Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Groundbreaking and Original Masterpiece, Pure Genius, 29 Aug 2006
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
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
the gospel according to mr wilson, 25 Jul 2006
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One for the Students, 15 Jun 2005
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.This book is part of a trillogy (the occult, Mysteries and byond the occult). It is a fantastic refrence guide if you what to study the occult and paraphycology. It's many case studies give a spring board into the history and belifes of occultists. As part of a trilogy it expands the case studies and Colins' personal theories. It is just a starting point and Colin constantly pitches his theory that man has these powers naturally but doesn't know how to unlock them, he calls this faculty X. Aside from this I found this book to be very informative and allowed me to continue my studies by searching for more information about the cases in this book. A must have for those who just want to learn. For a deeper look at his theory of Faculty X read this book then go on to the spiderworld fiction novels (which are worth a read any way).
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