The Occult

The acclaimed author of The Outsider explores occult ideas, practices and figures from Kabbalah to Aleister Crowley in this "fascinating history of magic" (The Washington Post) . Colin Wilson is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost experts on occultism. His classic historical study on the subject is an essential guide to the mind-expanding experiences and discoveries made by occultists through the centuries - from Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa to Giacomo Casanova, Helena Blavatsky, Grigori Rasputin, and many others. More than a chronicle of people and events, however, Wilson has produced a synthesis of the available material, presenting the occult in the light of reason - and reason in the light of the mystical and paranormal. The result is a wide-ranging survey of the subject that provides a comprehensive history of magic, an insightful exploration of our latent powers, and a revelatory journey of enlightenment."This most interesting, informative and thought-provoking book on the subject I have read." - Arthur Calder-Marshall, The Sunday Telegraph