- Paperback: 462 pages
- Publisher: State University of New York Press (28 Oct 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 079142152X
- ISBN-13: 978-0791421529
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.5 x 0.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 563,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful romp through the history of esoteric and would-be esoteric movements from the mid- to late eighteenth century through to the beginning of the twentieth. Virtually every order or movement during the period is treated, from the well-known to the obscure. Likewise, the biographical dimension of the book deals with famous characters such as H.P.Blavatsky and S.L.MacGregor Mathers whilst also focusing on lesser-known, yet equally fascinating figures such as P.B.Randolph, Hargrave Jennings and Allan Bennett. The cast of characters is impressively extensive as is the impartiality and respect with which the author treats each one. We have neither the venom which we find for example in some of the Blavatsky-haters, nor the slavish bias of a devotee to one or another movement. Still more impressive is the way in which the author manages to include such a range of characters and philosophies and yet give sufficient detail for the reader to appreciate the key features of each. The author also does a magnificent job of presenting the cross-currents - both historical and philosophical - between the different movements (the Theosophical Society-Spiritualism dynamic for example, or the multitude of cross-currents between Eastern and Western esotericism). And all this in a way which is both profoundly erudite and accessible to the non-academic reader. Apart from the obligatory excursions to the East - principally to India and to Buddhism - the book limits itself to esotericism in the English-speaking world, so Eliphas Levi only gets a look-in due to his relationships to the English-speaking protagonists, and Rudolf Steiner only gets a few passing mentions. But some such parameters are necessary if the material is to be manageable. As it is Joscelyn Godwin introduces us to, and explores a fascinating range of characters, practices and perspectives in a way that has the unputdownability of a well-crafted novel.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
My favorite book of all time . . . honest!
28 Dec 2004
Format:Paperback
This book was published over ten years ago and yet, as I write this, it has gotten only two reviews here on Amazon. It deserves far better than that, although I respect and agree with the reviews that precede this. But let me say a bit more.
The 19th century was a pivotal time, especially in the field of religion, spirituality, and inner experience. The beginnings of anthropology and the theories of Darwin threw conventional religion for a loop and induced many seekers to pursue the twilight zones of Spiritualism, the Occult, Theosophy, and Magic. Godwin takes the reader on a tour of the highways and byways of this milieu and does so in a delightfully droll manner. We are introduced to a marvelous cast of eccentric thinkers -- including those who were inclined to think that all religion could be traced back to "worship of the generative organs" as the Victorians put it.
Despite all my reading about the 19th century occult revival, I don't think I ever really got a handle on it in its totality until I read Godwin's book. I've found it invaluable ever since. In fact, I pull this book off the shelf every year or two and read it through again -- finding new things every time.
Were I forced to choose ten "desert island books" to take with me, this would head my list. No doubt this is not true for everyone, but if the names of Godfrey Higgins, Bulwer Lytton, Anna Kingsford, Emma Hardinge Britten, Madame Blavatsky, or Cagliostro ring a bell, then this is the book for you.
The 19th century was a pivotal time, especially in the field of religion, spirituality, and inner experience. The beginnings of anthropology and the theories of Darwin threw conventional religion for a loop and induced many seekers to pursue the twilight zones of Spiritualism, the Occult, Theosophy, and Magic. Godwin takes the reader on a tour of the highways and byways of this milieu and does so in a delightfully droll manner. We are introduced to a marvelous cast of eccentric thinkers -- including those who were inclined to think that all religion could be traced back to "worship of the generative organs" as the Victorians put it.
Despite all my reading about the 19th century occult revival, I don't think I ever really got a handle on it in its totality until I read Godwin's book. I've found it invaluable ever since. In fact, I pull this book off the shelf every year or two and read it through again -- finding new things every time.
Were I forced to choose ten "desert island books" to take with me, this would head my list. No doubt this is not true for everyone, but if the names of Godfrey Higgins, Bulwer Lytton, Anna Kingsford, Emma Hardinge Britten, Madame Blavatsky, or Cagliostro ring a bell, then this is the book for you.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
A unique work on an important topic
4 Mar 2000
Format:Paperback
This is an as yet unequalled study on an aspect of the cultural history of the West (and in particular of the English-speaking world) which has up to now been under-rated. The so-called occult, despite its important place in the dynamics of cultural interaction, has not been granted its proper place in history, not so much because of any particular "conspiracy" but rather due - paradoxically - to a "Victorian" view by which "history" is mainly or exclusively limited to political, military and economic problems. The early aspects of the impact of the Theosophical movement on Anglo-American culture have been documented here, and it is to be hoped that it will stimulate other researchers to explore this many-faceted topic.
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful
A History of Occult Ideas and Personalities
10 July 2000
Format:Paperback
Godwin's work is vital for those who truly wish to understand Anglo-speaking occultism. While the book claims that the Theosophical Movement is more influenced by the skeptical Enlightenment, I do not find the evidence for that point compelling, since for Godwin what he means by "the Enlightenment" is really anti-Christian resentment. The book should be read as a history of occult ideas in the 18th and 19th centuries of Britain and America, not as a judge on the Theosophical Movement as a whole. As a history of that subject, it is wonderful, and no other books like it exist.
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