Occult Bookshops, Banned Books – Lecture

At a time of great censorship, the occult bookstore in Britain was a refuge of ideas and inspiration for alternative thinkers.

In this online lecture, Dr Shai Feraro discusses Britain's famous 'mystical' bookshops from 1890 – 2000. In these places, a customer could buy books that many considered dangerous and frightening – books that had to be carefully wrapped before leaving the premises. If a member of the public found these books of 'rejected knowledge', they would often take them to a priest for exorcism or burn them upon a bonfire. 

Nonetheless, for its customers, the occult bookshop was a haven of vital conversation and creativity. Within its walls, you could meet a witch, sorcerer, left-field artist or free-thinking intellectual. You could find rich answers to strange questions, collaborate with others magically and even write your own banned book. (Indeed, that's how many of them got published.) Expect to learn all about the history of these imagination-stirring places, their role in shaping Britain's occult movement as a whole, and why they're still relevant today.

Hosted by the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic for Banned Books Week, we recommend this lecture to all who believe in the value of books, magic and freedom of information.

Shai Feraro PhD is a Research Fellow at the University of Haifa and teaches at the Open University of Israel. He also serves as Secretary of the Israeli Association for the Study of Religions. His recent publications include Women and Gender Issues in British Paganism, 1945-1990 (2020), as well as the co-edited Contemporary Alternative Spiritualities in Israel (2016) and Magic and Witchery in the Modern West (2019), all published by Palgrave Macmillan.

The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall, is an internationally popular museum dedicated to education and exhibition of objects related to the modern occult movements including Wicca, Druidry, Traditional Craft, and folk magic.