UK edition The Dedalus Book of the Occult: A Dark Muse

 

“It’s a sure thing that anyone with a taste for literary esoterica and magical history will learn something from A Dark Muse. It’s a cavernous grotto full of dark glittering jewels, but one haunted by the shades of so many intriguing characters that keeping to the true path is difficult, and you lose your way forever. Verdict – Fine encyclopedia of occult lives and thought. 9/10″ – Mark Pilkington in Fortean Times

“Brisk, workmanlike and lucid, this is a survey of ‘adventurous souls’ whose output was the reverse: ‘often crazy, sometimes hilarious and, on occasion, clearly insane’. Lachman’s gallery of occultists ranges from the hypnotist Mesmer (1734-1815), whose salon had ‘an orgy-like atmosphere’, through Goethe and Balzac (who achieved enlightenment by drinking an estimated 50,000 cups of coffee), to Algernon Blackwood, an early TV celebrity who wrote the original Starlight Express, and Aleister Crowley – aka the Great Beast 666. – Christopher Hirst in The Independent

“Lachman’s highly enjoyable survey makes lots of good points and all the right connections.” - Suzi Feay in The Independent on Sunday. Read the review.

“A fascinating look into how occultism has moved and inspired some of the most influential figures in literature and the arts – this book has inspired me to search out my own dark muse…” – Kirk Hammet, lead guitarist for Metallica