Watkins Books: Staff Picks for September

The erudite employees of Watkins Books are back this month with another pair of reading recommendations to grace the top of your late summer to-be-read pile.

 

The Magical History of Britain by Martin Wall (Amberley Publishing)

 

“Well sourced, fascinating story of the hidden side of Britain. This book has lots of interesting anecdotes and forgotten details, recounting Britain’s history of magic from King Arthur to John Dee to William Blake to Aleister Crowley. A great summer read!”

 

 

 

 

Selected by Archibald Smythe


The Doctrine of Vibration – An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism by Mark S.G. Dyczkowski (State University of New York Press)

“It’s sort of baffling to think about when reading it, but Dyczkowski wrote this profound and seminal work it in his late 20s. The way in which he shows a deep understanding of both Eastern and Western philosophy, comparing what he terms the ‘idealistic realism’ of the non-dual tantra of medieval Kashmir and the metaphysics of Heidegger and Pseudo-Dionysius, is highly impressive and makes it somewhat easier for a Western student to get a grip of the quite technical terminology of Abhinavagupta and the other tantric luminaries. However, I think what’s most appealing to me about this book, is how much love, passion and practical knowledge of this tradition that Mark has, and how this makes what’s basically a scholarly work into a brilliant source of inspiration for anyone interested in practical mysticism.”

Selected by Carl Nordblom

 

The Magical History of Britain and The Doctrine of Vibration – An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism are both available from Watkins Books.

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