Most Popular Books by Colin Wilson

The Encyclopedia of Crime is an authoritative, wide-ranging and engaging history of the world''s most famous crimes and criminals. Entries are presented alphabetically making this vast compendium an easy-to-use reference. In-depth portraits of true crime''s most extraordinary characters are here, from serial rapists to glamorous gangsters, from ruthless killers to train robbers. Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone, Ruth Ellis, Charles Manson, Jack the Ripper, the Krays, Harold Shipman - three specialist authors describe the captivating stories that lie behind such infamous names. Criminal activities and techniques are explored, revealing an extraordinary range of weapons, along with a thorough investigation in to the science of crime, from footprints to genetic fingerprinting. The development of methods to bring justice to convicted criminals is covered, as are the exciting tales of the lucky few who have made famous escapes, for example from Alcatraz or Dartmoor. Fully updated for 2008, The Encyclopedia of Crime is an essential addition to the library of any true crime aficionado.

''What an unforgettable, really great evocation. Terrible and tragic insight ... An important book.'' - Sunday Times ''Not since Dickens has a British fiction writer dealt with murder in a book of such size and seriousness.'' - Sunday Express ''Brilliant ... Magnificent! Murder mystery raised to major art!'' - Chicago Sun-Times ''[A] powerful metaphysical thriller.... It is fascinating to think about; but it is no less fascinating to read and re-read.'' - Nicolas Tredell Gerard Sorme is a lonely young Londoner at work on his first novel, in which he intends to express his belief in the meaninglessness of life. His life changes suddenly in unexpected ways when he befriends Austin Nunne, a wealthy and charming gay man with violent sexual desires, and meets Austin''s circle of friends: Gertrude, his well-meaning but naive Jehovah''s Witness aunt, the ugly but kindly Father Carruthers, and a strange and fanatical artist named Oliver Glasp. Meanwhile, someone else is busy exposing life''s meaninglessness in a different way: a serial killer is brutally murdering women in Whitechapel in a manner reminiscent of the Jack the Ripper slayings. The police suspect a crazed sex maniac, but Gerard has his own theory of the killer''s motives. As the killings continue and the investigation proceeds, Gerard suddenly finds himself haunted by a terrible suspicion: could his new friend Austin Nunne have anything to do with the crimes? Colin Wilson''s classic first novel, Ritual in the Dark (1960), remains a chilling page-turner, a brilliant fusion of murder mystery and existential philosophy. This edition is newly typeset from the first London edition and includes the author''s introduction to the 1993 edition and a new foreword by Wilson scholar and bibliographer Colin Stanley.

Newman and Littleway are two researchers who make astonishing discoveries abou the human mind. Armed with unheard-of powers of heightened consciousness, they catapult themselves into the deep recesses of history--finally to a confrontation with the creators of the human race.

This fascinating, in-depth account of how serial killers are tracked down and caught is by Colin Wilson, one of the world''s leading authorities on the subject. Wilson''s thorough tome covers the tried-and-true methods from the beginning of the 20th century to the cutting-edge, innovative processes now featured on shows such as CSI. The illustrated book includes 15 black-and-white images of victims, killers, and crime scenes. This is an exceptional book for a society morbidly fascinated by this unsettling topic.

Galerij van schijvers die in zich hun leven en/of werk buiten de algemeen begane paden van de seksualiteit begaven. Uitgangspunt van deze studie is de hypothese van de Hongaarse psychologe Charlotte Bach (die na haar dood een man in vrouwenkleren bleek te zijn) dat ''seksueel geperverteerden'' verder geëvolueerd zijn dan mensen die seksueel ''normaal'' zijn. Aandacht voor o.a. Sade, Byron, Goethe, Gogol, Swinburne, Proust, Jack the Ripper en Mishima.

The acclaimed author of The Occult presents a groundbreaking theory of unexplained phenomena from ghosts and magic to the power of the unconscious. A renowned expert on the subject of occultism, Colin Wilson''s sequel to his masterwork, The Occult, is "a major work" in its own right. In The Mysteries, Wilson continues his the investigation into magic, the paranormal, and the supernatural through extensive research as well as his own extraordinary first-hand experiences. The result is "an extraordinary tour de force" of scholarship ( New Science). Through a personal mystical experience, Wilson discovered that human beings consist of a ladder—or hierarchy—of selves, whose upper members may be called upon at will for personal transformation and deep knowledge. This experience inspired him to apply this insight to all paranormal phenomena, from precognition to Uri Geller''s spoon bending. Wilson presents detailed studies of hauntings, possession and demonic hypnosis, as well as magic, the Kabbalah, and astrology. At the heart of his work is a fascinating discussion of the Great Secret of the alchemists, which he sees as the key to the mystery of the ladder of selves.

A study of the phenomenon of ghosts and the powers of the mind that examines tales of hauntings that have been recorded throughout history and from around the world.

In this compelling book, Colin Wilson argues that thousands of years before ancient Egypt and Greece held sway, there was a great civilization whose ships traveled the world from China to Antarctica. Their advanced knowledge of science, mathematics, and astronomy was passed on to descendants who escaped to Egypt and South America. From Atlantis to the Sphinx bases this assertion on a true fact: that archaeologists and geologists are at odds over the age of the Sphinx. Archaeologists claim that the Sphinx dates to classical dynastic Egypt, around 2,400 b.c. But some geologists claim that it could have been built as early as 7,000 to 10,500 b.c. The geologists'' claim is based on the curious fact that the erosion of the Sphinx is more characteristic of water erosion than that of wind and sand. Starting from the assumption that there was an advanced civilization in existence much earlier than previously thought, Wilson goes on to claim that it could very well be Atlantis--not a literal island that sank, but more of a great civilization that either declined naturally or experienced a great catastrophe, passing on only a fraction of its knowledge to other peoples. From Atlantis to the Sphinx delves into what might have been a completely different knowledge system from that of modern man--one as alien to us as that of the Martians. The book sets out to reconstruct that ancient knowledge in a fascinating exploration of the remote depths of history, a ground-breaking attempt to understand how these long-forgotten peoples thought, felt, and communicated with the universe.

" We consider that we are constantly aware of the passage of time, and yet we understand next to nothing of its nature. In an instinctive way, we accept time as invariant, immutable, and feel somehow that the foundations of our world are rocking when we are told that the passage of time does indeed vary, depending on the situation of the person measuring that passage. Our surprise is a result of thousands of years of conditioning, during which Man has measured time with ever greater accuracy and hence come increasingly to rely upon its inviolability. The book takes as its subject time and Man''s relationship with it. The scope includes many aspects of philosophy, hstory, anthropology, horology and physical science, and it is this multidisciplinary nature which is the source of The Book of Time''s unique fascination. Among the topics discussed are the measurements of time, from the earliest crude sundials to the most refined modern atomic clocks, the development of the calendar, the cycle of the seasons, biological clocks and ''bodytime'', the measurement of the timescales of the reote past over the thirteen billion years since the Universe was born, and the phenomena that defy all normal rules of common sense and yet are direct manifestations of the real nature of time. ''The Book of Time'' is, in addition, full of absorbing sidelights on subjects as diverse at the harmony of the spheres, the reasons why all human beings have approximately the same pulse-rate, the evolution of the clock escapement, and the possibilities of time travel and the paradoxes inherent therein. ''The Book of Time'' is by a panel of seven distinguished authors, each of whom has written that section of the book most closely allied to his own field." -- Book Jacket.

In this classic book on UFOs, bestselling author Colin Wilson, a renowned authority on the paranormal, examines the evidence and develops a definitive theory of the alien contact phenomenon. Alien Dawn covers Wilson''s investigation into documented evidence of strange and unexplained phenomena, including UFOs, poltergeists, ancient folklore, time slips, out-of-body experiences, mystical awareness, and psychic travel to other worlds. The result: a fascinating and encyclopedic study of the complex nature of reality. This is one of the most comprehensive explorations of the subject undertaken, with conclusions sure to shock the reader, whether believer or skeptic. Features a new introduction by the author.

Presents the life and work of one of the most influential psychological theorists of modern times, George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff. This examination of a psychologist and teacher of genius also provides an introduction to the philosophy of Gurdjieff. This work presents the life and work of one of the most influential psychological theorists of modern times. George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff is one of the most enigmatic figures of our time. He attracted legends as easily as disciples. But behind the Gurdjieff myth lies a solid corpus of thought, the importance of which is only now being generally recognized. At its heart was the idea of ''the war against sleep'', the fact that man, in Colin Wilson''s words, is like ''a grandfather clock driven by a watch-spring''. This brilliant and much praised examination of a psychologist and teacher of genius has established itself as the most important and accessible account for the general reader of Gurdjieff''s life and work. This edition has been revised and expanded, providing the definitive introduction to the philosophy of Gurdjieff.

About the life of Grigori Rasputin and his influence on the Romanov royal family of Russia.

Kit Butler, a composer in his late thirties, is drawn by a girlfriend into a secret interaction group operating in the Highlands of Scotland, where experiments in sensory deprivation are probing new frontiers in the mind.