Unfortunately the book is also extremely propagandistic, advancing many ‘facts’ which are either questionable or
known to be false - for example the chapter recounting a supposed LaVey/Marilyn Monroe affair, and the final
chapter with several distortions concerning the post-III Church of Satan. Moreover the personality profiles are
unrepresentative of the mainstream of post-III Satanists both within and without the San Francisco area. Specific
details may be checked with III°+ officials, or with any II°+ Setian owning a copy of #6N. An interesting photo
section is included in #6M. Burton Wolfe also wrote another book which is of interest, if only as a curiosity, to
collectors of C/S memorabilia: The Devil and Dr. Noxin (San Francisco: Wild West Publishing House, 1973). This
paperback is a political-satire play picking generally on Richard Nixon but incidentally on several other political
personalities of that time. Ritual sequences and philosophical principles from the 1966-68 Church of Satan are
included as a running theme throughout the play, and are favorably/seriously treated. Oddly enough The Devil and
Dr. Noxin was not publicized nor promoted by LaVey at the time of its publication or, as far as I know, thereafter.”
JL: “Taken with a large grain of salt because of the self-serving exaggerations and inaccuracies, this colorful portrait
of Anton LaVey nonetheless illustrates the first steps that he and others around him took ca. 1966-68 towards
developing the Church and Age of Satan.”
6N. The Church of Satan by Michael A. Aquino. San Francisco: CreateSpace, 2013. (TOS-3) (TRP-3) (LVT-1)
MA: “As a religious institution consecrated by and literally acknowledging the Prince of Darkness, the Church of
Satan enjoyed an inspiring, and occasionally either thrilling or terrifying, existence from 1966 to 1975. Beginning as
a whimsical and satirical countercultural statement against the social and institutionally-religious hypocrisy of the
1960s, the Church of Satan proceeded to evolve into a positive, sincere, and [to its own surprise] virtuous
organization, though not without periodic individual and group growing pains: the consequence of allegiance to a
supernatural entity only dimly apprehended and understood by Western Judæo-Christianized civilization. From its
1979 1st Edition to this 2013 8th, The Church of Satan remains the only complete documentary history of that
fascinating and bizarre adventure, from Anton & Diane LaVey’s founding of the Church in their San Francisco home
to its surprising dissolution into a secular business a decade later and metaphysical supersession by the Temple of
Set. Ever since its 1981 2nd Edition, The Church of Satan’s growing size made it impossible to print. This 8th
Edition finally fits all of the text and plates into fewer than 500 pages: 285,300 words, 39 chapters, 73 color plates.
[A companion The Church of Satan II volume (also available in this same format & distribution) contains all 161
Appendices in a similar-sized B&W book. Both volumes should be acquired and read together.]”
http://www.amazon.com/Michael-A.-Aquino/e/B01GEWRIMU
6O. Houses That Kill by Roger de Lafforest. NY: Berkley Medallion Books #425-02620-125, 1972. (TOS-5)
(TRP-5) MA: “Anton LaVey originally intended to follow #6L with a collection of essays entitled From the Devil’s
Notebook. Among these was to be an essay on Satanic architecture in general and the Law of the Trapezoid in
particular [discussed in #6N]. Mention of #6O was censored from the Church of Satan’s newsletter by LaVey
because it appeared to preempt the planned FTDN essay. #6O suffers from a certain amount of sensationalism, but
it is a first step into the unexplored region of ‘negative architecture’. Chapters on open/closed air, types of
afflictions, cancer, waves and currents, walls, retention of memories (‘haunted houses’), and remedies &
precautions. Certain infamous case studies are offered.” DW: “If this one doesn’t send you over the deep end, try his
Fate Control.”
6P. Hollywood Babylon (San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books, 1975) and Hollywood Babylon II (NY: New
American Library, 1984) by Kenneth Anger. [Deutschland: Hollywood Babylon (2 Bände). Rogner & Bernhard
Verlag, München, 1985.] (COS-1) (TOS-3) MA: “Anger is an ‘underground film maker’ [whose style anticipated
today’s ‘music videos’ by about 20 years] who became fascinated with Aleister Crowley and with Anton LaVey
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during the early days of the Church of Satan. [Anger’s films Scorpio Rising and Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome
contain Crowley themes, while Invocation of my Demon Brother includes a cameo appearance by Anton LaVey. The
most recent version of Lucifer Rising, despite its title, includes no C/S themes.] Anger’s view of Hollywood is
characterized by savage, decadent nostalgia - captured to perfection in Hollywood Babylon I/II. Anton LaVey was
gripped by many of the same emotions in the 1973-75 period, with a resultant influence on the Church of Satan as
discussed in #6N. [For a ‘tourist guidebook’ to many of the sites discussed in HBI/II, see Richard Lamparski’s
Lamparski’s Hidden Hollywood (NY: Simon & Schuster, 1981). It contains capsule biographies, addresses, and
photos of the various stars of HB vintage, among which is a misleading account of Marilyn Monroe derived in part
from Anton LaVey.] [See also The Movie Lover’s Guide to Hollywood by Richard Alleman (NY: Harper & Row/
Harper Colophon Books #CN1262, 1985) for an excellent on-site guidebook complete with addresses, descriptions,
photos, and maps. Another good guide is Ken Schessler’s This Is Hollywood (Los Angeles: Southern California Book
Company, 1984): ‘Hundreds of exciting and unusual places to visit, including historical sites, landmarks, murders,
suicides, graves.’]”
6Q. The Second Coming: Satanism in America by Arthur Lyons. NY: Dodd, Mead, 1970. (COS-3) (TOS-3) AL:
“Discusses our Church from an objective standpoint, shows how the media have maligned our Order, and gives
concise comparisons with the beliefs of some of the ‘Satanic cults’.” MA: “A ‘lightweight’ historical survey of
Satanism, concluding with ‘magazine-story’ coverage of the Church of Satan. Lyons was a I° C/S whose active
participation in the Church was limited to San Francisco ca. 1969. In 1988 this book was extensively revised,
expanded, updated, and republished (NY: Mysterious Press) under the title Satan Wants You: The Cult of Devil
Worship in America. New chapters analyze and expose the ‘criminal Satanism’ scare of the 1980s. The new edition’s
only drawback is that Lyons, apparently out of personal devotion to Anton LaVey, significantly misrepresents the
crisis of 1975 in the Church of Satan and portrays that institution as continuing unabated. In a similar vein he
distorts the origins and post-1975 development of the Temple of Set. Lyons corrected some of the more blatant
errors in the subsequent paperback edition of this book by the same publisher, but the LaVey-obsequiousness
continues. Although Satan Wants You is the more current and sophisticated of Lyons books, therefore, The Second
Coming remains the more honest one.”
6R. Rasputin by Colin Wilson. London: Panther Books, 1966. (COS-3) AL: “An insight into the workings of a
truly Satanic magician.” MA: “Anton LaVey was strongly impressed by Rasputin both as an individual and as a
social influence. This is most evident from the ‘Russian’ section of #6L.”
6S. Pedlar of Death: The Life of Sir Basil Zaharoff
by Donald McCormick. London: Macdonald & Co., 1965.
(TOS-3) MA: “Zaharoff was a European munitions agent from 1877 to his death in 1936. He was also a behind-the-
scenes manipulator of politics [towards war] and a British knight. Though never included on a Church of Satan
reading list, this book was the primary source of Anton LaVey’s fascination with Zaharoff as a skilled, Machiavellian
Lesser Magician. LaVey also admired Zaharoff’s Howard Hughes-like avoidance of public scrutiny - to the point of
deliberate sabotage of records concerning him. McCormick’s research is careful, exhaustive, and convincing, making
this book the definitive one on the subject. McCormick also wrote #6T.”
6T. The Hell-Fire Club by Donald McCormick. London: Jarrolds Publishers Ltd, 1958. (TOS-3) MA:
“McCormick (also author of #6S) argues that the long-standing image of the Hellfire Club as an elite Satanic [in the
strict, theological sense] society is erroneous. His research leads him to the position that the club was neither
diabolist nor decadent, but simply an example of ‘rakemanship’ common among British clubs of the day. His
evidence and argument are [regrettably] convincing. This thesis is explored in greater depth in #6AC.”
6U. The Family by Ed Sanders. NY: E.P. Dutton, 1971. (TOS-3) MA: “The definitive study of the Manson
Family, with extensive treatment of its alleged exposure to such occult organizations as the Process Church of the
Final Judgment [see also #6AD] and the Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. While the public was quick to brand Charles
Manson a ‘Satanist’, his own Family considered him Jesus Christ. In a sense that neither the public nor his Family
understood, perhaps he was [and is] a Satanist. To prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, Manson’s ‘evil’ was easy to identify
& condemn. This book is by no means an apology for Manson; if anything, it paints him in even more horrific colors
than Helter Skelter. But the picture also emerges of a far more complex individual than generally seen by the public.
In 1989 this book was reissued by Signet (ISBN 0-451-16563-2). Although there are five new chapters updating the
history of the Mansonites, this new edition also omits an entire chapter on the infamous ‘Solar Lodge of the O.T.O.’
as well as several references to the O.T.O. and the Process. [This is as the result of a lawsuit filed against Dutton by
the Process after the publication of the original edition - won in the United States but lost in England.] Hence it is
useful to acquire both editions of this book. For Manson’s own version of his life and the development of the
Family, see Nuel Emmons, Manson in his Own Words (NY: Grove Press, 1986). In this narrative Manson
downplays the legends that grew up around him and rationalizes his actions in terms of his personal alienation from
and antagonism towards society in general. Another portrait of Manson is offered by Nikolas Schreck in The
Manson File (NY: Amok Press, 1988). This compendium of Manson documents & memorabilia also includes
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commentary on Manson’s relationship to the Process and other occult groups/ideas [See also ‘Distant Echoes of
Helter Skelter’ in Runes #III-3.]”
6V. Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. NY: Random House, 1967. [Deutschland: Rosemary’s Baby. Europäische
Bildungsgemeinschaft, Stuttgart, 1984.] (TOS-3) MA: “Written a year after the founding of the Church of Satan and
made into a dramatically-successful movie in 1968, this ‘contemporary Gothic’ novel reveals Satanists to be ‘the
people next door’ - and rather cultured ones at that. Although Anton LaVey gave Roman Polanski advice concerning
the film, he did not, as is rumored, personally play the role of Satan in it. Rosemary’s Baby as both a book and a film
touched off a wave of interest in the occult generally and in Satanism in particular. In the words of Roman Castevet:
‘To 1966 - the Year One!’ See also #F6E.”
6W. The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney. NY: Viking Press, 1935 [reprinted paperback: Avon #19190,
1974]. [Deutschland: Dr. Laos grosser Zirkus. Klett-Kotta Verlag, Stuttgart, 1984.] (COS-1) (TOS-3) (LVT-3) AL: “A
tale that tells it all; every human foible is dissected. It is the epic of man’s desire and futility: Zarathustra under
canvas - an excursion to the highest Llamasery of the Red Monks for those who can read it.” MA: “This is the story
of a traveling circus which arrives suddenly in a small town in the Arizona desert. It is a very unusual circus,
including among its attractions a satyr, Apollonius of Tyana, a Gorgon, a mermaid, a roc, a chimæra, a sea-serpent,
and a werewolf. Its main show includes such exotica as a witches’ sabbath, complete with personal appearance by
Satan. Dr. Lao, the enigmatic Chinaman who ringmasters this show, is one minute a bumpkin, the next an
intellectual, and always a magician - in short, a kind of Chinese ASLV. No turn back on him preeze! See also #F6L.”
JL: “Finney’s book, although not easy to find even in paperback, is a superb trek into the universe of a Magician
highly skilled in ECI, LBM, and GBM.”
6X. The Omen by David Seltzer. NY: New American Library, 1976. (TOS-5) MA: “Revelation 13:18. See also
#F6M.”
6Y. Damien - Omen II by Joseph Howard. NY: New American Library, 1978. (TOS-5) MA: “I John 4:3. See
also #F6N.”
6Z. The Final Conflict by Gordon McGill. NY: New American Library, 1980. (TOS-5) MA: “Revelation 13:11.
See also #F6O.”
Badger/The Gorham Press, 1919. (TOS-3) MA: “This rare little book was Anton LaVey’s source for the Yezidi section
of #6L, including the ritual texts quoted. As noted in #6N, Joseph bases these rituals and his own conclusions upon
an ‘Arabic manuscript presented to me by my friend Daud as-Saig ... a man of culture, in sympathy with western
thought, etc.’ When Joseph’s book was assessed in 1967 by Royal Asiatic Society anthropologist C.J. Edmonds, he
noted that it remained unauthenticated. Fellow R.A.S. scholar Alphonso Mingana considered the ritual texts offered
by Joseph as simple forgeries, based upon Mingana’s analysis of their grammar & syntax. These evaluations and
objections were apparently unknown to [or ignored by] Anton LaVey when he included the Joseph material in #6L.
The Temple of Set’s texts of the Yezidi rituals in question are included as appendices to #6N, and are based upon
current doctoral papers at the University of California, Los Angeles, obtained through the Anthropology Library at
UC Berkeley. The UCLA papers reveal Joseph’s account and analysis to be incomplete and factually suspect. For
Yezidi culture, your best starting point is #6AB.”
6AB. A Pilgrimage to Lalish by C.J. Edmonds. London: Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland,
1967. (TOS-3) MA: “This small, concisely-written book remains the most coherent and reliable published book
concerning Yezidi culture to date. It does not contain any of the Yezidi religious or magical texts, however. The
authentic text of the Yezidi Book of the Revelation [corrected and expanded from the Joseph version contained in
#6L] is reprinted as Appendix 65 of #6N. The other principal Yezidi text, the Mashaf-a Resh ( Black Scripture), is
not reprinted in #6N because of its length, but a copy is available in the archives of the Temple of Set.”
6AC. Dashwood: The Man and the Myth by Eric Towers. London: Crucible (Aquarian Press/Thorsons
Publishing Group, 1986. (TOS-4) MA
: “This is the definitive account of Sir Francis Dashwood and his Medmenham
Abbey, complete with extensive photo sections. This continues and reinforces the thesis of #6T, offering evidence
that Dashwood’s ‘occult’ activities consisted largely of revels in honor of Apollo and Bacchus in West Wycombe
Park, with the only possible Satanic element being hearsay rumors about a ‘closed room/chapel’ in Dashwood’s
Abbey. This room was reputed to be accessible only to the ‘monks’ of Dashwood’s group, and to be decorated with
obscene/ blasphemous pictures. If, so, the decor was removed later, for the Abbey today shows no trace of it in any
room. An interesting side-note is that the Dashwood group never called itself the ‘Hellfire Club’. That name
actually belonged to a club of libertines formed in London many years earlier (1719) by the Duke of Wharton, which
became so scandalous that the crown shut it down with a proclamation denouncing ‘certain scandalous clubs or
societies of young persons who meet together, and in the most impious and blasphemous manner insult the most
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sacred principles of our Holy Religion, affront Almighty God himself, and corrupt the minds and morals of one
another’. By contrast the frolics at West Wycombe seem to have been rather less extreme. Towers’ book includes an
interesting discussion of how rumors about Dashwood’s doings multiplied over the centuries until it was taken for
granted that he presided over every kind of depravity at Medmenham, to include Dennis Wheatley-style Black
Masses. Over the main entrance to Medmenham can still be seen the inscription FAY CE QUE VOUDRAS from Dr.
Francois Rabelais’ ‘Abbey of Theleme’ in his novel Gargantua, which Aleister Crowley would later borrow for his
‘Do What Thou Wilt’ Law and for his own Abbey in Sicily.”
6AD. Satan’s Power: A Deviant Psychotherapy Cult by William Sims Bainbridge. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1978. (TOS-4) MA: “The definitive account of the ‘Process Church of the Final Judgment’, a quasi-
Satanic movement that existed in the late 1960s-early 1970s. It was more the product of the ‘Jesus Freak’
atmosphere of the time than of authentic Satanism, as it was a ‘hippie’ religion that acknowledged four deities -