The Occult

by Colin Wilson
The Occult
book data
103 ratings, 3.88 average rating, 14 reviews (more data...)
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published
July 28th 2006 (first published 1971) by Duncan Baird Publishers/Watkins

binding
Paperback, 600 pages

isbn
1842931075   (isbn13: 9781842931073)

description
Colin Wilson’s classic work is an essential guide to the mind-expanding experiences and discoveries of the occult in the 20th century. He produc...more






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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 144)



Bob
06/24/07

bookshelves: to-read
Read in June, 2007
This quote from the introduction should illuminate why I am currently thinking of this as a companion to Julian Jaynes: "Primitive man believed the world as full of unseen forces...The Age Of Reason said these forces had only ever existed in man's imagination.."

He then goes on with one of those passages I feel I ought to copy and affix to the bathroom mirror "...the main trouble with human beings is their tendency to become trapped in the 'triviality of everydayness' (to borro...more
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Ibrahim
Ibrahim rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/26/08

bookshelves: cultures
Read in January, 2006
recommended to Ibrahim by: A Syrian intellectual friend
recommends it for: all open minded people, people with a broad scope and not fanatics

As a Christian, I was so afraid to even touch a book like this. But I knew who Colin Wilson was and enjoyed his intriguing style. I read the Occult and could not put it down. It is a really excellent book and it shows you what the human psyche is capable of, which brings to mind books of Tony Buzan who wrote the BBC use your mind series. You will not sin if you pick up such a book and plunge into it and see what the word "OCCULT" really means, apart from the phobia and hysteria that ...more
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erik graff
05/04/08

bookshelves: religion
Read in January, 1971
recommended to erik by: Michael Miley
recommends it for: persons seeking entertainment in the odd
This is not one of Wilson's better books. Given the topic, it should be hard to miss and, indeed, the text contains many juicy anecdotes and outrageous tales. What is lacking is a thesis or a canon of judgment whereby what is to be taken seriously, in the author's opinion, is distinguished from what is merely silly or pretentious. Instead, one is fed a not very nutritious stew of this and that.
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Scott
Scott rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/18/08

Read in January, 2007
Everything you could want to know about the Occult. Impress you friends and neighbors with anecdotes about Rosicrucianism, Alexander Sanders, The Golden Dawn, Dion Fortune, on and on. Wilson covers thousands of years of black magic and shares his own ideas on why man searched, found, and lost such powers and how we might get it back.
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Jayaprakash
Faculty X righty-ho! I love this book. It's a wide-randing survey of the western occult tradition and a suitably cranky contribution to that tradition in its own right. Great stuff, clearly written in that style just manages to sit a step or two above mediocre, take with lots of pinches of salt.
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Gabriel
Gabriel rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
08/01/08

A delightful look at the history of the occult and the charlatans who've been claiming themselves magicians ever since the age of Paracelsus. Big, but worth it if for nothing else, as an introduction to Gurdjieff, and a perfect synopsis of the life of Aleister Cowley.
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Steve
Steve rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
07/18/08

Read in January, 1983
I read this before I knew better. While the writing is good and the subject matter is entertaining, I discovered later that the book contains several factual errors and what seems to be deliberate misinformation.
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Joseph
Joseph rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
04/19/08

bookshelves: non-fiction
Not at all what I imagined going into it. This book is not a survey of the occult, but rather focuses on a few key figures and why they were able to come to such prominence.
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Andy
Andy rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
02/05/08

Read in January, 1985
Exhaustive survey of...the Occult. Covers Madame Blavatsky, Gurdjieff, Aleister Crowley, and various lesser table knockers.
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Michael Shilling
Michael rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/03/07

Occult 101. Takes you through all the black magicians and alchemists, including Gurdjieff, Crowley, Blavatsky, and The Golden Dawn.
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Bruce
Bruce rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/29/07

Read in January, 1980
Very entertaining history of the occult throughout history, though some of its "history" must be taken with a grain of salt.
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Molly
Molly rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/26/08

pretty good encyclopedia of occult til the last part on women
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Niina
Niina rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
02/09/08

bookshelves: occult
A classic. And definitely the hideous 70s edition.
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oh carlyn
a good reference book, if not a little daunting.
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Churpa
Churpa rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/29/08

bookshelves: history

Richard Lee
Richard rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
11/28/08


Jay
Jay is currently reading it
11/27/08

bookshelves: currently-reading


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The Occult (Paperback)
The Occult: A History (Paperback)
The Occult (Paperback)
The Occult: A History (Hardback)
The Occult (Hardcover)