The study of the western esoteric can encompass a wide array of disciplines. Listed below are some specialized dictionaries that are a useful place for a scholar to begin to researching core topics in the field of western esotericism, religion and history.
- Eliade, Mircea ed. Encyclopedia of Religion. London: Collier Macmillan, 1986.
- Hanegraaff, Wouter J. ed. Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism. Leiden: Brill, 2006.
- Faivre, Antoine. Western Esotericism: A Concise History. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2010.
- Arthur Versluis. Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esotericism. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007.
- Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney. Hidden Wisdom: Secrets of Western Esoteric Tradition. New York : Penguin/Arkana, 1999.
- Henrik Bogdan. Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2007.
Hortus in Bibliothecae 