFO texts.
Book recommendations (all books can be found on the same page):
Born Again: The Truth About Reincarnation by Hans Holzer
Flying Saucers: The Startling Evidence of the Invasion from Outer Space by Coral E. Lorenzen
American Vampires by Norine Dresser
Gothic Rose Antiques
The antiquated raven aesthetic of Gothic Rose’s homepage lets you know they’re not messing around – like Cemetery Gates, books sell fast. Besides occult books, Gothic Rose also sells magic books, fairy tales, and fiction such as Stephen King and Anne Rice – though you can be sure these editions are not the ones you’d see in Barnes and Noble.
Gold Rush Ghosts of Placerville, Coloma, & Georgetown by Linda J. Bottjer
Drum & Candle (vintage Voodoo book) by David St. Clair
Vintage Vampire books by Anne Rice
Peter Harrington, London
Now, if you’re willing to spend a pretty penny – and I mean it, these books cost a pretty penny – Peter Harrington is the place to buy. One of the “leading rare book firms in the world,” this shop is the high brow of the vintage occult booksellers (and for good reason, as some of these books date from as far back as the 1500s). Their collection is robust, impressive, and well-stocked.
And if you boast of having a vintage occult library, your library can’t be without an Aleister Crowley text. Thankfully, Peter Harrington has oodles of his books to choose from.
Book Recommendations:
Moonchild (1929) by Aleister Crowley
The Essentials of Mysticism (1920) by Evelyn Underhill
Le Tarot de Marseille (1949) by Paul Marteau
Happy stocking!
