Book Description

The Inspiring Life and Unmatched Influence of a True New Age Visionary To the countless people he inspired, Carl Llewellyn Weschcke will forever be known as the Father of the New Age. This vivid and entertaining book tells Carl's story, from a childhood influenced by his Spiritualist grandfather to his early days as a member and president of the Minnesota NAACP. Discover the fascinating account of how he transformed Llewellyn Publications from a small publisher of astrology pamphlets into the largest and most important publisher of body, mind, and spirit literature. Read about Carl's relationships with the most influential thinkers and teachers of the counterculture, and his public Wiccan handfasting and enduring relationship with his wife, Sandra. Written by longtime friend Melanie Marquis—and including photos and contributions from authors, artists, family, friends, and collaborators—this is a book that looks back at the kindling of a movement while empowering fellow travelers on their journey forward. Praise for Carl Llewellyn Weschcke: "Weschcke's large American life and counterculture passions make for fascinating reading."—ForeWord Reviews "With this book, another major piece goes into place in the jigsaw of the history of modern American Paganism and witchcraft. It is an excellent biography—lucid, fast-paced and comprehensive—of one of the most important and best regarded personalities in the formation of those traditions. Most important, it embodies precisely those qualities, of efficiency mixed with love, which summed up the person whom it portrays."—Ronald Hutton, historian and author of The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft "Melanie Marquis has done a wonderful job bringing Carl to life in this in-depth biography. Even though I knew him for 45 years, I discovered so much about this amazing man of which I'd had no idea. As publisher of most of the books that have informed and inspired the emerging Wiccan/Pagan community, Carl was one of the most influential figures of the modern Pagan renaissance. Every Pagan should read this bio!"—Oberon Zell, author, elder, and founder of the Church of All Worlds, Green Egg magazine, and the Grey School of Wizardry "Author Melanie Marquis has done a masterful job of presenting Carl Llewellyn Weschcke as the gentle, insightful, spiritual innovator that he was. Reading this book illuminated those early years of Carl's life that we were not privy to, and made us long for a time machine that would let us experience the adventure of a 1970s Gnosticon Festival, the uniqueness of the purple Gnostica Bookstore, or a ghostly thrill at the old haunted Griggs Mansion. These are just a few of the gems that ornamented the life of a man who was truly instrumental in spreading all manner of spiritual knowledge and magical know-how."—Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero, coauthors and coeditors of The Tree of Life and Gold: Israel Regardie's Lost Book of Alchemy "Melanie Marquis's biography Carl Llewellyn Weschcke not only documents the tremendous impact Weschcke had on magick (and the publishing world too!), it's also immensely entertaining and well researched. This is hands-down one of the best books of 2018 and a must for anyone interested in occult history. Carl Weschcke may be gone, but Marquis's book will help preserve his incredible legacy for future generations. Highly recommended!"—Jason Mankey, author of The Witch's Book of Shadows and The Witch's Athame