“Strange Lore From Egypt”
“…his book remains fascinating as the account of a traveler far less prejudiced and much better instructed than the average. A Search in Secret Egypt contains many excellent pen-pictures of the Two Lands and their monuments, as well as numerous accounts of literally marvelous adventures in that ‘temple of the whole world’ we call Egypt.”—The New York Times Book Review, July 12, 1936
“Believe it or not—this book will thrill you.”—Washington Post
“Paul Brunton, who knows more about yoga than any living Englishman, and whose life is one continuous research in occult and Eastern magic….Extraordinary experiences among the fakirs, snake-charmers, and magicians of modern Egypt.”—Daily Sketch [London] Jan. 2, 1936
“A spirited, revealing book. He tells his stories well, and more than seventy photographs add to the effect.”—Morning Post [London] Jan. 2, 1936
“Important both to the layman and the expert are Mr. Brunton’s researches into the meaning of the Sphinx and the numerous temples and catacombs which abound in Egypt. His exposition, too on the connecting link between the Atlantean and Egyptian civilizations is fascinating in the extreme, so that his pleasantly written and beautifully illustrated volume contains something for every taste….a book that can be enjoyed to the full.”—The Queen, Books of the Week, Feb. 13, 1936
“Viewed as a book of travel, it would be a remarkable work, but when to this is added actual experiments with occult phenomena of all types, the book fascinates from beginning to end.”—The Two Worlds [Manchester]
“Mr. Brunton certainly shows us a very different Egypt from that seen by the ordinary tourist. Much that he has to say of Egyptian history and Egyptian tradition is deeply interesting.”—Birmingham Post, Jan. 14, 1936
“Mr. Brunton’s book does not make us wonder whether there are not more things in heaven and earth than are known to our philosophy; it makes us certain that there are.”—News-Review [London] Feb. 3, 1936
“The magic of ancient Egypt lives again in his descriptions of the Sphinx, the Pyramids, the temples of Abydos, Denderah and Luxor, and the valley of the tombs of the Kings; and no less in what he has to tell of the ancient Osirian mysteries and the innermost rite of these ancient temples. For all his love of the untoward, Mr. Brunton clearly distinguishes between what is spiritual and what is magical or super-normal, and it is just this which makes his book not only a fascinating but a valuable guide to the hidden lore of ancient times.”— The Inquirer: Incorporating the Christian Life and the Unitarian Herald
“Mr. Brunton has succeeded in capturing and putting on record impressions of the haunting atmosphere of this bygone civilization; for the ancient monuments still retain their power to impress the sensitive mind with the majesty and force of the theurgy and magic with which their long history has been so closely associated. It is his peculiar gift of sympathetic insight into the spiritual nature of the peoples and lands with which he comes in contact that contributes in no small measure to the charm which runs like a golden thread through this author’s books.”—The Occult Review [London]
“One would imagine that a book like this has an appeal limited in a way to those who are interested in psychic phenomena and spiritualism. For myself, possibly shameless materialist, and a resident who has been always wholly uninterested in Egyptian antiquity, to be all agog from beginning to end of the book—what greater commendation can a reviewer give?”—Sphinx [Cairo] May 30, 1936
“…you will enjoy Paul Brunton’s book entitled A Search in Secret Egypt which describes in detail these ‘time-defying’ monuments and contains a number of quite impressive interviews with mystics and magicians.”—Davenport Times [Iowa]
“You may account how you will for the strange thinks which befell the author, but if after reading his extremely vivid description you are not given food for thought it is not his fault. The book is noteworthy, too, for the many remarkably fine photographs it contains, while the author’s brief history of the theories concerning the origin and object of the Sphinx and the Pyramids should prove of considerable interest.”—Cambridge Daily News, Dec. 8, 1936
“The mysteries of ancient Egypt are unraveled in A Search in Secret Egypt, by Paul Brunton, the brilliant author of Secret India. A sincere student of Yoga and Eastern mysticism, he went into the heart of Egypt and embodies all that he found in this interesting volume.”— Sunday Times [Madras] Jan. 19, 1936
“He has pried into great secrets and now puts before us the results of his search. To a layman, like the present reviewer, this book ought to be an exciting enough record whatever it may be to an orthodox Egyptologist.”—Hindu [Madras] June 7, 1936
“It must be recorded to the lasting credit of Paul Brunton that what he has suffered and achieved very few people would ever be willing to do. As a true seeker of truth and occult lore, endowed with a sympathetic insight, open-mind and stout heart, Mr. Paul Brunton carried on his research and adventure in the hitherto unexplored field. He spared no pains; underwent physical discomfort, put up with pangs of thirst and privation, risked his life so many times, trod dark and dingy spots, climbed slippery and perilous hill tops, exposed himself to the scorching sun without food and drink for hours together; in short paid heavy prices for his unique and marvelous adventures—all this be did and suffered with the sole aim of unraveling the secrets of ancient Egypt and finding out the truth for himself. One cannot really help admiring his zeal for daring enterprise, his totally unbiased and critical mind.”— The Leader [Allahabad, India] June 12, 1936
“Through his acquaintanceship with seers, mystics, fakirs, dervishes, snake charmers, and adepts Brunton found at least a part of the secret of the vast wisdom of the ancients.”—Cincinnati Inquirer, July 18, 1936
“The first really interesting and convincing modern exposition of the Egyptian mysteries, past and present, has been given by Paul Brunton in this vital and remarkably illustrated volume. The experiences of the noted author during the hours passed in absorbed meditation at the feet of the Sphinx and his extraordinary night spent alone in the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid are unforgettably described with the greatest skill and lucidity.”— Inner Culture
“…an elaborate account of strange happenings and beliefs, A Search in Secret Egypt is an engrossing book…”—Times-Union [Brooklyn]
“Paul Brunton does for us what we would have done for ourselves had we had the necessary equipment of knowledge, time–and courage. for courage of an unusual kind is undoubtedly required. To pass long hours at night alone as he did before the Sphinx, in the Great Pyramid, at the ruined shrine at Karnak, takes some hardihood. But to ‘enter the silence’ beyond all nature’s stillness and physical quiet, to deliberately for the time being ‘die in body and become a living soul,’ required a faith in his method of investigation and courage which must be rare even among the few occultists who can use their inner faculties in this way. That is the charm and value of the book for me.”—Psychic Science, April, 1936
Amazon Reader Reviews for A Search in Secret Egypt:
“A Search In Secret Egypt by Paul Brunton is an adventure to a land of ancient magic, mysteries and initiations into the mysteries and their solemn, divine meanings. The recent special illustrated edition of A Search In Secret Egypt with its enormous addition of photographs and diagrams, brings a new life to this adventure beyond description. Many thanks to those who made this wonderful trip possible.”
“In this book the author Dr. Paul Brunton, explains the ‘trance’ like state attained by various people in Egypt, while making references to India. He provides a glimpse of the mystic rites that used to take place in Ancient Egypt for people who had the desire and strength to become initiates in those times.”
