The Rise of Western Occultism

This is the inside story of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and associated occult offshoots. the author's researches into the conflict between W.B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley are described in detail, as well as the full story of Yeats' early magical training and practices. Francis King also relates the often difficult relationship between Yeats and the influential Kabbalist, MacGregor Mathers. All the major figures in modern western magic feature in this book, which is regarded as one of the major histories of the western esoteric tradition