James Blish in The Spectator advised that ‘anyone wishing to begin reading in this field might well begin with this book (which also contains a good bibliography)’.
In the US, Joyce Carol Oates praised the work as a ‘book of wonders’, recommending it as: ‘one of those rich, strange, perplexing, infinitely surprising works that repay many readings. Though it contains a great deal of history it is really, like most of Colin Wilson’s books, about the future.’ And Clifford P. Bendau, in his book on Wilson’s work, wrote:
The Occult establishes that Wilson has the ability to research and interpret vast quantities of information. It is apparent that he is able to convey consistent and challenging ideas that prod those who are most comfortable with their established beliefs.
