Nnthe occult book colin wilson

Colin wilsons classic work is an essential guide to the mindexpanding experiences and discoveries of the occult in the 20th century. A history is a 1971 nonfiction occult book by english writer, colin wilson. Topics covered include aleister crowley, george gurdjieff, helena blavatsky, kabbalah, primitive magic, franz mesmer, grigori rasputin, daniel dunglas home, paracelsus, p. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. The occult by colin wilson penguin books new zealand. Colin wilson was one of the most prolific and eclectic writers of the 20th century. For a few dazzling months, colin wilson, who has died aged 82, was taken at his own valuation in his diary as the major literary genius of our century, a writer destined to be platos ideal. An investigation into the occult, the paranormal and the supernatural by colin wilson and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. He produces a wonderfully skillful synthesis of the available materialone that sees the occult in the light of reason and reason in the light of the mystical and paranormal. When i asked gravess advice on writing a book on the occult, it came in one. Read this book many years ago and its good to now have a kindle version of this classic work. Colin wilson s glumness entranced me as a budding teenage.

Indeed, my own experience was that i too was a strong sceptic on the occult before i read the book, but the book opened my mind largely and in. Colin wilson utilizes a wideranging survey of paranormal experience to explain his own theory of the sixth sense, showing how it is at the center of all occult phenomenon and offering an insightful exploration of humanitys latent powers. Anyone interested in the occult needs to put this on their reading list and check out colin wilsons other works on the subject and related themes. Colin henry wilson 26 june 1931 5 december 20 was an english writer, philosopher and novelist. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Wilson also convincingly outlines his own theory about the psychic occult abilities of certain people. In more than 150 books and countless articles and contributions to other works, published over 50 years, he. Colin wilsons book the occult, revisited brad spurgeons blog. The occult was a kind of awakening in an excerpt from its posthumous reissue, the onetime angry young man explains how this book freed him of that sensationalist tag, and. He wrote many books, both fiction and nonfiction, on subjects such as the. Colin wilson has 376 books on goodreads with 97317 ratings. Featuring a new introduction by the author, occult provides a powerful synthesis of available material. The occult by colin wilson is an amazing compendium of occult practices and some of their bizzarre and eccentric adherents. This reception of his first book at the age of 24 was a high critical watermark for wilson which he did not achieve again until the publication of the occult in 1971 after which he enjoyed a long and fruitful career as a writer, philosopher, novelist, lecturer and broadcaster until his death in 20.

Colin wilsons great classic work is a comprehensive history of mystery and magic. New haven sda temple brooklyn, ny recommended for you. Wilson is one of the most important and most intellectual writers in the genre, along with nandor fodor. The ultimate guide for those who would walk with the. The completed book, dedicated to graves, was published on october 4, 1971 with a distinctive dust jacket, in the uk, depicting a large open eye. Ouspensky, william blake, giacomo casanova, heinrich cornelius agrippa, and various others. Including key chapters from many of wilsons most important fiction and nonfiction works, the essential colin wilson was first published in 1985 and has since acted as an introduction to. Colin wilson wrote the outsider in the reading room of the british museum while spending his nights in a sleeping bag on hampstead heath. This was the first apparently serious book on the occult i had discovered, and after a childhood spent lost in timelife books on aliens, mysteries. Colin wilson, grandfather of the occult, wanted his readers to. Colin wilson, consciousness and the occult by colin. Colin wilsons first book the outsider became an instant literary sensation when it was first published in the fifties. Colin wilson s classic work is an essential guide to the mindexpanding experiences and discoveries of the occult in the 20th century.