HISTORY · BIOGRAPHY
Gary Lachman
Also known as: Gary Valentine Lachman, Gary, Lachman
Hidden, secret, esoteric, unknown: these are some dictionary definitions for "occult."
— from A Dark Muse, 2004
Most acclaimed
Aleister Crowley
"This definitive work on the occult's 'great beast' traces the arc of his controversial life and influence on rock-and-roll giants, from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath. When Aleister Crowley died in 1947, he was not an obvious contender for the most enduring pop-culture figure of the next century. But twenty years later, Crowley's name and image were everywhere. The Beatles put him on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Rolling Stones were briefly serious devotees. Today, his visage hangs in goth clubs, occult temples, and college dorm rooms, and his methods of ceremonial magick animate the passions of myriad occultists and spiritual seekers. Aleister Crowley is more than just a biography of this compelling, controversial, and divisive figure--it's also a portrait of his unparalleled influence on modern pop culture"--
Face It
Harry recounts her path from glorious commercial success to heroin addiction, the near-death of partner Chris Stein, a heart-wrenching bankruptcy, and Blondie's breakup as a band to her multifaceted acting career in more than thirty films, a stunning solo career and the triumphant return of her band, and her tireless advocacy for the environment and LGBTQ rights.
Rudolf Steiner
1987
The first truly popular biography of the influential twentieth-century mystic and educator who-while widely known for founding the Waldorf schools and other educational and humanitarian movements-remains a mystery to many who benefit from his ideas. People everywhere have heard of Waldorf schools, Biodynamic farming, Camphill Villages, and other innovations of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). Indeed, Steiner-as an architect, artist, teacher, and agriculturalist-ranks among the most creative and prolific figures of the early twentieth century, pioneering work in alternative education, holistic health, and environmental research. While his accomplishments are felt all over the world, few people understand this unusual figure. Steinerʼs own writings and lectures fill several bookcases, intimidating those who would like to know more. Works on Steiner are often dense and ʺinsiderʺ in tone, further deterring the curious. No popular biography, written by a sympathetic but critical outsider, has been available. Gary Lachmanʼs Rudolf Steiner provides this missing introduction. Along with telling Steinerʼs story and placing Steiner in his historical context, Lachmanʼs book presents Steinerʼs key ideas in a readable, accessible manner. In particular, Lachman considers the spread of Steinerʼs most popular projects, which include Waldorf schools-one of the leading forms of alternative education-and Biodynamic farming-a popular precursor to organic farming. He also traces Steinerʼs beginnings as a young intellectual in the ferment of fin de si?cle culture, to his rise as a thought leader within the influential occult movement of Theosophy, to the founding of his own metaphysical teaching called Anthroposophy. Finally, the book illustrates how Steinerʼs methods are put into practice today, and relates Steinerʼs insights into cosmology to the work of current thinkers. Rudolf Steiner is a full-bodied portrait of one of the most original philosophical and spiritual luminaries of the last two centuries, and gives those interested in the history of ideas the opportunity to discover one of the most underappreciated figures of the twentieth century. Includes information on anti-Semitism, astral body, aura, Annie Besant, Madame Blavatsky (Helena Petrovna), Christ, Christianity, consciousness, Aleister Crowley, death, dreams, etheric body, biodynamic agriculture, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Goetheanum, Jews, karma, materialism, reincarnation, soul, women, etc.