A painting depicting a woman in a red classical-style dress seated at a stone desk. She is leaning forward with her chin resting in her hand, looking intently at an open book. On the table before her are a human skull and various pieces of alchemical glassware, including a flask containing a glowing red liquid. The scene is lit by a warm, golden light suggesting a study or laboratory environment. This is the 1893 painting 'The Love Philtre' by John Collier.

THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

by Manly P. Hall

[1928, copyright not renewed]

For once, here is a book that truly lives up to its title. Hall self-published this massive volume in 1928. It consists of about 200 large-format pages printed in small type; it is literally his great work original: "magnum opus". Each of the nearly 50 chapters is so packed with information that it is the equivalent of an entire short book. If you read this work in its entirety, you will be well-prepared to explore subjects such as the Kabbalah original: "Qabbala"; a school of Jewish mysticism, Alchemy, Tarot, Ceremonial Magic, Neo-Platonic Philosophy, Mystery Religions, and the history of Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry. Although there are some questionable and controversial sections—such as the outdated material on Islam, the portion regarding the Bacon-Shakespeare hypothesis The theory that Francis Bacon was the true author of William Shakespeare’s plays, and Hall's conspiracy theory of history as being driven by an elite group of immortal masters—these are far outweighed by the comprehensive information provided on other subjects.

For many years, this book was only available in a large-format edition that was difficult to obtain and very expensive. However, an affordable paperback version has finally been released (see the side column).