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The Seeker's Guide to The Secret Teachings of All Ages: The Authorized Companion to Manly P. Hall's Esoteric Landmark
A KEY TO THE MYSTERIES
No other book in history has done more to clarify the Esoteric, mystical, and occult traditions of the world than Manly P. Hall’s The Secret Teachings of All Ages. Now, historian Mitch Horowitz provides the first companion work to Hall’s opus. The Secret Teachings of All Ages helps twenty=first-century readers enter and experience (or re-experience) Hall’s hallowed pages and also clarifies and expands on some of the book’s key themes and topics.
Mitch explores developments and historical discoveries since hall published his “Great Book” nearly a century ago and adds fresh dimensions to subjects Authorized by Manly P. Hall’s Philosophical Research Society, The Secret Teachings of All Ages is a feast of esoteric exploration on its own and a worthy companion to history’s unparalleled encyclopedia arcana.
“Mitch is a fantastic tour guide to the fringes of reason, high weirdness, deep esoterica, secret societies, and mystery religions.” – BoingBoing
“Has the rare gift of making the esoteric accessible to discerning masses.” – HuffPost
No other book in history has done more to clarify the Esoteric, mystical, and occult traditions of the world than Manly P. Hall’s The Secret Teachings of All Ages. Now, historian Mitch Horowitz provides the first companion work to Hall’s opus. The Secret Teachings of All Ages helps twenty=first-century readers enter and experience (or re-experience) Hall’s hallowed pages and also clarifies and expands on some of the book’s key themes and topics.
Mitch explores developments and historical discoveries since hall published his “Great Book” nearly a century ago and adds fresh dimensions to subjects Authorized by Manly P. Hall’s Philosophical Research Society, The Secret Teachings of All Ages is a feast of esoteric exploration on its own and a worthy companion to history’s unparalleled encyclopedia arcana.
“Mitch is a fantastic tour guide to the fringes of reason, high weirdness, deep esoterica, secret societies, and mystery religions.” – BoingBoing
“Has the rare gift of making the esoteric accessible to discerning masses.” – HuffPost
362 pages, Paperback
Published October 13, 2020
71 people are currently reading
351 people want to read
About the author
Mitch Horowitz
260 books230 followersMITCH HOROWITZ is the editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin and the author OCCULT AMERICA: THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOW MYSTICISM SHAPED OUR NATION (Bantam, Sept '09), which has been called "a fascinating book" by Ken Burns and "extraordinary" by Deepak Chopra. Visit him online at www.MitchHorowitz.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 22, 2021
A gentle toe-dip into Manly P. Hall's work, life, collections, and insights.
April 25, 2022
Excellent, wide-ranging overview of an important and difficult primary text. This is an excellent primer on Manly Hall in general, but specifically on The Secret Teachings of All Ages.
October 9, 2021
Providing a brief overview of the numerous topics covered in Brother Manly P. Hall’s the Secret Teachings of All Ages, Mitch Horowitz includes his own personal understanding and practices in a text that will surely motivate the reader to explore Brother Hall’s work while also encouraging the reader to delve into personal studies and find meaning in relation to the reader’s life.
February 16, 2022
I liked this book but I really feel like it is one I need to come back to and revisit again. There is just SO MUCH info that it really is hard to take it all in at once.
July 17, 2025
2.5 Stars
Audiobook
While I enjoyed Horowitz’s perspective and unbiased approach in Occult America, and most of it in this book,
And The Secret Teachings of All Ages had a profound impact on me,
I found this book mostly unnecessary.
It reminded me of a book I read as a child named The Truth Behind a Series of Unfortunate Events.
That book, while not completely inaccurate or not entertaining, felt like I bizarre sidestep and springboard from the series that I loved so much.
Similarly, this book, while it had some interesting takes, it didn’t do what I had desired:
It failed to expand upon, illuminate and update the ideas presented in TSTOAA.
And while I like Horowitz, he’s starting to chafe me with frequent references to his own works, contributions, and sometimes word-for-word repeats of things he had written in Occult America (a better book, despite being written 10+ years earlier, as well as what felt like he had said in this book already, as well as sometimes in the same sentence.
Some good perspectives, but not worth the ride.
Feels like it was made under a rushed time limit.
Audiobook
While I enjoyed Horowitz’s perspective and unbiased approach in Occult America, and most of it in this book,
And The Secret Teachings of All Ages had a profound impact on me,
I found this book mostly unnecessary.
It reminded me of a book I read as a child named The Truth Behind a Series of Unfortunate Events.
That book, while not completely inaccurate or not entertaining, felt like I bizarre sidestep and springboard from the series that I loved so much.
Similarly, this book, while it had some interesting takes, it didn’t do what I had desired:
It failed to expand upon, illuminate and update the ideas presented in TSTOAA.
And while I like Horowitz, he’s starting to chafe me with frequent references to his own works, contributions, and sometimes word-for-word repeats of things he had written in Occult America (a better book, despite being written 10+ years earlier, as well as what felt like he had said in this book already, as well as sometimes in the same sentence.
Some good perspectives, but not worth the ride.
Feels like it was made under a rushed time limit.
October 4, 2020
Great and well researched, wonderful read also.
I could not ask for a better elucidation of Manly Palmer Hall than this and he does to a pretty good extent capture the essences and realities of Manly Hall with a few comfortable blanks that the reader can fill in to their satisfaction. I am not going to ramble too much in my review except to mean if you are serious, get a copy of this book and fill in the blanks in other ways with it.
I could not ask for a better elucidation of Manly Palmer Hall than this and he does to a pretty good extent capture the essences and realities of Manly Hall with a few comfortable blanks that the reader can fill in to their satisfaction. I am not going to ramble too much in my review except to mean if you are serious, get a copy of this book and fill in the blanks in other ways with it.
September 23, 2025
audiobook. interesting book. I'd never heard of the book or author this book is about .... who knows what keyword i was searching for when this popped up. but has definitely whetted my appetite to read the real Secret Teachings of all Ages .... maybe just maybe it's the book I've been looking for for several years now. and what is that??? you ask.... well if it IS I'll let you know. ... *suspenseful silence
February 15, 2022
neat highlights of Hall’s Opus
Having slogged through Hall’s dense work several times, Horowitz set off positive bells regarding what I read and didn’t always understand when reading Hall. There are lots of refs to other works that compliment the opus. It’s an easy, lively read.
Having slogged through Hall’s dense work several times, Horowitz set off positive bells regarding what I read and didn’t always understand when reading Hall. There are lots of refs to other works that compliment the opus. It’s an easy, lively read.
January 26, 2024
Just ok.
His chapter about Judaism and the Kabbalah left out the real, savage teachings of the Talmud - then he mentioned he’s Jewish and it tainted the chapter. Makes me wonder what other omissions are found in his work to further certain narratives.
His chapter about Judaism and the Kabbalah left out the real, savage teachings of the Talmud - then he mentioned he’s Jewish and it tainted the chapter. Makes me wonder what other omissions are found in his work to further certain narratives.
May 17, 2021
While I like the author's personality he seems to believe sources that I have seen discredited
January 3, 2026
I found this book to be a very helpful summary of a book i eventually want to read, “The Secret Teachings of All Ages” by Manly P. Hall.
Great work by Mitch Horowitz!
Great work by Mitch Horowitz!
August 2, 2024
Really excellent both a as a companion to the Secret Teachings of All Ages, and as a love letter to Western Esotericism. Strong recommend.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews