An Insider's Guide to Robert Anton Wilson

by Eric Wagner

A fair and balanced look at the writing of Robert Anton Wilson and its relationship with the Kaballah, Finnegans Wake, General Semantics, Quantum Mechanics, Ezra Pound, The Wizard of Oz, Aleister Crowley, and a zillion other subjects. Whether you are a newcomer or already familiar with Dr. Wilson's work, welcome to the Weird and Wonderful World of Wilson. This book provides many pointers to ways people can deepen their understanding of the fields which shaped Dr. Wilson's world-view.

Genres: Philosophy, Biography, Nonfiction

237 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2004

Reviews

[Richard Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading for every RAW fan.

As a fan of RAW for years I've wanted a good biography of him. This is exactly that and more. It adds a much needed cohesion between Wilson's life and his writings. More importantly it gives you a great bibliography of the writers and books that influenced his thinking. If you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber you can read it for free. I gave it 4 stars because I wish it was a bit longer and went into some of Wilson's ideas a bit deeper.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very enjoyable. Not really in chapter form, more like a scrapbook

[Tomj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading for serious fans.

[David Seneschal · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good reference material

[keys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only for the hardcore fan, not much in the way of biographical information about the man. The best parts of the book were the RAW bibliography and the RAW recommended reading list. The interview was good also. I read some reviews before reading this book and they all said that it contained too much personal information about the author, I have to agree.

[23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even as a huge RAW fan, this book can get really dense. It often reads like a a college/high school book review. If you are intently studying RAW I could see it being a great aid, but alas I am just a casual enjoyer of the great mind of RAW

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read, and seems to have had Wilson's approval. It would have benefitted from having a biographical section, and parts of the book are spoilt by the author's attempts to write in the style of Wilson.

[Shawn AMKR Dickinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, but I think its a bit short to be a guide to RAW - if you want a better (but by no means complete) overview of RAW watch “Maybe Logic: The Lives & Ideas of Robert Anton Wilson” fantastic official documentary