The

Occult

A History

By

Colin Wilson

Random House

New York

1971

This interesting work examines the varied and colourful history of the occult arts, describing the earliest shamanic practices, their development into occult traditions and the transmission of the secrets of the arcane down the millennia to the magicians and sorcerers of today. A voluminous work which reveals the origins of nature worship, demonology, alchemy, necromancy, witchcraft and ceremonial magic as well as providing detailed biographies of influential figures in the world of magic such as Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, Eliphas Levi, Aleister Crowley, Arthur Waite and Gerald Gardner to name a few. A fascinating work packed with information within it‘s 600 pages.

 

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Part One: A Survey of the Subject

1. Magic - The Science of the Future

2. The Dark Side of the Moon

3. The Poet as Occultist

Part Two: A History of Magic

1. The Evolution of Man

2. The Magic of Primitive Man

3. Adepts and Initiates

4. The World of the Kabbalists

5. Adepts and Impostors

6. The Nineteenth Century - Magic and Romanticism

7. The Beast Himself

8. Two Russian Mages

Part Three: Man’s Latent Powers

1. Witchcraft and Lycanthropy

2. The Realm of Spirits

3. Glimpses

Bibliography

Index

Book Format:

Octavo, approx 8.3" tall. Book is bound in light brown cloth with maroon lettering to cover and spine; 8 pages of black and white pictures; deckle edges;

Pagination: 603pp;

Condition:

Very good + condition. Boards and spine are in very good + condition; minor bumping to corners; interior is clean with no foxing, underlining or marginalia; Binding is tight.

Price: US$50.00

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