An Insider's Guide to Robert Anton Wilson

By Stefan Isaksson

An Insider's Guide to Robert Anton Wilson
Eric Wagner
New Falcon Publications
237 pages
ISBN: 156184165X

It’s not very difficult to decide if you should buy this book or not. Because it all depends on how familiar you are with, and your personal opinion about, Robert Anton Wilson.

If you haven’t heard about him before, if you don’t have any interest in learning more about him, his background, what he’s written and why; then don’t bother buying An Insider’s Guide to Robert Anton Wilson. According to the back of the book it doesn’t matter if you’re new to the world of Wilson or if you’re already a devoted reader; the book is in everybody’s interest since he’s such a remarkable author.

And yes, that’s true, Wilson has lived a fascinating life, written numerous books, been inspired by everything from Timothy Leary to Aleister Crowley, and there are fans of his in all ages all over the world. However, the book is still mainly for those already familiar with him, and who has read his books and appreciate what he has to say and his style of writing. The book contains interviews with Wilson, a lexicon related to him and his world, and analyses of his work. Sure, it’s well-written, and all fans of Wilson will appreciate it, I guarantee it. However, what’s the point with all the pictures at the end of it? They’re all of lousy quality, and might as well have been excluded.

But if you haven’t read Wilson then I cannot recommend this book, because its content can best be understood if you know him already. Here and there some interesting facts can be found even for the everyday reader, but to truly appreciate it you better know your Wilson before purchasing it.

However, if you’ve never heard of him or don’t have any interest in getting to know him, then please spend your hard-earned money on a different book than this.