The Ultimate Colin Wilson: Writings on Mysticism, Consciousness and Existentialism

by Colin Stanley, Colin Wilson (Contributor)

The best of Colin Wilson in one fantastic volume. Containing extracts from Wilson's work on existentialism, criminology, psychology and the occult, this is an invaluable introduction to one of the late twentieth-century's most incisive thinkers.

This is a new edition of the classic Colin Wilson collection The Essential Colin Wilson (first published in 1985), updated and introduced by Wilson's bibliographer Colin Stanley. It is the only book to contain extracts from Colin Wilson's most important work in one volume, including The Outsider (1956), A Criminal History of Mankind (1983), The New Existentialism (1966), The Occult (1971), New Pathways in Psychology (1972) and Mysteries (1978), as well as three of his novels and many other texts. Subjects covered include existentialism, criminology, psychology, consciousness studies, the occult and much more. This second edition includes all of the original volume plus six essential post-1985 essays and chapters chosen by Stanley and other Colin Wilson experts including Gary Lachman. These essays provide a much needed update covering aspects of Wilson's work from the 28 years that followed the publication of the first edition to his death in December 2013. This is an invaluable introduction for those approaching one of the late twentieth century's most incisive thinkers for the first time and also a timely reminder, to Colin Wilson's many fans and scholars worldwide, of a unique and challenging body of work.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Psychology, Occult, Audiobook, Spirituality, British Literature

336 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2019

About the author

Colin Stanley is an author and the editor of Colin Wilson Studies.

Reviews

[Cliff M · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s rubbish. Poor CW became madder and more grandiose as the years and books went by (he wrote well over a hundred books, of diminishing - sometimes dismal - quality). Whereas his first book (‘The Outsider’) displayed tenacity and an enormous ability to read and synthesise the works of others (and had the fascinating back story of him sleeping on Hampstead Heath by night and reading in the British Museum all day), his subsequent works display gullibility and pseudo intellectualism at its worst. Which is what we get here, in this one of his many ‘portable CW’ type summaries of his work (he was convinced that it would a collection of his work and ideas that would one day win him a Nobel prize). The thing that grates most in this book - as it does in all of them once you spot it - is his huge leaps of logic, sweeping generalisations, and use of language to try and fool the reader. His theories aren’t theories (not disprovable), his hypotheses circular, his arguments tendentious and his conclusions self-serving. You always know when he is going to say “Obviously” and “It cannot be disputed that” when nothing could be further from the truth. Though Wilson was proud of not being a scientist and not having gone to university, it is his inability to define even rudimentary pop-science level arguments that lets him down most. Even with signs of mental health problems, I have always thought he would have been a better writer with just a bachelor degree level education in science. Simply being taught to construct and deliver research in a more rigorous manner would have helped him, and his readers. He was certainly an intelligent man, that much seems clear. As it was, his books would have earned a D- if delivered in a first year university science course.
Unfortunately, CW didn’t help himself with his constantly repeated refrain that he was a genius / best writer that ever lived / bound to win a Nobel prize (which he really meant). I guess these days he would get diagnosed and treated, but in the 1950’s and 60’s we weren’t where we are today with helping people on the spectrum. To his credit, he seems to have been an affable man to be around (though he generally avoided people).
I think everyone should read The Outsider, but none of his other works after that, as every book you read post TO will probably reduce your regard for Colin Wilson and even for TO. But that doesn’t apply to everyone. I see many reviews on GR from dedicated fans who love his his ability to read, remember and connect (and develop bonkers theories!). There is no harm in that, for sure. And I can understand why GR devotees might worship someone who dedicated his entire life to reading!

[Paul Ataua · Rating 4 out of 5]

I owe so much to Colin Wilson. He was the one who introduced a whole range of thinkers, ideas, and novels to the mid teen ‘outsider’ that I was back in the sixties. He made the likes of Sartre, Camus, Hesse, and Nietzsche accessible despite my having no background in philosophy. He got me interested in philosophy, religion, the occult, and science fiction, and it was in his work that I first encountered the ideas of nothingness and insight that would preoccupy my thinking for years and years. ‘ The Ultimate Colin Wilson’ gave me the welcome opportunity to revisit those books and ideas. I loved going back but was less enthusiastic about Wilson describing his life and intellectual development. I soon became aware that had I been at high school with him, I would have been the one diving into the bushes to avoid him, or rolling my eyes as he explained Hume’s skepticism to a group of his classmates in the playground. Well worth the read for anyone who grew up reading his works.

[John McCool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colin Wilson has written hundreds of books. This book offers a synopsis of his big ideas in a digestible format.

[Anthony Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colin Wilson is PKD + Alan Watts. With maybe slightly less poetic insight than either of them. He's a British empiricist who took the study of social outcasts, philosophy, and the realm of the spiritual and psychic.

Wilson seems to believe in God, but never really gets around to talking to him. In the same way, he has actual methods to trick the body into Samadhi or what he calls Peak Experiences, but seems to fail to find the way to living there, which the other Masters insist is possible.

I've had a Peak Experience or two in waking experience, and several under the influence of ingestible things, but I find that I'm far from living it consciously, daily.

He aligns himself with Nietzsche, in that forceful willpower seems to be the path to life, and I agree that there's definitely a lot in the way of willpower that becomes accessible to us.

I'm gonna read his books, but they seem to be uncommon. I'm not in the habit of buying my reading for the full price.

But he points to others that have recently come under my attention namely Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. Osho went on and on about them too. My to-be read list always grows.

[Mitch Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a compendium of Wilson's writing this is a great way to get an overview of his thinking. It might have been a little better edited cos the exact same examples and ideas get repeated too frequently. Could have been half the length with no loss of information.

I first came across Wilson 25 - 30 years ago & I loved his articulation of some of Gurdlieff's ideas around habitually via his concept of the Robot. I think CW actually does a better job of articulating this notion of humans as living on a kind of autopilot.

But he was a slightly sloppy thinker & for example didn't seem to recognise that Maslow's idea of "Peak Experiences" & the Gurdjieffs idea of human's as living in a kind of sleep were both connected by the notion of habitually. It is habituality that dilutes the vividness of experience. I won't bother reading any more Colin Wilson after reading this but glad for this book to have discovered that.

[Abdul Alhazred · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like a time capsule of a more credulous age back when ESP and poltergeists were legitimate scientific phenomena, and humanity was just on the verge of unlocking psychic powers. A lot of hokum is presented as fact, from simple magic tricks like Uri Geller's spoon bending (spoiler: he bends them with his hands not his mind) to just plain wrong parapsychological research. Arguments recur. A lot. I hope you like the bit about Maslow and peak experience because you'll get to hear it again from 12 different angles, Proust's Madeleine recurs so much you can taste it.
Despite all this there's something compelling about Wilson's existentialist takes and mystical hopefulness. Akin to Robert Anton Wilson spinning you a tale, the fact that he's a kook and what he's saying is mostly wrong falls by the wayside to the good story or interesting idea.

[Jerre Mcquinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colin Wilson was my first encounter with existentialist and phenomenological thought when I was still in my teens. I read him extensively and he introduced me to much of the literature that shaped my personal philosophy: Maslow, Frankl, Dostoyevsky. This re-read was nostalgic and informative, and led me to a new "to-read" (Husserl). Later in life Wilson got into the occult which is where I departed from his views.

[Aliaksei Mukhachou · Rating 5 out of 5]

In bad taste, I must start with 'what a shame'. What a shame Wilson ever got involved with 'the Mystic'. This drop of gobbledygook in a barrel of finest wine has obscured some of his most stellar thoughts from the wider public. Wilson has outstanding insight into the human condition, perfect for modern life. Managing mood swings, conditioning, creativity, self-actualization, happiness. Brilliant nuggets overlooked by many. Thank you Colin.

[Andrei Hognogi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cheater book that brings together multiple ideas, each of them is worthy of an another entire book, and so is filled with gold nuggets. It is slightly structured as a biographical book, so it's easy to go through. I wish we had these kids of books for all other authors.

It's really obvious while reading it that doing so does not make up for reading other books from the authors.

[Leanne Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book may be worth going back to since I enjoyed it at the start. It is long and covers many different topics.

[Jonathan Bartholomew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as a compilation of excerpts van be. Very well put together.

[Kinani Kinani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treasure ✌️

[Xeynsyom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb update of The Essential Colin Wilson. Great, inspiring ideas, even if Wilson is sometimes just a bit too English.