Allow Me to Introduce: An Insider's Guide to the Occult

by Lon Milo DuQuette, Brandy Williams (Foreword)

A guided tour to the occult and esoteric worlds from a beloved author and scholar For over 30 years Lon Milo DuQuette has written incisively about the tarot, magick, Qabalah, and divination and provided introductory material for the most renowned authors on these topics, such as Aleister Crowley, Israel Regardie, John Dee, Frater Achad, Rodney Orpheus, H. P. Lovecraft, Phyllis Seckler, John Michael Greer, Susan Montag, Donald Michael Kraig, and many others. Considered as a whole this collection of writings provides an invaluable introduction to many aspects and personalities of the occult and esoteric worlds by one of the foremost authorities on such arcane subjects. Collected here are Lon’s best writings, each crafted with an eye toward the importance and immortality of the work with his studied insight and scholarship, along with his renowned sense of humor.

Genres: Occult, Nonfiction, Magick, Spirituality, History, Anthologies, Witchcraft

224 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2020

About the author

Lon Milo DuQuette is an American singer-song writer, author, lecturer, and occultist, best known as an author who applies humor in the field of Western Hermeticism.

Born in Long Beach, California and raised in Columbus, Nebraska, he was an aspiring studio musician and recording artist in the 1970s, releasing two singles and an album, Charley D. and Milo, on the Epic Records label.

He married to his high school sweetheart, Constance Jean Duquette. They live in Costa Mesa, California and have one son, Jean-Paul.

Since 1975 he has been a National and International governing officer of Ordo Templi Orientis, a religious and fraternal organization founded in the early part of the 20th century. Since 1996 he has been the O.T.O.'s United States Deputy Grand Master and one of the most visible members of the Order. He is also an Archbishop of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, the ecclesiastical arm of O.T.O.

Reviews

[luvcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a book about books, after reading it you'll end up wanting to read a ton of books, you'll discover books that you never thought about reading and you'll have a general introductory idea to what to read about the occult, as the title of the book points out.
The fact that Lon can bring to the reader such profound spiritual insights with only introductions to books means a lot, and the fact that me, who always skips the introductions of books could finish this book, also means a lot. You know Lon, anything that he writes is easy, fun and clear to read, even if it's about complex and abstract ideas, he accomplishes this without diluting their wisdom.

Even though I enjoyed it, I must admit that I expected something completely different than a book about introductions of books and I felt somewhat disappointed at first, that's why the four stars.
I would have liked more personal recommendations of books and not just the books where he wrote introductions for the authors.

By the way, if you go to my profile you can find a special shelf with all the books that he introduces.

[A B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a first - I've never heard of, let alone read, a book compiled of other books' introductions.

I wouldn't have picked this book up if I'd known that. I truly thought this would be an introduction to the occult, you know, given that's the title.

Instead, it is a very clever, very literal title. It's not an introduction to the occult. It's a collection of introductions. This might be of more interest to seasoned occultists, or at these those more familiar with the topic.

It has its merits, though. It can be used a starting point for further research into areas of interest within the occult, for example exploring classic works dating as far back as John Dee, or specific works on qabalah practice. There are many charming anecdotes and extra tidbits that a reader of Mr. DuQuette's might not have otherwise discovered, as you would need to read the specific edition of a specific book to read these introductions. A black cat quite literally led the author to Aleister Crowley's seminal book.

[Edric Unsane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a collection of Lon Milo DuQuette's introductions, forwards, and afterwords to books. I liked the layout of the book and it was written well. While I was reading the book I found myself questioning whether this book needed to be published or not. Although I am glad it was published, I'd rather find the books that are referenced instead.

[Shadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book that gives you an insight into different works on the occult from the eyes of Lon Milo Duquette as penned by him on the different introductions on the works presented on this book. A good book if you are looking for something to read regarding the occult but are unsure on what to read. An occult book sampler at best but with a good insight regarding the works presented.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed his voice, I can see why he was asked to write for his friends.
He is warm and fully aware of how his perspective differs from the average reader. Inspiring level of self awareness.

It really feels like an intro (with a reading list) to this often demonised section of spirituality. I would recommend just for the historical context.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely accessible (and entertaining) survey of major occult concepts/traditions/figures. If you're interested in the western occultism broadly, this will give you a great jumping off point to delve into a specific subject. The books cited in the footnotes are an invaluable resource.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time reading a book consisting of just prefaces to other books. While entertaining (because of DuQuette's writing style), this could have been a blog or a website. This does not seem the right medium.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick impressions: A good book for folks wanting an introduction, an entry point into some key occult and esoteric topics. Read some of the essays then decide if you want to go deeper or not.

(Detailed review with reading notes on my blog soon.)

[Chad Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, all Duquette books are, but get a copy editor...

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long’s introductions are well written and eloquent as well as fun. However they will make you want to hunt down every text he introduces and is redundant if you own many of the books in question.

[Pucho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, I really enjoyed it, I highly recommend it for beginners and those (already) knowledgeable on the subject matter of Occultism!

[Linus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read by the great Lon Milo Duquette: insightful, funny and very informative!

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of stories. The author seems very self assured and simplistic, which was refreshing. That being said, nothing in the book truly caught my eye and it wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before.