>>1576 That's massively unhelpful. I want an overview of major occult movements from the Golden Dawn onwards, not the name of the single most famous occultist of the period (and therefore someone I've almost certainly already heard of).
>>1583 That sounds ideal: many thanks. Would you recommend his other book ('Aleister Crowley and the 20th Century Synthesis of Magick') as well? And are there any similar books that leap to mind for the pre-1947 stuff?
>>1584 You're welcome. I've not read any of Dave Evan's other books so I can't comment on them. For pre 1947 British occultism try Mary Greer's 'Women of the Golden Dawn'.
Another question, if I may:
For all that 'Look into Crowley' was unhelpful, he's obviously a hugely significant figure. Which of the many biographies would you recommend? Again, I'm looking for balance and insight rather than sensationalism.
I posted the second lot of links (93 (ho ho) and 94).
For Serious Reading I'd recommed Symonds as his biography is balanced. I haven't yet read Kaczynski but he might be the closest to the 'Official OTO historian' if you like that sort of thing.
You really ought to read the Beast himself, though. Get his 'Autohagiography' The Confessions of Aleister Crowley. It is a hoot.
>>1597 Which Symonds biography in particular? From a quick look online, it seems he wrote at least four: The Great Beast, (1952), The Magic of Aleister Crowley (1958), The King of the Shadow Realm (1989) and The Beast 666 (1997). And no, I can't say as I'm a huge fan of the official OTO view, as I'm still seething at how wildly misleading the blurb on the back of the current edition 'Diary Of A Drug Fiend' is...
I did ask about 'Confessions' at my local bookshop a few months ago, and they seemed a) bewildered, and b) to think it was out of print, but I shall go and bother them about it again tomorrow, as the Evans book >>1583 recommended has apparently arrived.
>>1636 I will do, though since it seems to be out of print at the moment, and second hand copies are ludicrously expensive, it'll have to wait until I can find somewhere to print out the e-book at a reasonable price, as reading umpty-hundred pages on screen gives me brain ache. Just started on The Eye In The Triangle at the moment, and Perdurabo is sitting on my shelf waiting for me after that. I think my local bookshop(s) would like to thank both you and >>1583 as well...
Any suggestions where to start with the Qabbalah/Kabbalah/Wossname? There seem to be endless books out there, and I have no idea how to sort the wheat from the chaff.
>>1653 >>1654 Um... at risk of revaling my intellectual laziness, I was hoping for a couple of book recommendations that give an overview rather than a place to begin actual study... I should doubtless have been clearer in >>1651. Apologies. The links look fascinating, and have been bookmarked, but seem (admittedly on a very brief look) more in-depth than I have the brainpower to process at present. I should probably have just asked whether Mathers, Fortune, or insert-name-here were any good really, shouldn't I?