A list of Scientology-related publications
Last update: May 10 1998
Archive-name: scientology/books
Note: Links have been added. Links in the original have been activated but many are obsolete or broken.
These are the main critical texts that explore the murky world of the cult of Scientology. Many are available over the web, and a few are still in print. Scientology has conducted a long war against these books by trying to ban them, buy them up, destroy them, sue the authors and remove or destroy library copies. Most large libraries will have at least some of these books surviving on their shelves, however.
Burroughs, William S.
Expanded Media Editions, Bonn, Germany. 1978 and later reprints.
Bilingual Edition German/English. (Mostly essays previously published
in US alternative newspapers in
the early 1970s.)
Miller, Russell.
Henry Holt, New York. 1988.
ISBN: 155-013-0277 hardback © 1987 Russell Miller.
There are also UK and Canadian
editions, and a paperback by Sphere Books (a subsidiary of
Penguin), in 1988. 520pp. ISBN 074-740-3325. (One of the most
thoroughly-researched books on the cult, Miller covers Hubbard's
family origins and his life chronologically while exploring and
documenting his life-long habit of lying and exaggerating.
Includes 22 photos, many of Hubbard's family. The book is now on
the web, courtesy of the author.)
Rolph, C.H.
Andre Deutsch Limited, London. 1973. Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London.
ISBN: 023-396-3758
(About the attempt by the
CoS to take over the
National Association for Mental Health. It introduces Scientology,
talks about Scn's hatred of
psychiatry and details the tale. It's a bit turgid and
journalistic [would have to be, to avoid non-frivolous legal
action inasmuch as possible] and not of current interest, but has
some nice quotes and would probably be of historical interest.
- David Gerard. See also "Two Disparate Philosophies" by
David Dalton.)
Forte, John.
1980.
Evans, Dr. Christopher.
Harrap, London. 1973.
ISBN: 024-551-8703.
Delta, New York. 1973.
Hardcover: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York.
First American Edition, 1974.
Copyright © 1973 by Christopher Evans.
Library of Congress CCN: 73-87694.
ISBN: 037-413-3247.
(Email me to loan a copy of the late Dr. Christopher Evans' book,
Cults of Unreason, long out of print. Slightly over
half of this book is about Scientology, with good material on the
early days of Dianetics, some amazing and hilarious material about
OT wins, life at Saint Hill
and aboard the ships, as well as good coverage of various
Scientology offshoots, the E-Meter, and more. Much of the material
in Dr. Evans' book is not covered in the other critical books
about the cult — highly recommended reading.
- Martin Hunt)
O'Brien, Helen.
Whitmore Publishing Co., Philadelphia. 1966.
Winter, Joseph A.
Julian Press, New York. 1951.
Crown Publishing Group, New York. 1987
ISBN: 051-756-4211
(Winter was an early recruit into the cult in the early 50s; he
broke away when Hubbard turned his back on science and went off
into past lives and a totalitarian dogma.)
Foster, Sir John.
Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. 1971.
(See also the three reports from the governments of South Africa,
New Zealand and Australia.)
Kaufman, Robert.
Olympia Press, New York. 1972.
(Kaufman, who died last year, explains the mechanics of the cult
in this auto-biographical look into what it is like to get into
Scientology, what life is like while in, and what prompts finally
leaving it. Kaufman delivers stark insight into this
madness-inducing cult in this book that gives the best picture of
life on the inside.)
(Dr. Jaschke is a political scientist who was paid by the German government to research Scientology. Dr. Jaschke put to rest the rumor that Scientology was a religion by collecting, organizing and presenting information, then publishing it as a report which became freely available on the internet, but only in German. - Joe Cisar.)
Lee, John A.
Ontario, Canada. 1970.
Corydon, Bent, and L. Ron Hubbard Jr. aka Ronald DeWolf.
Lyle Stuart, Secaucus, New Jersey. 1987.
ISBN: 081-840-4442.
Revised, Updated and Expanded Edition (trade paperback.)
Corydon, Bent.
Barricade Books, Fort Lee, New Jersey. 1992.
ISBN: 094-263-7577.
(Note: L. Ron Hubbard Jr.'s name was taken off this edition
for legal reasons.) A new 1996 edition includes an index; Brian
Ambry organized and wrote the update and addendum sections for
this new edition and the 1992 edition. ISBN for the 1996 edition:
156-980-009X. (This large book on Scientology is fairly
disorganized but it remains a vital source of first-hand testimony
from ex-Scientologists about life aboard Hubbard's ship, the
Apollo, and many alarming accounts of illegal and criminal
activities within Scientology. Includes 21 photos, mostly of
Hubbard, and two illustrations that compare Scientology's cross to
that of the infamous Aleister Crowley. The two later editions are
significantly different from the original hardcover with several
new added chapters and some revisions to existing chapters.)
Vosper, Cyril.
Neville Spearman, London. 1971.
(An in-depth look at the philosophical aspects of Scientology and
cult life at Saint Hill Manor in England, written with a wry sense
of humour by a long-time Scientologist who became very
disillusioned with it. Includes 4 plates with Vosper's
SP declare, Saint Hill,
David Gaiman, Hubbard looking like nothing so much as a large ugly
toad about to lash out and swallow a fly, and a letter to the
author.)
Pignotti, Monica.
1989.
Limited ed. Samuels, Jim.
Mentat School, Hillsboro, Oregon. 1980.
(Rare; if anyone finds a copy, please let me know. I have no idea
what the book is about, but I hear it may be making its way onto
the web soon. 115 pages makes this more a booklet than a book.)
Atack, Jon.
Carol Publishing Group, New York. 1990.
ISBN: 081-840-499X
hardback © 1990 Jon Atack.
Available in the UK by calling 01342 316129, or 0044 1342 316129 in the rest of Europe.
(This is widely hailed as the best book on the subject of
Scientology. Jon rolls up his sleeves and attacks the cult with
impeccable referencing and the full weight of documentation from
the world's largest Scientology archive. On top of that, the book
is captivating, absorbing, and very well-written.)
Lamont, Stewart.
Harrap, London. 1986.
© 1986 Stewart Lamont.
ISBN: 024-554-3341 hardback.
(Written in a clear, lucid and professional style by an English
religious studies scholar, journalist and broadcaster, Lamont's
book is an excellent read and puts Scientology into sharp contrast
against legitimate religion. Includes 27 photos, most taken by
Lamont while researching Scientology for his book.)
Whitehead, Harriet.
Cornell University Press, Ithaca. 1987.
ISBN: 080-141-8496.
Anderson, Kevin Victor.
A.C. Brooks Government Printer, Melbourne, Australia. 1965.
(A condemnatory official report that looks into Scientology's
illegal and immoral practices in Australia. This work —
often called simply the Anderson Report — was
commissioned by an Order in Council, and resulted in the outlawing
of Scientology in Victoria, Australia. It is highly critical and
as long as a book, but somewhat redundant, desultory, and given to
excess.)
Kotze, G.P.C., et al.
Government Printer, Pretoria, South Africa. 1973.
Powles, Sir Guy Richardson and E. V. Dumbleton.
Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand. 1969.
Wallis, Roy.
Columbia University Press, New York. 1977.
ISBN: 023-104-2000
(Wallis utilized documentation and 83 interviews to write this
text that covers some of the broad themes of the cult from a
sociological viewpoint. Wallis sees Scientology as progressing
through time, but doesn't get too side-tracked by such propaganda
and PR lines in this
in-depth digging into what makes the cult work, why and how people
become Scientologists, and what makes Hubbard himself tick.)
Wakefield, Margery.
Coalition of Concerned Citizens. Tampa, Florida. 1991.
Available from the Coalition, P.O. Box 290402, Tampa, FLA 33687 or from FACTNet, 601 16th St. #C-217, Golden, CO 80401,
includes Bob Penny's thought provoking Social Control in Scientology
.
(A first hand auto-biographical account of involvement in
Scientology; recommended reading for newcomers to the subject and
widely available on the net.)
Cooper, Paulette.
Tower Publications, New York. 1971.
(Cooper would have liked to have, in retrospect, come down harder
on the cult than she did under all the legal pressures she was
subjected to by the cult. This does not detract from what is a
warm and witty book however, that with the unbiased approach she
takes makes the subject matter look absolutely loathsome. Cooper
was targetted by Operation Freakout and subjected to 18 lawsuits
for her anti-Scientological activities after writing this
essential early piece exposing the cult of Scientology.)
Malko, George.
Dell/Delacorte, New York. 1970.
(Malko views Scientology through the eyes of an inveterate skeptic
and a newcomer to the subject; his refreshing ability to withstand
all inducements to join the cult while researching for this book
is commendable, as is his sharply critical mind that relentlessly
confronts Scientology PR and
dogma, exposing it to the light for his readers.)
Penny, Bob.
(Bob Penny is one of the founders of FACTNet, Fight Against
Coercive Tactics Network; this short work was originally published
as a dual edition with Margery Wakefield's book The Road to
Xenu.)
Wakefield, Margery.
Published on the Internet by Dean Benjamin, 21 December 1996.
Atack, Jon.
(Electronic versions of this smaller work may be found at the
URLs below; see
also A Piece of Blue Sky.)
Wakefield, Margery, with chapters by Bob Penny and the late Robert Kaufman.
First published by the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, PO Box 290402, Tampa, Florida, 33687. 1991.
Index
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These are books that mention either Scientology or Dianetics but are not, for the most part, entirely devoted to the subject, or are not, strictly speaking, objective and critical in nature.
Poundstone, William.
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 1986.
© 1986 William Poundstone.
ISBN: 039-538-477X & 039-545-3976 paperback.
(See chapter 7, the secret teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, 5
pages covering Xemu and OT-3.)
Ambry, Brian.
Unpublished MS Quoted in Bent
Corydon's Messiah or Madman?.
Zellner, W. W.
St. Martin's Press, New York. 1995.
ISBN: 031-208-0840
(Discusses Skinheads, the Ku Klux Klan, Survivalists, Satanism,
the Church of Scientology, the Unification Church or Moonies.)
Becker, Robert O.
GP Putnam's Sons.
ISBN: 087-477-6090.
(Can the tiny currents that run through the body while holding
theelectrodes of the cult's E-Meter cause a increase in cancer
rates?)
Abanes, Richard.
Crossway Publishers, Westchester, IL. 1998.
(Chapter 4, "Hollywood's Favorite Religion" is all about
Scientology, covering Hubbard's life and the whacky space-opera:
Hubbard's involvement with Jack Parsons, Xenu and the Body
Thetans, glycol injections, electronic ribbons, DC8s, bad movies,
Implant stations on Venus and Mars, Thetans without bodies cruelly
dumped into the ocean off California, and the "There was no Christ
— the man on the cross is shown as Everyman" quote. The
biography notes include references to several ars critics'
webpages.)
Melton, J. Gordon
[linked -ed.K].
Gale Research.
(Has a short section on Scientology and its offshoots.)
Carter, David.
(In electronic form only: an ex-Scientologist's overview of the
cult's ideology.)
Gardner, Martin.
Dover, New York. 1952. 1957 (2nd edition).
(Read the chapter "Dianetics", which elegantly lays bare Hubbard's
ridiculous pseudo-science. Also of interest is a chapter on
General Semantics, one of Hubbard's numerous plagiarized sources
for his crazy cult theories.)
Randi, James.
(In the 70s Scientology set out to discredit
CSICOP
by painting it as a front organization for the
CIA.)
Stark, Rodney, and W.S. Bainbridge.
University of California Press. 1985.
(See Chapter 12 (pp. 263-283), "Scientology: To Be Perfectly
Clear".)
Bugliosi, Vincent, with Curt Gentry.
W.W. Norton/Bantam, New York. 1974, 1975.
(Was Manson a Scientologist?
[linked -ed.K])
Wallach, Ira.
Henry Schuman, New York. 1951.
(See Hilarious spoof of Dianetics in the chapter "Diapetics".)
Published by Wesley Nations. $5.00 on the shelf or $7.00 post paid from: Crash Collusion, PO Box 2237, Berkeley, CA 94702. (About one third of the work involves our L. Ron Hubbard. While Rydeen disputes that Parsons and Hubbard engaged in full-penetration homosexual sex magick rituals, he does have documentation of their engaging in wife swapping (at the time Hubbard had two wives, so the man did like to share at one point in his life), masturbation in front of each other and other practices. Although the focus is on Parsons, one can glean enough about Elron — where he got the ideas for the OT levels and other aspects of the former mystery cult known as $cientology. Paul Rydeen's biography…does an excellent job of debunking Tubbard's claims of "infiltrating" and "breaking up" Parson's "dangerous, Satanic" organization, - Jerod Pore.) Excerpt:
Odier, Daniel.
Grove Press. 1970 and 1974. Reprinted by Penguin Books. 1989.
(See essay by William S. Burroughs called "Playback from Eden to
Watergate." It describes in detail how Burroughs single-handedly
carried on certain activities which caused the Church of
Scientology in London to move out of the location they occupied;
the essay may not be in 1970 edition.)
(About 1/4 of the book is devoted to the Netcom/Erlich/Klemesrud case. - Thaddeus Beier.)
Nelson, Bill.
(Self published. 1996.)
(A new book attempts to link the Zodiac killer with the Manson
family, with a side trip through
Co$. It includes
information about two 1969 Los Angeles murder victims who 'had
been' Scientologists. The purported link between the Manson family
and Zodiac appears to be Bruce Davis, who himself 'had been' in
Co$. - Keith
Spurgeon.)
Grossman, Wendy.
New York University Press, New York. 1997.
(Wendy is the author of an excellent Wired magazine
article "alt.scientology.war", December, 1996. Chapter 6 of
net.wars, entitled "Copyright Terrorists", is all
about Scientology vs. the Net. - Ron Newman. I may have to
sue NYU Press to halt
publication of this book.Once again, it has been alleged that my
"former wife was a Scientologist." This is untrue. I am sick and
tired of this false information being spread about me; it's bad
enough when it's in newsgroups or web articles, but it is
unacceptable for it to be encoded permanently in a book.
- Scott Goehring)
Gardner, Martin.
(Has a photo of Hubbard measuring the emotions of a tomato.)
Sladek, John.
Stein and Day Publishers, New York. 1974.
(Includes five highly critical pages on Scientology and Dianetics
in a book covering many other similar lunacies such as Atlantis,
dowsing, ESP, the
Loch Ness monster, flat earth theories, etc. "The section on
Scientology is not particularly interesting and contains no new
information. Sladek was not aware of the full scope of the
criminal activities of the
Co$, or of the
silliness of OT3. There is
still plenty of stuff to debunk, though." - Andrew Conway.)
Panoussis, Zenon.
ISBN: 916-304-7217.
(Zenon describes his booklet: "As from now,
OT I through
OT VIII in the Fishman
Affidavit version are available from me as a booklet with a
preface in Swedish." Zenon can be reached at: Zenon Panoussis,
Högbergsgatan 64, SE-118 54 Stockholm, Sweden for more
information about buying this booklet. Zenon has this to say: "For
the time being I am under court orders not to distribute the
material. I will save all orders though, and fill them when the
court order is lifted." Brave soul.) Email:
oracle@dodo.pp.se
Roos, Otto.
1984.
Rosen, R.D.
Avon Books. 1979.
(Takes a skeptical look at EST, Scientology, etc., as well as a
number of odd practices in psychology such as Rebirthing, Primal
Scream, etc.)
Leahey, Thomas Hardy, and Grace Evans Leahey.
Nelson Hall Publishing. 1983.
(This book mainly looks at phrenology, mesmerism, spiritualism,
and similar subjects, but has a chapter on contemporary
therapeutic cults which covers Scientology. Scientology is given
about an 8 page critique which is well written and is pretty much
a short critical history of Dianetics and Scientology's beginnings
and basic claims. - William Barwell)
Zaretsky, Irving I. and Mark Leone, editors.
Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 1974.
(See Harriet Whitehead's "Reasonably Fantastic: some perspectives
on Scientology, science fiction and occultism.")
Schnabel, Jim.
Dell Publishing, New York. February, 1997.
ISBN: 044-022-3067.
(Has a small amount about Scientology. Pat Price, Ingo Swann, and
HaroldPuthoff were all involved with the cult. "A fast-paced look
at remoteviewers at Stanford Research Institute [SRI] and Fort
Meade, a U.S. Army base
[info],
starting in the early 1970's with the founding of these programs
to the 1980's. Describes the remote viewers, their techniques,
research done during that time on remote viewing, a selection of
interesting projects that they worked on for various intelligence
agencies, and comparisons with similar work being done during that
time in other countries. The book is allegedly based on interviews
with many of the people involved including some of the remote
viewers. - Jonathon Barbera.)
Townsend, Eric.
Anima Publishing, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire, England. 1985.
ISBN: 095-104-7108.
(I got the feeling reading this 90 page booklet that Townsend
should have waited a few more years after leaving Scientology
before writing about the subject, thereby giving himself time to
put all his experiences in perspective. Sad Tale
attempts to be unbiased and objective, but such attempts, by
people who are still overly sympathetic to the cult, are doomed to
failure. Still, this small book is all about Scientology, and
Townsend, at times, becomes almost critical. Recommended reading.)
Cawthorne, Nigel.
(Chapter 4 is on the Church of Satan, regarding Parson's and
Hubbard's whore of Babylon ritual in 1946. Chapter 5 is on a
Scientology offshoot, the Process Church. Other chapters deal with
Charles Manson's link with Scientology.)
de Camp, L. Sprague.
Hermitage House, New York. 1953.
(Contains some knowledgeable passages about Hubbard and his
writings, such as: "Eureka [Poe] bears comparison with Hubbard's
Dianetics, exhibiting the same grandiose claims to omniscience and
the same confused pontification on subjects of which the author
has only a superficial knowledge." p. 297.)
Alexander, Brooks, and Halverson, Dean C., editors.
Spiritual Counterfeits Projects, Berkeley. 1982.
(Rare; if anyone finds a copy, please let me know.)
Burrell, Maurice.
Lakeland, London. 1970.
(Very rare; if anyone finds a copy, please let me know. This book
was withdrawn shortly after it appeared, according to Wallis, and
is a much-sought-after work. See also "The Challenge of the
Cults".)
van Helsing, Jan.
UFOCUS, Netherlands.
Contact: Network International, Postbus 129, 8600 A C Sneek, Holland.
(van Helsing says that a giant Canadian whiskey company bought the
"Church" of Scientology in '81 and is owned by the Canadian
Bronfman family. - anonymous)
Lee, John A.
Queen's Printer, Toronto. 1970.
(One of Wallis' seventeen systematic and lengthy accounts that
existed at the time.)
Wallace, Jonathon and Mark Mangn.
Owl. 1997.
ISBN: 080-505-2984.
(This book details an effort by the Church of Scientology and
individuals affiliated with that organization described as
"Cancel Wabbits" to cancel articles in this group
(alt.religion.scientology), and later to have this group removed
from Usenet with a "rmgroup" message to system administrators. It
also explains litigation in connection with the issue of posts to
this group. The book says that these efforts were due to
copyrighted material posted to this group. - Travis Douglas.)
McGowan, Harold.
Exposition Press, New York. [c. 1973].
LC Call No.: BP605.S2 M25
(More information on this book is desired!)
Dalton, David R.
Regency, London. 1973.
(One of Wallis' seventeen systematic and lengthy accounts about
Scientology available at the time. "This is another look at the
fight between the UK National
Association for Mental Health and Scientology, this time from
Scientology's point of view." - Ron Newman. See Believe
What You Like: What happened between the Scientologists and the
National Association for Mental Health by C.H. Rolph.)
Index
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These books deal with therapeutical aspects of treating cult victims. The work by Hassan and Singer is the best in this area for exploration by ex-Scientologists and as a guide to help family members through the trial of a loved-one's involvement in the cult with practical advice on the best approach to help the person get out and recover their basic personality that has been ruthlessly stripped away. See also section 5 of this list on cults and related topics.
Tobias, Madeleine Landau, and Janja Lalich.
Hunter House, Alameda, California. 1994.
ISBN: 089-793-1440.
(Geared specifically for recovery. Available from the AFF, the
American Family Foundation
[info].
"Former cult members suffer from fear, depression, confusion, low
self-esteem, and post traumatic stress, whether they were in a
group or in a one-to-one abusive relationship. Captive
Hearts, Captive Minds provides the hands-on help they need
to recover from manipulation and mind control". - Churches
that Abuse, by Ronald Enroth.) The AFF's web page:
Hassan, Steven.
Park Street Press, Rochester, Vermont. 1988.
© 1988, 1990 Steven Hassan.
ISBN: 089-281-2435 and 089-281-3113
(If there is a cure for Scientology's brainwashing, it lies within
these covers. If you have a family member or a loved one in the
cult, get ahold of this book and study its proven techniques of
exit counselling and interventions. If you've just gotten out of
Scientology, the Moonies, or any other cult, read through this
book several times to loosen the hold of the cultic identity on
your mind.) Steve has a webpage up at:
Larsen, Rick and Helen.
RCS Books. 1997.
("This book is an international 'must-read' both for former
members of cults and for relatives, spouses and friends of someone
currently involved in a questionable group or cult. It is unique
because the book is written from the perspective of a cult victim
as well as her spouse and shows the love and concern many families
face in this situation. The approach to a family intervention
demonstrates the education and understanding of the family so
necessary to the planning stage. The approach is to forewarn
families and individuals as to how vulnerable we ALL are to undue
influence during transition stages of our lives." - Carol
Giambalvo, Exit Counsellor; Director, American Family Foundation
[info];
President of reFOCUS [support and referral network of and for
former cult members]; Author and Editor. "Although this book
centers on Rick and Helen Larsen's experience with the 'Extra
Terrestrial Earth Mission', the story illustrates a successful
Exit Counselling (hence the title). There are a couple of chapters
online to get a flavour of what its all about. This would be a
good link to add to critical pages offering help to cult members.
- Phillip Zadarnowski.)
Martin, Paul.
Grand Rapids, Mich. 1993.
ISBN: 031-053-7614.
Singer, Margaret Thaler, with Janja Lalich.
Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco. 1995.
ISBN: 078-790-0516 © 1995 Singer & Lalich.
(Singer has been targetted by Scientology's notorious "Fair Game"
policy for many years. This book is one of the best on the subject
of cults by the world's leading expert in the field and explodes
many common myths while providing deep insights into what makes
cults work.)
Ross, Joan Carol, and Michael D. Langone.
Lyle Stuart, New York. 1988.
Cooper, John and Una McManus.
Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1984.
ISBN: 031-070-281X
Clark, John G., et al.
American Family Foundation
[info],
Weston, Massachusetts. 1981.
The AFF's webpage:
Giambalvo, Carol.
American Family Foundation
[info],
Bonita Springs, FLA. 1992.
(This book provides practical information for families concerned
about a cult-involved relative. It describes the process of exit
counseling, a voluntary approach to help cultists makes informed
decisions about their affiliation with the group. Exit counseling
is the most effective alternative to the controversial process of
deprogramming, which often involves kidnapping and coercion and
other techniques similar to what the cults themselves use on their
victims.)
Mikesell, Richard H., Don-David Lusterman, Susan H. McDaniel, editors.
American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. 1995.
(See the chapter Cults: Implications for family therapists written
by Margaret Thaler Singer, pages 519-527.)
Levine, Saul V, M.D.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Orlando, Florida. 1986. © 1984
Saul Levine. ISBN: 015-175-8409 hardcover, 015-675-7990 paperback.
(Levine believes that cults are of little consequence; merely a
stepping stone to adulthood for some youths who join and exploit
the cult rather than the other way around; he doesn't explain all
the middle aged people in Scientology — or Jonestown, and
skirts many of the important issues.)
Ford, Wendy.
American Family Foundation
[info],
Bonita Springs, FLA. 1993.
(Available from the AFF)
Edited by Michael D. Langone. W.W. Norton, New York. 1993. ISBN: 039-370-1646.
Conway, Flo and Jim Siegelman.
Delta/J.B. Lippincott, New York. 1979.
ISBN: 044-057-9708 © 1978, 1979 Conway & Siegelman.
Updated version: Stillpoint Press Inc., New York. 1995.
(The radical personality change that cults induce in their victims
is explained; Conway and Siegelman draw from many sources, and
Scientology is covered along with the other popular cults.)
Note: The Cult Awareness Network was bankrupted and taken over by the Church of Scientology.
Stoner, Carroll and Cynthia Kisser.
Cult Awareness Network, Chicago. 1992.
(Kisser is a veteran of the cult wars, and has gone through
considerable harassment at the hands of the Scientology cult.)
Deikman, Arthur J.
Beacon Press, Boston. 1994.
(The author is a clinical professor of psychiatry who started
studying cults, and then realized that the methods of manipulation
used in them are found throughout society, in many types of groups
— corporations, political parties, schools, and traditional
religions. Cults simply take them to the n-th degree.)
Index
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These books deal with the little-understood phenomenon of mind control and related topics. Mind control may be justly feared and then pushed aside to make way for the major theme of free will in democratic society, but there's no excuse for not understanding this universal aspect of everyday life and its centricity to cults.
Ofshe and Singer.
(Available through the American Family Foundation
[info].)
Sargant, William.
Doubleday, Garden City, New York. 1957.
Sutphen, Dick.
(Stop right here. Dick Sutphen has no education in the field of
Psychology, Sociology or any other field that would qualify him as
an expert in the area of brainwashing. No, I take that back; Dick
Sutphen was in advertising for many years before he decided to
become in order 1) poet 2) new age guru 3) hypnosis "expert."
Sutphen is just another way to toss your money down the drain. I
find a good deal of irony in the author of "You Were Born Again to
be Together" also being the author of "The Battle for Your Mind."
- TarlaStar. Note the similarity of the title to the earlier
book by Sargant above; I recommend reading Sargant first.)
Hunter, Edward.
Farrar, Straus, Cudahy, New York. 1956.
Schein, Edgar H., with Inge Schneier and Curtis H. Barker.
W.W. Norton, New York. 1961.
Watzlawick, Paul.
1976.
(Paul Watzlawick is professor for psychology and
(psycho)-semantics. This book explains the real violence that is
used in the "semantic-paradox" technologies, and the creation of
"confusion" as a tool to weaken people and empower oneself over
them. - Freimann B.)
Reboul, Olivier.
Presses Universitaires de France, Paris. 1977.
(Reboul is a professor of philosophy, who taught in the early 70s
in Montreal and later in Strasbourg, France.)
Cialdini, Robert B.
William Morrow, New York. 1984.
(The author is a social psychology professor who spent 15 years
studying the tactics used by "compliance professionals," including
salesmen, fundraisers, marketing pros, cult leaders, Chinese
brainwashing camps, etc. He carefully details the underlying
psychological mechanisms that make all these tactics work, and how
everyone is vulnerable to them because they take advantage of
instinctual responses.)
Thomas, Gordon.
Bantam Press, New York. 1988. Corgi Books. 1989.
(Covers Dr. Ewan Cameron and MK ULTRA, a brainwashing experiment
uncovered by the Scientology cult in Canada, who might be behind
this book. Shades of "The Interpol Connection",
(qv)
perhaps.)
Schrag, Peter.
Pantheon, New York. 1978
Burke, John G., Editor.
Wadsworth Publishing Co. 1966.
(Covers wiretapping, lie detectors and mind control.)
Milgram, Stanley.
New York. 1983. ISBN: 006-131-983X.
(Seminal studies into how a large share of the population is
willing to harm others when goaded by an authority figure, these
experiments show how susceptible we all are to the influence of
cults and other control mechanisms.)
Antone, Ted [publisher].
(Ooo-eeee-ooo. Also did "New World Order: Towards a One World
Government.")
Ricket, Allyn and Rickett, Adele [sic].
Cameron Associates, New York. 1957
(The authors are Westerners who spent seven years in China,
underwent "thought reform" and returned to relate their
experiences; politically and psychologically fascinating.)
Meerloo, Joost A.
World, New York. 1956. Grosset & Dunlap, New York. 1961.
Pate, Sgt. Lloyd W. as told to Cutler, B.J.
Harper & Bros., New York. 1956.
(Story of Pate's resistance to brain washing when a prisoner of
the Chinese communists. He endured 32 months of brutal captivity
in Korea Including filth, cold, subhuman rations, intimidation, a
500 mile death march and more.
Marks, John.
Times Books, New York. 1979.
(The big boys are in on this game, too.)
Lifton, Robert J.
W. W. Norton, New York. 1961.
(An essential read for ex-Scientologists to gain insight into what
exactly what happened in the cult. See also "The Future of
Immorality".)
Chen, Theodore H.E.
Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong. 1960.
(A gem of a book; explains Thought Reform in a neat and artful way
that reads like a precise poem.)
Enroth, Ronald.
Zondervan Press, Kentwood, Michigan. 1977.
(See also "The Lure of the Cults" and "Churches that Abuse".)
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Here are included biographies about Scientologists and former Scientologists and Hubbard himself; for more biographical material see the main critical books. While the main critical book's focus is not on biography as much as Scientology, some of them are written from an auto-biographical viewpoint. Also see the section on books by Hubbard, as many of them contain some biographical or auto-biographical material as well, such as "Ron the Writer", and the short, inaccurate, and deceptive biographies often included in the other books by Hubbard.
Thompson, Douglas.
Boxtree.
(See also John Travolta: Back in Character.)
Clarkson, Wensley.
1996.
(The book is a lightweight, shallow piece, probably approved by
Travolta. It goes out its way to avoid controversy of any kind and
says only nice things about everyone. There's some mention of
Scientology, but it is placed in a positive light. - Anon
post to ars. See
also Tom Cruise Unauthorised, Fever.)
Morgan, Ted.
The Bodley Head, London.
ISBN: 037-031-5863.
(It has a pile of stuff on Burroughs and
Scn and, truth be told, was
something that helped bring me to this newsgroup — Burroughs
is into some, er, rather silly ideas, but he does turn them to
good creative effect. The biography is fantastically well-written
and a real page-turner. And it's more or less authorised, but
Burroughs is old enough that he doesn't have much to lie about any
more. Recommended highly. - David Gerard.)
Fishman, Steve.
Published on the Internet.
(This is a largely auto-biographical book containing over two
megabytes of humour, sex, angst, and personal experience in
Scientology. Serious questions have been raised about the accuracy
and even the factuality of some of the details in the book. Gives
a good general impression, if somewhat fictional, of life inside
the cult.)
Travolta, John.
(Vanity also lies at the heart of Propeller One Way Night
coach,' John Travolta's slim volume about an 8 year old
boy's uneventful first airplane flight. Instead of self-loathing,
Travolta's conceit engenders an almost sociopathic unawareness of
his own mediocrity… the book is a charm vacuum, a
what-I-did-on-my-vacation bore de force in which clumsy syntax
battles bland description… - Newsday.)
Compiled by The Friends of Ron.
C.S.I.
(Bridge), Los Angeles. 1995.
(Elegant, beautifully photo-illustrated with many full-page color
photos. A portrait of the life and "career" of L. Ron
Hubbard, pulp writer, self-styled "philosopher" and founder of the
Scientology cult, with a chronicle listing highlights of his
"career".)
Clarkson, Wensley.
Blake Publications, UK. 1996.
ISBN: 108-578-2163-7
(From the book: "When I began making inquiries into the dealings
of the church and Tom's links with it, a flurry of legal threats
were made to me personally as well as to a number of associates
who have helped me with my research into Tom's association with
the Scientologists. At one stage the church traced my home address
and unlisted phone number. There was an overriding impression
given by the tone of the letters that I should not continue my
inquiries under any circumstances." See also John Travolta:
Back In Character.)
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Included in this section are books on other cults which bear marked similarity to Scientology or are offshoots of Scientology, and books about cults in general and related topics. A few of these may belong in the section concerning therapeutical aspects.
Stoner, C., and J. Parke.
Chilton Books, Radnor, Pennsylvania. 1977.
Keiser, Thomas and Jacqueline.
ISBN: 039-805-2956.
Burrell, Maurice C.
Baker House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1982.
(See also Scientology: What It Is And What It Does.)
Enroth, Ronald.
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich. 1992.
(See also The Lure of the Cults and Youth,
Brainwashing, and the Extremist Cults.)
Andres, Rachel, and Lane, James R., editors.
Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles. 1988.
Galanter, Mark, (editor).
American Psychiatric Association, Washington, D.C. 1989.
Appel, Willa.
Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York. 1983.
© 1983 Willa Appel.
ISBN: 080-500-5242 Owl paperback.
(A good overview of the phenomena by an anthropologist. Very
interesting discussion of the psychological needs fulfilled by
fairy tales, and how cult doctrines are similar.)
Samways, Louise.
Penguin Books Australia Ltd., Ringwood, Victoria. 1994.
© Louise Samways, 1994.
ISBN: 014-023-5531.
Ridley, Alan.
Marty, Martin.
(It looks like an excellent scholarly work. I've
just started reading my copy, but I recommend the book. - Jim
Byrd)
Larson, Bob.
Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois. 1972.
(…don't quote Bob Larson for any reason. First off, it is
well known that Mr Larson did not write his own books but had paid
staffers do it. Second, it has been shown that Bob is a liar of
the first class. Have you ever listen
[sic] to Bob?? At one
time he had a national radio show. I used to listen to him all the
time, calling quite a bit when ever he would trot out the claim
that he was a biology student and KNEW that evolution was crap
(Bob, Bob…one biology class does not a student make.) He
used to run a program called the "Compassion Connection" that was
always at crisis. The show was two hours long and easily an hour
and a half was spent begging for money. He would always tell
everyone how broke the ministry was, when of course HE was not
broke at all. I would not believe a book from Bob Larson.
- Dominion) Please see:
Patrick, Ted, with Tom Dulack.
Thomas Congdon Books/E. P. Dutton, New York. 1976.
McWilliams, Peter.
Prelude Press, Los Angeles. 1994.
ISBN: 093-158-034X.
(About his time spent in John-Roger's cult; well-written,
terrifying, funny and quite relevant to those wondering about just
how far mind control can push an intelligent, educated man.)
Enroth, Ronald.
Christian Herald Books, Chappaqua, New York. 1979.
(See also Churches that Abuse and Youth,
Brainwashing, and the Extremist Cults.)
Lane, David.
(Lane conclusively shows that many of the litigious cult of
Eckankar's "sacred scriptures" were plagiarized from Scientology
and Sant Mat groups in India. Eckankar books by Paul Twitchell:
The Far Country, The Shairyat-KI-Sugmad,
The Tiger's Fang, Letters to Gail.)
Scheflin, Alan and Edward Opton.
Paddington, NewYork. 1978.
Wood, Allen Tate with Jack Vitek.
William Morrow, New York. 1979.
(Read for parallels between the Moonie cult and Scientology; these
two cults are more alike than different, despite very different
philosophical ideas.)
Freed, Josh.
Dorset, Toronto. 1980.
ISBN: 088-893-0208 paperback, 088-893-0186 hardcover.
Pressman, Steven.
St Martin's Press. 1993.
ISBN: 031-209-2962.
(Has an entire chapter devoted to Scientology. Very insightful
look into "Werner Erhard" and his sick and twisted life of
sexually abusing his children, beating his wife, and cowing his
underlings on the way to building his own Scientology-based cult
with himself as god and "Source". "Werner" called Hubbard a
genius, and closely modeled himself on
LRH after taking Scientology
training up to Grade II. EST even went so far as to use e-meters,
so there's many parallels with the Scientology cult in this
version of the dark side of the human potential movement that made
such gains in the me decade. Pressman's delivery is even and
factual; Outrageous is a good read for those looking
to find the link between the EST and Scn cults.)
Rudin, James and Marcia.
Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1980.
Bainbridge, William Sims.
University of California Press. 1978.
(About a Scientology offshoot called the Process Church. The names
of all organizations and people are changed: "Scientology" becomes
"Technianity", "Process Church" becomes "Power Church", "Hubbard"
becomes "Rogers", but anyone familiar with the material can easily
translate the pseudonyms. Has a long description of Scientology's
TRs or Training Routines.) (Short review: Satan's
Power is on the whole fairly sympathetic to the Process. In
his description of the Process's adaptation of Scientology's
TRs, he stresses that the
Process changed them radically, to be more human-centered and less
robotic. - Ron Newman)
Mosatche, Harriet S.
Stravon Educational, New York.
Barrett, David V.
Cassell PLC, Blandford, UK.
ISBN: 071-372-5672.
(A book on "alternate religions" published last year
[c. 1996] in
Great Britain specifically mentions this [alt.religion.scientology]
newsgroup. It gives a brief overview of many different faiths,
from mainstream religions like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism,
to more specialized organizations like Christian Science, Church
of God, and even The Way and I AM, to "saucer cults" like the
Raelians (but dammit, the Church of the SubGenius is left out
AGAIN!), to `self-help' groups like Scientology. The section
describing Scientology has everything the members of this
newsgroup could hope for. Not only did Scientology send several of
its books to the author to use as reference, it also specifically
mentions the Internet as a source of information. It emphasizes
the clash between Scientology and its critics, and makes a point
of the controversy surrounding every single
aspect of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard. It mentions both
the `official' version of Hubbard's travels, and the critical
version. It notes the difference between Hubbard's war records as
given by Scientology and stated according to the official military
records. It even states the debate over Hubbard's apparent order
to shell an uninhabited island. The origins of Scientology are
given. Xenu is mentioned. The article even singles out the
references to clams. As references, along with the 'official'
Scientology books, Russell Miller's book is listed as a reference.
Gerry Armstrong is named. The statements of Mary Tabayoyon and
Stacy Young are given as additional citation, with the specific
credit saying "Source: Internet." And finally, the controversy
over the Internet and this newsgroup is mentioned, although the
newsgroup name is misspelled as "alt.religions.scientology."
- Modemac.)
Bainbridge, William Sims.
Routledge, New York. 1997.
(Has an entire chapter on The Process (pp. 241-266), and briefly
mentions Scientology in the last chapter.)
Bromley, David G., and Anson D. Shupe, Jr.
Beacon Press, Boston. 1981.
ISBN: 080-703-2565 & 080-701-1096 paperback.
c. 1981 Bromley and Shupe.
(A cult apologist book; they may be strange, but they're good, and
the people really to blame are those bad rumour-mongers who have
created the great scare. Comes down hard on "anti-cultists", and
basically reads like an
OSA
PR statement.)
Bach, Marcus.
Barnes & Noble, New York. 1993.
ISBN: 088-029-7433.
Copyright 1961.
(Takes a look at Baalism, Shivism, the Doukhobors, Voodooism,
Father Divine, the Shakers, the Mormons, the Hutterites and
others. No mention of Scientology, the Moonies, or other big-name
cults.)
Sontag, Frederick.
Abingdon, Nashville. 1977.
Schnell, William J.
Baker Book House, Grand Rapids 6, Michigan. 1956.
Petersen, William J.
Keats Publishing Inc., New Canaan, Connecticut. 1973.
Eric Hoffer.
Perennial Library, New York. 1989.
© Eric Hoffer, 1951.
(This slim volume is frequently cited as one of the most important
treatises on this phenomenon.)
Cox, Harvey.
Simon & Schuster, New York. 1977.
Brodie, Richard.
Integral Press. 1996.
(In the author's own words: "it explains cults through the new
science of memetics." A new scientific paradigm developed at
Oxford and elsewhere explains how advertisers, politicians, and
cults are beginning to use startling methods to program people
through the use of "viruses of the mind". More frighteningly,
these viruses take on a "life" of their own and begin to grow and
evolve out of the control of their creators.)
Index
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These are books which may provide insight into the workings of Scientology through other subjects. The connection between the cult and any of these books will be apparent to ex-Scientologists and may lead them to a better understanding of what happened to them in a social, political and literary context. I've also included books in this section written by Scientologists or former Scientologists that don't directly deal with the cult.
Huxley, Aldous.
Chatto & Windus, London. 1972, c1946.
(Are the Alphas the Sea Org crew and the Epsilons stuck on the
RPF?)
Freud, Sigmund.
1927.
(One of Freud's later works on a less technical bent in which he
uses a psychoanalytic approach to studying culture — and
religion.)
Lifton, Robert Jay.
Bosie Books Inc.
(See also Thought Reform and the Psychology of
Totalism.)
Davis, Stephan A. and Lyssa Royal.
Personal Enhancement Press, Phoenix Arizona.
(Davis was in the Church of Scientology as the first President of
the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE.) "It was
definitely a unique experience to work for L. Ron Hubbard, to
say the least." he is quoted as saying. "You see, it's the job of
both the Church and the Government to control things. I know
whereof I speak. I've been close to the top in both (as a State
Senator in Arizona and as Commodore's Staff in the Church of
Scientology.)" [pg. 161] Review by Modemac: "…a very
strange, spaced out "New Age" book … that goes off into a
world of its own, explaining how they have sex in other solar
systems in our Galaxy. I bought this [book] for the laughs it
provided (did you know there is no
PMS in the Pleiades?),
but I was surprised to learn that its author is apparently a
former member of Scientology.)
Bramley, William.
Avon Books, New York. 1990.
ISBN: 038-071-8073 paperback.
(Book about UFOs
Given the following stirring review by a Scientology
OSA
PR: "For everyone's info,
Bramley is actually an ex-Scientologist and a squirrel. His book,
the "Gods of Eden", though entertaining, falls fully under the
HCO policy
Safeguarding Technology. ML, Cory".)
Weiner, Irving B. and Allen K. Hess, editors.
John Wiley & Sons, New York. 1987.
(See chapter "Consulting and testifying in court", pages 529-554
by Margaret Thaler Singer and Abraham Nievod.)
Bear, Greg.
Tor Books. 1990
ISBN: 081-251-9965
(Science fiction about an organization that looks a lot like
Scientology.)
Packard, Vance.
David McKay Company, New York. 1957.
(The techniques the admen use to control us, and how everyday
these manipulations are.)
Norman Spinrad.
Ace books, New York. 1979.
(Has a hilarious scene between the Scientologists and the Hare
Krishnas trying to recruit each others
[sic]. See also
The Mind Game.)
Ruchlis, Hyman.
Prometheus Books, Buffalo, New York. 1991.
ISBN: 087-975-6578
(Discusses the difference between science and superstition, the
basic nature of science as a way of thinking, and the ways in
which amazing events can be explained rationally.)
Gilovich, Thomas.
(An investigation in to how even highly educated people become
convinced of the validity of questionable or demonstrably false
beliefs about the world, and the unfortunate impact of these
beliefs.)
Ofshe, Richard and Elthan Watters.
Andre Deutsch, London. Charles Scribner's Sons, USA. 1995.
ISBN: 023-398-9579.
(This book is a must for anyone who wants to understand Dianetics,
the hypnotic pseudo-scientific therapy which is practiced by
Scientology and is known as Dianetic auditing. It relies upon
recovering memories in the present life and past lives of a
person. Recovered memories are prone to extreme inaccuracy; this
is especially true of memories recovered via hypnosis.
Scientologists are taught that these recovered memories are the
cause of their problems. This book describes a recovered memory
movement, demonstrates how false memories are recovered, and why
this is dangerous.)
Condon, Richard.
McGraw-Hill, New York. 1959. Jove Books, 1988.
ISBN: 051-509-4412.
(A fictional look at brainwashing's use in programming an
assassin.)
Hitler, Adolf.
Hurst and Blackett, London. 1942.
(For those who don't think it could happen to them, that they are
somehow mystically above cultism and brainwashing due to a more
powerful "free will" or perhaps more intelligence or individuality
than cult victims — take a look at history. If millions of
people and an entire country can get swept up in this kind of
thinking, what makes you so special?)
Spinrad, Norman.
Jove Books. 1980.
ISBN: 055-325-0612.
(I don't know the story (does anyone?) but Spinrad has definitely
had some obviously less than thrilling run-ins with
$cn. I highly recommend [this
book] which is a thinly disguised condemnation of
$cn and Hubbard. It's set in
Hollywood and the main character is a director who isn't really
getting the work he wants. His wife, an actress, gets involved in
a group called the "Transformationalists" and he has to try and
get her out, fighting against the very Hubbard-like leader John B.
Steinhardt. There are so many parallels to
$cn it's eerie. You get the
feeling it's almost all taken from real life (complete with a
"Celebrity Center," "processing/auditing,"
"life-directive/disconnection,") with only the names changed to
protect Spinrad from a lawsuit. - Xenu's Sister,
vickie@miso.wwa.com.
See also Holy War on 34th St)
Orwell, George.
Penguin, Middlesex, England. 1954.
(There are so many parallels between Scientology and this book
that the reader could think Hubbard not only wrote
SF, he read it and actually
emulated it from time to time. Goldberg = Mayo, Newspeak =
Scientologese, and mind-control throughout. 1984 did happen, but
only to a select few people living in dictatorships — and
inside cults.)
Webb, James.
La Salle 1976.
ISBN: 091-205-056X.
Whyte, William H.
Simon & Schuster, New York. 1956.
Summers, Harry G.
Dell Books, New York. 1982.
ISBN: 044-016-7248.
(See how many parallels you can draw between the
US army and Scientology.)
King, Francis.
(Contains letters written by Aleister Crowley mentioning
L. Ron Hubbard, who considered Crowley a friend. Sadly for
Hubbard, the feeling was far from mutual; Crowley seemed to think
Hubbard was nothing more than a con-man and a lout. Perceptive
man.)
Key, Bryan Wilson.
Prentice-Hall, New York. 1973.
(How admen persuade and manipulate us in the pervasive mass media.)
Lewis, C. S.
(Clive Staples.) The Bodley Head, London. 1945, 1976.
ISBN: 037-000-5355X.
Beradt, Charlotte.
Quadrangle Books, Chicago. 1966.
Arendt, Hannah.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1968.
(It is mind boggling to think of how Scientology is organised
while reading Section 2.2 (esp.
pp. 62-63), "totalitarian organisation" — the series of
levels and fronts each designed to shield each increasingly
radical segment from those immediately below and above it on the
scale of "radicality". - Bruce Scott TOK.)
Index
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Scientology is a world-wide cult that has a strong presence in non-English-speaking countries in Europe and elsewhere. Here are some of the critical books worth looking into for those who are lucky enough to have command over another language.
For a list containing German Scientology books, see Cornelius Krasel's booklist with short comments attached: (Includes English books as well.)
Burroughs, William S.
Expanded Media Editions, Bonn, Germany. 1978 and later reprints.
Bilingual Edition German/English.
(Mostly essays previously published in US alternative newspapers
in the early 1970s.)
Nietsche, Elke.
Wichern-Verlag. 1995.
Eimuth, Kurt-Helmut.
Freiburg. 1996.
Billerbeck, Liane von, und Frank Nordhausen.
Links, 5 Auflage, Berlin. 1994.
Auch als Knaur-Taschenbuch 80051. 1994. (Mit einem Rechtsratgeber von Ralf Bernd Abel.)
ISBN: 386-153-0716, 342-680-0519.
(Burkhard Hansel recommends this as one of the best German books
about Scientology.)
Redhead, Silvia.
Claudius-Verlag, Munchen. 1993.
Komrij, Gerrit.
1979.
(Lovely book. [Scientology] harassed the author, who didn't cave
in. He's one of the most famous authors in the Netherlands. His
publisher simply kicked the
scieno's on the street when
they came complaining. Komrij alleges that the cult is
co-responsible for the death of Dutch journalist Johan Phaff.
- Michael 'Mike' Gormez.)
Entkommen Anonymous.
Rowohlt Sachbuch 9587, Reinbek. 1993.
Reichelt, Peter.
Brockmann + Reichelt. 1997.
ISBN: 392-380-1939.
(One German scientologist, Gottfried Helnwein, has for years
disputed that he is a scientologist "I shit on Scientology", and
has sued all sorts of people, until he lost against an anti-cult
organisation. He then called the judge a "nazi", and has been
indicted for this — libel is a criminal offense. It just got
worse: now there's a whole book by his former manager which
details his history of lying. - Tilman Hausherr.)
Potthoff, Norbert J.
Bastei-Verlag Gustav H. Luebbe GmbH & Co, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany.
Printed in Great Britain, May 1997.
ISBN: 340-461-3929.
(One of the best-written books — if not the best —
about someone's time as a Scientology staff member. This is a
fully autobiographical work by Norbert Potthoff of Germany. Three
hundred pages of exciting reading. - Koos Nolst Trenite.)
Denz, Michael.
Haag & Herchen, Frankfurt. 1994.
Chagnon, Richard.
Cahiers du Quebec. LaSalle, PQ, Hurtubise HMH. 1985.
(It appears to be a sociological study of Scientology, somewhat in
the vein of Wallis' book, but concentrating on the Church in
Quebec. That's my guess, anyway; I don't read French at a glance.
It's ten years old, so it predates most of the really good
critical books (Miller, Atack). And Chagnon appears to be a
sociology professor at the U. of
Quebec, if I read the blurb correctly. - Scott A. McClare.)
Reboul, Olivier.
(see "Indoctrination" for translation.)
Presses Universitaires de France, Paris. 1977.
(Reboul is a professor of philosophy, who taught in the early '70s
in Montreal and later in Strasbourg, France.)
Editeur Albin MICHEL.
(Textes r'unis par C. Erhel et Renaud de la Baume)
ISBN: 222-608-9357.
Michel Lafon.
(The collection is made up of texts found on the Internet and
Usenet translated into French, with the
URL or the name of
the newsgroup at the top of the page. In the book on cults, there
are many messages from alt.religion.scientology as well as many
messages from Web pages on Scientology — critics as well as
the CoS itself. James
Lippard, Jeff Jacobsen, and Tilman Hausherr are included.
- Emmanuel Marin)
Herrmann, Joerg (Hrsg.).
Rowohlt Sachbuch 9341, Reinbeck. 1992. _berarbeitete Neuauflage 1994.
ISBN: 349-919-3418.
(Good compilation of essays, including Potthoff, Thiede,
Schroeder, Abel and Westphal. -&nbs;Burkhard Hansel)
Pignotti, Monica.
1989. French translation:
Potthoff, Norbert J.
Ohne Jahrgang und Ort. Vermutlich Krefeld. 1994.
Vol au dessus d'un nid de gourous. Lenzini, Jose. Editions Plein SUD. ISBN: 287-764-5169.
Grinborg, Jan.
Aarhus 1983.
ISBN: 878-762-6128
Potthoff, Norbert J.
Krefeld, 1993.
Valentin, Friederike und Horand Knaup (Hrsg.).
Selbstbefreiung als Geschaeft, Herder-Verlag, Freiburg. 1992.
ISBN: 345-104-109X.
(Another compilation, including Abel and Hemminger; Valentin is
head of the Austrian Roman Catholic Office on cults and religious
groups: "Leiterin des Referats fuer Weltanschauungsfragen beim
Pastoralamt der Erzdioezese Wien" - Burkhard Hansel.)
Hartwig, Renate.
Metropolitan, Dusseldorf/Munchen. 1995.
Hemminger, Hansjoerg.
Quell-Verlag, Stuttgart. 1997.
(German critical book that contains a fairly long description of
Incident 1 and 2, Xenu, etc. "My favorite… It's pretty
up-to-date, short, cheap, and written in a factual style."
- Cornelius.)
Chroniques d'une "religion" commerciale à Irresponsabilité illimitée. Roger Gonnet.
Haack, Friedrich-Wilhelm.
Evangelischer Presseverband Bayern, Munchen. 1993.
Hartwig, Renate.
Heyne Verlag, Munchen. 1995.
Caberta, Ursula, & Gunther Traeger.
Econ,Dusseldorf. 1997.
Hartwig, Renate.
Augsburg, Pattloch. 1994.
ISBN: 362-900-637X.
Heyne Verlag, Munich. 1994.
ISBN: 345-308-5213.
(Renate Hartwig is not only out to accuse Scientology but also the
German government and police because they failed to react to the
crimes she attributes to Scientology. In her book she documents
Scientology's methods by lots of photographed, reproduced,
transcribed and translated original material. In her rhetoric she
often goes overboard; you realize that she hates those people and
her judgment and style is often unjust and aggressive without
being able to offer proof on a certain point. She offers ample
proof on other points though, but is vague in some central points.
Being sued by Scn., she had to
remove certain aspects and statements from the book. Maybe the
above faults are due to this fact. As the book appeared in the
early nineties it is not really up to date, especially as far as
government and media reaction is concerned. I would have wished
more info on the actual techniques
Scn. uses to influence the people
— more about actual and documented crimes the sect is said
to have committed. - Oliver Gassner,
fraktal@poboxes.com)
Elsaesser, Jutta.
Nymphenburger, 1997.
Christ, Angelika, und Steven Goldner.
Dusseldorf. 1996. ISBN: 343-011-8298.
(The book sucks and was widely criticized in the anti-cult scene
for presenting scientology as harmless. The worst is a part that
deals with the role of two attorneys who have represented
scientologists. The book whines about the "persecution" of them in
a whole chapter. In December 1996, at a conference, I was told by
someone of whom I do not remember the name that one of the
attorneys actually wrote that part himself! - Tilman
Hausherr.)
Minhoff, C., und M. Muller.
Munchen/Dilligen. 1993.
Haack, Friedrich-Wilhelm.
Jahrhunderts, Munich. 1982.
ISBN: 353-262-0030.
Revised and updated posthumous edition: ISBN: 353-262-0030.
Claudius Verlag, Munich. 1995.
(The late Haack is described as "probably Europe's leading expert
on Scientology". Good book, but not for the beginner. Almost 400
pages in very small print. Scientology hates
FW Haack. They even attack
him after his death. - Tilman Hausherr.)
Thiede, Werner.
Bahn-Friedrich Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn. 1995.
Potthoff, Norbert J.
In "Anstoesse: Beitraege zur Landespolitik Heft 1",
hrsg. von der SPD-Landtagsfraktion, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart. 1994.
Voltz, Tom.
Walter Verlag, Solothurn/Dusseldorf. 1995.
ISBN: 353-089-9801
Reissued as: Voltz, Tom: Scientology. Ein Insider packt aus.
Herder-Verlag, Freiburg. 1997.
(One of the best German books on Scientology - Tilman
Hausherr.) English translation:
Kopf, Peter (Hrsg.).
Heyne Verlag. 1995.
Potthoff, Norbert J.
Die Zeitbombe in unserer Gesellschaft, Krefeld. 1992.
Index
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These are books that have been documented as influencing Hubbard or have been cited by Hubbard himself, and are included to lend insight into Hubbard's mind set while creating his charismatic cult. Several are even used in the cult as references.
Sun-tzu.
Translated by Samuel B. Griffith. Claredon Press, Oxford. 1982.
(How the cult learned to do battle with its perceived enemies;
purported cult reference used at high levels in the
GO/OSA.
There is also an old translation by Lionel Giles, but Griffith is
better.)
Dane, Les.
(Used to teach the all-important salesmen of salvation, the
Scientology registrars or regges who sell raw meat wogs the
$360,000 bridge to total
bankruptcy.)
Crowley, Aleister.
Thelema Publications, King-Beach, California. 1976.
(Hubbard picked up a few pointers from the Beast 666 via Jack
Parsons and the OTO;
Crowley was an important influence on Hubbard and thus on
Scientology.)
Korzybski, Alfred.
The Haddon Craftsmen, Inc., Scranton Pennsylvania. 1974 (3rd edition.)
(Korzybski was one of Hubbard's many sources for his Dianetics.
"He was popularized by A. E. Van Vogt who used his ideas in
several science fiction works. There is an 'Institute of General
Semantics' in [Lakeville] Connecticut, who still run courses on
his teachings." - Ralph Hilton. Note: last I checked, there
was a tape of Korzybski's that could be ordered through the local
booksto