Stanley's writing is fitting tribute to the writer and thinker Colin Wilson who, as one expert, George C. Poulos, predicts: "Looking back..., will [Colin Wilson] be acknowledged as the philosopher to have most influenced events in the 21st century." Following Colin Wilson's death in December 2013 will his work reach a wider readership and Poulos' prediction come true? The 'Occult Trilogy' is the collective label applied to Colin Wilson's three major works on the occult: The Occult (1971); Mysteries: an Investigation into the Occult, the Paranormal and the Supernatural (1978) and Beyond the Occult (1988). They amounted to a monumental 1600 pages and have spawned many other lesser works. Colin Stanley's thorough and fascinating overview gives the reader a firm grounding in this enormously important subject, and lays a solid foundation for its future development. Gary Lachman, author of: The Secret History of Consciousnes, Jung the Mystic, Turn Off Your Mind and Madame Blavatsky