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The Secret History of Dante: Unearthing the Real-Life Mysteries of the Inferno
Mark Booth, author of the international bestseller The Secret History of the World, uncovers the real-life stories of Dante and The Inferno.
Why does Dante describe the Inferno as a real place? What secret society did Dante belong to? What was Dante’s connection with the Knights Templar? What was his secret connection to militant Islamic sects? Here you will find hidden codes, passageways under the streets of Florence, mad monks, mind-bending drugs and terrifying underground rituals. Together they contain all the elements of a great thriller–greed, murder, obsessive love, betrayal–and they reveal a 2,000-year-old conspiracy: to rule the world.
Perfect if you want to understand the mysteries that inspired Dan Brown's novel Inferno, or as a standalone initiation to one of the great turning points in occult history.
Why does Dante describe the Inferno as a real place? What secret society did Dante belong to? What was Dante’s connection with the Knights Templar? What was his secret connection to militant Islamic sects? Here you will find hidden codes, passageways under the streets of Florence, mad monks, mind-bending drugs and terrifying underground rituals. Together they contain all the elements of a great thriller–greed, murder, obsessive love, betrayal–and they reveal a 2,000-year-old conspiracy: to rule the world.
Perfect if you want to understand the mysteries that inspired Dan Brown's novel Inferno, or as a standalone initiation to one of the great turning points in occult history.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
21 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Black
5 books182 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Jonathan Black—real name Mark Booth—was born in Cambridge, UK, and educated at Oriel College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy and Theology. He works in publishing and publishes many bestselling authors and cultural icons. He also publishes many prominent authors in the MBS and ‘alternative history’ fields, including Graham Hancock, Lorna Byrne, Mooji and Rupert Sheldrake.
As an author he has sold over half a million books in the English language and his work has been translated into twenty-one languages. The Secret History of the World was a New York Times bestseller.
Booth has given lectures and interviews at the Royal Academy, Maastricht University and the Marion Institute in Massachusetts. He has been widely interviewed on radio and TV, including BBC Radio 4’s Today and Coast to Coast in the US. He has written articles for the Independent on Sunday, English National Opera, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Mind Body Spirit.
Jonathan Black—real name Mark Booth—was born in Cambridge, UK, and educated at Oriel College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy and Theology. He works in publishing and publishes many bestselling authors and cultural icons. He also publishes many prominent authors in the MBS and ‘alternative history’ fields, including Graham Hancock, Lorna Byrne, Mooji and Rupert Sheldrake.
As an author he has sold over half a million books in the English language and his work has been translated into twenty-one languages. The Secret History of the World was a New York Times bestseller.
Booth has given lectures and interviews at the Royal Academy, Maastricht University and the Marion Institute in Massachusetts. He has been widely interviewed on radio and TV, including BBC Radio 4’s Today and Coast to Coast in the US. He has written articles for the Independent on Sunday, English National Opera, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Mind Body Spirit.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 24, 2014
An enjoyable and informative read with some surprising revelations and insights about Dante and the Mystery Traditions. Unfortunately the Kindle edition has quite a few typos, otherwise I'd have rated it four stars.
November 22, 2017
Lovely little book about Dante‘s life and his work, focusing on his connection to the Templars and the occult symbolism of his writings. Another focus is on initiations by mystery schools, ranging from the ancient Egyptians and Greek, to the Romans and freemasonry.
„Reality has emanated from a great Cosmic Mind in successive stages. These stages are ruled by comic intelligences –angels or gods. Some of these gods and angels are the spirits of the stars and planets –and therefore their movements, as tracked by astrology, influence our lives. By prayer and ceremony we may work with these gods and angels to influence the world and in this way mind may move matter. Human spirits fell down through the successive stages and into matter, forgetting their spiritual origin, and before the end of time will rise again. Each individual human spirit makes this descent before birth, then re-ascends after death –and may make the journey again in subsequent reincarnations. There are certain techniques of initiation by which individuals may be enabled to make this journey while still alive and awake and so access the higher intelligences and even the great Cosmic Mind. There are certain techniques of physiological manipulation and complementary meditation through which individuals may make the journey. These initiations and techniques mark a stage in the transformation of the whole human being, including the physical body, in accordance with a divine plan which is working out through history and which will be completed when the whole cosmos is transfigured.“
„Reality has emanated from a great Cosmic Mind in successive stages. These stages are ruled by comic intelligences –angels or gods. Some of these gods and angels are the spirits of the stars and planets –and therefore their movements, as tracked by astrology, influence our lives. By prayer and ceremony we may work with these gods and angels to influence the world and in this way mind may move matter. Human spirits fell down through the successive stages and into matter, forgetting their spiritual origin, and before the end of time will rise again. Each individual human spirit makes this descent before birth, then re-ascends after death –and may make the journey again in subsequent reincarnations. There are certain techniques of initiation by which individuals may be enabled to make this journey while still alive and awake and so access the higher intelligences and even the great Cosmic Mind. There are certain techniques of physiological manipulation and complementary meditation through which individuals may make the journey. These initiations and techniques mark a stage in the transformation of the whole human being, including the physical body, in accordance with a divine plan which is working out through history and which will be completed when the whole cosmos is transfigured.“
April 15, 2016
Mark Booth’s The Secret History of Dante is a competent introduction to the supposed, and controversial, esoteric/cryptic tradition in the works of Dante Alighieri.
There are chapters on the Knights Templar [and Dante’s connection to them]; a reading of the 6th book of the Aeneid [for those that have not or are too lazy to read Virgil – though Mr. Booth insists on the alternative spelling, Vergil, and never explains why]; a search for the entrance to the inferno [Hell], and many other amusing diversions.
Ultimately, the book does not convince, but for those looking for an introduction to the hidden, or supposedly hidden, aspects of the poet’s works this is an excellent place to begin.
One negative is the book was far shorter than it could have been – in some ways it almost felt rushed and most sections need far deeper readings than what they received. Perhaps Mr. Booth was in a hurry.
Recommended for those with a conspiratorial bent of mind and for those who enjoy light entertainments with an Alt/Speculative History perspective.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
There are chapters on the Knights Templar [and Dante’s connection to them]; a reading of the 6th book of the Aeneid [for those that have not or are too lazy to read Virgil – though Mr. Booth insists on the alternative spelling, Vergil, and never explains why]; a search for the entrance to the inferno [Hell], and many other amusing diversions.
Ultimately, the book does not convince, but for those looking for an introduction to the hidden, or supposedly hidden, aspects of the poet’s works this is an excellent place to begin.
One negative is the book was far shorter than it could have been – in some ways it almost felt rushed and most sections need far deeper readings than what they received. Perhaps Mr. Booth was in a hurry.
Recommended for those with a conspiratorial bent of mind and for those who enjoy light entertainments with an Alt/Speculative History perspective.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
August 1, 2016
Less a "secret" history and more of a "life and times" of Dante, the book did not live up to expectations. I had hoped for a more complete biography and instead, this is an exploration into the influences in Dante's life, hitting hard on Islam and ancient writings to the exclusion of facts about Dante.
July 13, 2013
It's maybe a two and a halfer.... A decent introduction I think to the subject but does waver way off track at times.... The author does however whet the appetite to explore further, so not a bad thing.. This was a good holiday read, instead of the usual mundane thriller.....
August 13, 2016
I’ve never read a book on Dante, so I can’t comment on the veracity of the information, but I can say that it has been a wonderful, uncomplicated, unpretentious, straightforward read.
A good book for a rainy day – offering both entertainment and culture.
A good book for a rainy day – offering both entertainment and culture.
August 27, 2016
Started ok then veered off down a lot of alleys .
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June 23, 2014Very poorly written book. Could not finish it the writing was so bad. I'm glad it was free.
August 13, 2016
too new-agey
May 29, 2014
It was just an ok book. I still want to read the Divine Comedy again to see if I can pick out some of the stuff mentioned in this book
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews