Book excerpt: Three authoritative yet accessible reference books explaining the terms, concepts, histories, and significant personalities of occult systems and practices. Dictionary of Satanism is a concise yet wide-ranging reference guide for the casual reader. It features essential information on the important concepts, issues, people, places, and events associated with Satanism. Also covered are the myriad forms and names that satanic worship has taken from ancient times to the present. Following its original publication in 1818, Collin de Plancy’s Dictionary of Witchcraft became a landmark study of demonology and the occult. A significant influence on the Romantic literary movement and notably consulted by author Victor Hugo, de Plancy’s work remains an essential reference text for any student of the dark arts. Dictionary of Pagan Religions offers a wide-ranging survey of the many religious cults that have flourished around the world from the Stone Age to the present. From Egyptian to Celtic traditions and Gnosticism to Cabala, coauthors Harry E. Wedeck and Wade Baskin have compiled information about the rites, rituals, and influences of these religious systems.