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Review
"The Occult is the most interesting, informative and thought-provoking book on the subject I have read" Sunday Telegraph
Product Description
Colin Wilson's great classic work is the essential guidebook to the mind-expanding experiences and discoveries of the 20th Century. His genius lies in producing a skilful synthesis of the available material; clarifying without simplifying, seeing the occult in the light of reason and reason in the light of the mystical and paranormal. It is a journey of enlightenment. He provides a wide-ranging survey of the whole subject, a comprehensive history of "magic" and an insightful exploration of Man's latent powers and brings his own refreshingly optimistic and stimulating interpretation to the worlds of the paranormal, the occult and the supernatural. This new edition has a new introduction by Colin Wilson. Originally published by Grafton Books under isbn 0586 05050 7
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
I think that the main reason this book garners such mixed reviews these days is because in many ways it has dated quite badly. It's nearly 40 years old, and sometimes it shows. On the positive side, it is still a fascinating ramble through the history of Magic and Spiritualism, and its most famous practitioners (John Dee, Aleister Crowley, Madame Blavatsky, Daniel Douglas Home, Cagliostro etc etc). When he's talking about them the book is very absorbing indeed. Wilson also comes across as being on some kind of mission, to get the reader to develop their minds and reach out beyond the mundane and the narrow. This is all very laudable, particularly in this superficial day and age, and at times it's highly stimulating, at other times it can feel like he's nagging!
What I felt let the book down for me is when goes off on tangents that aren't really very interesting, (when you've heard one case-history of reincarnation, take it from me, you've heard them all) which I suppose is inevitable is a work that is nearly 800 pages long. Wilson can at times be far too self-reverential, and also he isn't always objective enough. He blindly adores Gurdjieff, (who just comes across as something of a bit of a a dreary old fart), has very 1950s views on women and homosexuality (the best of which I can say about these views is that they are "quaint"), and some of the paranormal incidents he narrates are dodgy to say the least. For example, when discussing Spontaneous Combustion, he cites the hoary old tale of Maybelle Andrews bursting into flames when dancing in a Soho nightclub many years ago. This would undoubtedly be a tragic and disturbing story ... if Maybelle had ever existed. She didn't. Some writers and journalists took the case of a young woman called Phyllis who died of severe burns after a discarded cigarette set her party frock alight, and turned it into Maybelle spontaneously combusting.
All trashing aside though, this is still a book I fully recommend for anyone who is interested in the history of the paranormal, and Mr Wilson, (a very well-read man), leads us through it in a nicely painless way.
What I felt let the book down for me is when goes off on tangents that aren't really very interesting, (when you've heard one case-history of reincarnation, take it from me, you've heard them all) which I suppose is inevitable is a work that is nearly 800 pages long. Wilson can at times be far too self-reverential, and also he isn't always objective enough. He blindly adores Gurdjieff, (who just comes across as something of a bit of a a dreary old fart), has very 1950s views on women and homosexuality (the best of which I can say about these views is that they are "quaint"), and some of the paranormal incidents he narrates are dodgy to say the least. For example, when discussing Spontaneous Combustion, he cites the hoary old tale of Maybelle Andrews bursting into flames when dancing in a Soho nightclub many years ago. This would undoubtedly be a tragic and disturbing story ... if Maybelle had ever existed. She didn't. Some writers and journalists took the case of a young woman called Phyllis who died of severe burns after a discarded cigarette set her party frock alight, and turned it into Maybelle spontaneously combusting.
All trashing aside though, this is still a book I fully recommend for anyone who is interested in the history of the paranormal, and Mr Wilson, (a very well-read man), leads us through it in a nicely painless way.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
50 STARS. I have to write and disagree with almost all the reviewers below. The Occult by Colin Wilson is, quite simply, a work of astonishing genius. I read this book in the early 1980's in its original green and black format, having read nothing at all by him before. Within a few paragraphs, he had me hooked, pure and simple. I looked forward to reading the next bit every day. I read almost everything else he published afterwards, and continue to do so; the reprint of Criminal History is great news, but I believe Wilsons narrative genius is fully manifest here, where he can weave his philosophy and erudition into the occult history with magnificent flair.
There are passages in this book which are simply breathtakingly well written. Wilson is a disciple of Shaw, and it shows. The book is full of ironic commentary and acute observation.
I dont know where the other reviewers got their '1950s' writing comment from, they obviously cant recognise a great stylist. These are the people that queue up in the rain to listen to Ian McEwan rattle his cufflinks.
The book does give a concise history of the occult, and Wilsons conclusions are well-made, consistent and, even though a few facts may have been misquoted, it does not detract from the power of the book to inform and entertain. It is, quite simply, one of the greatest books you will ever read
There are passages in this book which are simply breathtakingly well written. Wilson is a disciple of Shaw, and it shows. The book is full of ironic commentary and acute observation.
I dont know where the other reviewers got their '1950s' writing comment from, they obviously cant recognise a great stylist. These are the people that queue up in the rain to listen to Ian McEwan rattle his cufflinks.
The book does give a concise history of the occult, and Wilsons conclusions are well-made, consistent and, even though a few facts may have been misquoted, it does not detract from the power of the book to inform and entertain. It is, quite simply, one of the greatest books you will ever read
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
I love this book. The version I have is from several decades ago and features an amazingly psychedelic 70s cover in two-tone green and black. The book itself is unlike anything you'll find these days. It was written decades ago and as such is very dated in its assumptions and conclusions. Nevertheless, I believe this adds to its charm as there is something innocent about the way he writes and his thirst to explore. Wilson explores a wide variety of occult phenomena ranging from magick to ghosts to ufos to werewolves. All the chapters have eccentric titles and he weaves from one subject to the other, whilst giving a detailed biography of many famous occult characters, notably Aleister Crowley, Emmanuel Swedenborg, the Golden Dawn, Helen Blavatsky to name a few. Although I doubt many of his theories would stand up to empirical scrutiny (especially in this age of obsessive skepticism) and he often relates stories as fact relying on dubiously reported evidence, this book is delightful in its passion for the subject and Wilson writes in a charming and olde-worldly fashion which takes the imagination on a journey into the past as well as the unknown.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A big enjoyable read
This is a very big read but it is also an enjoyable read. It strips away all of the mystery from occultism, making the subject less untouchable. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Oneness
Interesting ..... but treat with caution
I opened this book at random in the library and there were two glaring mistakes on the first page I looked at ..... Read more
Published on 23 April 2008 by Tempestas
Not looking so good in the 21st century...
Firstly let me explain my perspective. Its probably fair to say that there is often something of a tug-of-war between science and the occult. Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2007 by jz
One for the Students
This book is not called How to perform occult rituals for a reason. If that's what you're after, not the book for you. Read more
Published on 15 Jun 2005 by "alinvalhalla"
Interesting but not what I had expected
I will not engage in any pleasantries, this book was not at all what I had expected. Mostly I was expecting something that would explain the history of the Occult, listing its... Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2004 by D. M. York
Fun, but no practical advice
This is a fun book to dip into. There's a pretty good history of magic which goes into just about everything. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2004 by Vince Cabrera
dated and uninteresting
If you can get past the dated 1950s style of writing, some of the book provides an historical review of the occult. Read more
Published on 30 Sep 2003 by andreia popa
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