It was only in his forties that civil engineer Albert Louis Caillet (1869–1922) decided to abandon his career to devote himself to the study of psychic sciences. From 1912, he wrote several publications on occultism and created the Société Unitive, whose goal was 'to improve life through a reasoned system of mental, psychic and physical hygiene'. This three-volume compendium, first published in 1912, is an essential reference tool on the literature of the occult. The extensive bibliography lists hundreds of books on subjects as diverse as magic and witchcraft, mythology, divination, the Kabbalah, sects and secret societies, alchemy, ancient medicine, anthropology and philosophy. It includes detailed book descriptions, critical and historical notes, brief biographies of obscure authors and multiple editions of texts. Organised alphabetically, Volume 1 lists authors from A to D.