The Morning of the Magicians

The Morning of the Magicians
Author(s)	Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier
Original title	Le Matin des magiciens
Publication date	1960

The Morning of the Magicians was first published as Le Matin des magiciens. Written by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier in 1960, it became a best seller, first in French, then translated into English in 1963 as The Dawn of Magic, and later released in the United States as The Morning of the Magicians. A German edition was published with the title Aufbruch ins dritte Jahrtausend (Departure into the third Millennium).

In a generalized and wide ranging overview of the occult, the book speculates on a variety of Forteana, mysticism and conspiracy theories such as secret societies, ancient prophesies, alchemical transmutation, a giant race that once ruled the Earth, and the Nazca Lines.^[1] It also includes speculations such as Nazi occultism and supernatural phenomena conspiracy theory that the Vril Society and the Thule Society were the philosophical precursors to the NSDAP Nazi party.^[2]

The book has been credited with playing a significant role in bringing these kinds of ideas into the popular culture, spurring a revival of interest in the occult during the 1960s and 70s, and being a forerunner to the popularization of New Age ideas.^[3] In a 2004 article in Skeptic Magazine^[4], Jason Colavito said that the book was substantially inspired by the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, and was a central influence for Erich von Däniken's books on ancient astronauts^{[citation needed]}. Notably short on references or sources, the book has also come under criticism.^[1]

See also

• Planète (review)
• The Nine Unknown
• Fulcanelli
• Nazi UFOs
• Vril
• Fantastic realism (literature)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Adams, Deborah (2009). "Review of "The Morning of the Magicians"". Curled Up With A Good Book. 
2. ^ Hodapp, Christopher; Alice Von Kannon (2008-03-31). "18". Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies. For Dummies. pp. 350. ISBN 978-0470184080. 
3. ^ Lachman, Gary (2003). Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius. The Disinformation Company. ISBN 0971394237. http://books.google.com/books?id=8jfptmqzTzkC&pg=PA13&#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved May 12, 2010. 
4. ^ http://jcolavito.tripod.com/lostcivilizations/id26.html