Secret Teachings of all Ages

If you have any thoughts on creating new worlds – perhaps you work in games development, are tackling a brief for an in-store experiential fantasy, or you think you are Elon Musk or otherwise have big corners of your big mind to fill – then this is the book for you. It turns out that the great thoughts of the ancient, philosophical pondering and occult knowledge passed down through religions of varying substance, nailed much of our pop culture styling a whole lot earlier than pop itself. Crazy clothing, scary creatures, weird gestures, mysterious marks, apocalyptic weather … it’s all been done before. If you can think it, it turns out somebody out there will believe it. Now you can “borrow” the inspiration, remix, and excite new audiences. Manly Palmer Hall (1901-1990) did that hard graft for us back in the 1920s, with his wide travels and earnest, extensive research. However, it was his decision to hire the artists J. Augustus Knapp and Mihran Serailian to support his work that made the book into something to truly treasure. You don’t have to pay €500 for a copy of this classic cult text. Indeed, a search on Amazon and you can find various reprints for as little as 50 cents (plus shipping). What makes the new limited edition worth the added €499.50 or thereabouts, is that it looks amazing and is an exquisite print collectible. Taschen adds to their version of the original an entire companion volume, with additional artwork from the archives, plus a portfolio of prints.

Not cheap but surely tax-deductible?

Taschen’s limited-edition book comes in a spiritually-uplifting slipcase.