Passport to the Supernatural: An Occult Compendium from All Ages & Many Lands

by Bernhardt J. Hurwood

Intended to serve as a graphic evocation of mankind's universal interest and belief in the supernatural, this is a knowledgeable, leisurely ramble through the timeless corridors of the occult. Beginning with the Ancients and drawing on authentic, diverse international sources encompassing Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America, the collection strives for maximum variety in order to highlight both the similarities and differences between various cultures. In addition to the stories themselves, many of which have rarely appeared in print, Mr. Hurwood furnishes much introductory and transitional material of an informative nature, tracing, where possible, the origins of a particular belief and showing how and why it originated and spread until it finally attained its present universality. A new book by the author of The Hag of the Dribble, this able study entertains while enlarging our understanding of man's ageless preoccupation with the unknown.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Folklore, Research, Occult, Reference

319 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 1972

About the author

Bernhardt Jackson Hurwood

Reviews

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meant for juvenile and young-adult readers, this book contains stories— primarily folktales, from various parts of the world. It has the following sections:
I. Spirits and Demons of Biblical Antiquity
II. The Other Worlds of Greece and Rome
III. China
IV. Japan
V. The Third World and Beyond
VI. The Other Worlds of the West
Despite being a little dated, thanks to its publication almost half a century ago, this is a beautiful specimen of sympathetic non-fiction. It’s knowledgeable without being pretentious. The author presents various stories and themes in an erudite manner, without appearing insufferable. Most importantly, it acts as a window for Oriental as well as Occidental mind towards supernatural— as perceived by 'others'.
Recommended.

[Raúl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Antología y estudio pro divertimento de lo sobrenatural a lo largo de la historia y de la geografía mundial. Quizá quede un tanto anticuado, demasiado informal y sea poco riguroso, pero su lectura no deja de ser ilustrativa y nos dé más de un momento de placer "terrorífico".

[M.i. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough and I like the globe spanning stories encompassed in this.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technically I guess this is sort of a re-read, since I picked this up ages ago and skimmed parts of it. Mike Mignola has mentioned this book several times as a source he uses, and it's got a lot of nice bits of somewhat more obscure folklore. It's not really a scholarly work, so much as just a collection of stories, some of them folkloric and some of them purely fictional, but all of them interesting bits.

[Temucano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Potente antología, con sinfín de vampiros, brujos, demonios, hombres lobos, doncellas raposa, invocaciones primigenias a demonios babilónicos, monstruos tan horribles como el pennangalan malayo, singulares espectros odiosos como Johannes Cuntius, héroes polinésicos, las multitudes demoniacas que acosan a Vikram, etc, tanto que no da descanso.

De todo lo leído me quedo con "La calavera chillona" de F. Marion Crawford, singular narración de una calavera espantosa (hasta en sueños me persiguió), y todo el apartado de literatura oriental. Fue un verdadero placer volver a leer a Pu Sung Lin y sus nombres musicales, y sobre todo a Lafcadio Hearn. Su ensayo "Gaki" sobre los niveles espirituales en el budismo japonés y su relación con los insectos es realmente notable; y su relato, "La Leyenda de Yurei Daki" por lejos lo más terrible del libro.

[Ali Raza Moosvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem. Sweeping coverage and I think one of a kind. Engaging, interesting, and eminently readable.