Gary Lachman has written many valuable books about esotericism that combine erudition with a sense of spiritual and intellectual adventure. Ouspensky, Jung, and Steiner have been subjects of some of his earlier works, and he is currently working on a study of Blavatsky. His new book is essential reading for any student of Hermeticism, but very engaging for the non-specialist with an interest in history. A recent review featured on his website gives an excellent summary of the content. Lachman provides an excerpt in this blog post. I have added the book to the recommended reading list for the site, and will post more about it after a second reading. This is a book to treasure, and ponder.