Spirit Worlds: The Library of Esoterica by Jessica Hundley (Hardback)

A voyage through mysterious and haunted lands, the sixth volume of TASCHEN’s acclaimed Library of Esoterica delves into the art, rituals and global mythologies of the spirit realms. Unearthing our complex beliefs around death, rebirth and resurrection, Spirit Worlds explores the traditions and ancient stories of the afterlife — from the dark domains of ghosts and demons to the light-filled lands of angels and celestial beings.

Across more than 500 pages, and through over 400 works of visionary art, interviews with scholars and practitioners, and insightful essays, the book celebrates the many ways in which we connect with both our ancestors and ourselves as we worship, mythologise and honour our dead. We study the rites of death around the globe, and the ancient monuments and sacred temples we have built out of our sorrow. We explore the altars we create and the communities we nurture as we share our grief with our gods, and the rituals that keep us connected to those we’ve lost.

And we decipher the messages said to reach us from the other side — through mediums and prophets, through the elaborate séances of the Spiritualists, and in the words of oracles and fortune-tellers bent over their crystal balls — alongside artworks that channel not only the muse, but the eloquent, unknown voices and visions of the beyond. In this expansive volume, we board the ferry across the storied river, enter the gloomy passages between lands, and step across the threshold, to part the most sacred of veils.

Perfect for readers who love art and mythology of the afterlife, world traditions of death and remembrance, the occult and the spiritual — and anyone after a beautiful, museum-grade volume to treasure.