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Full Product Details

Author:   Harry Smith ,  Peter Valente
Publisher:   Inner Traditions Bear and Company
Imprint:   Park Street Press,U.S.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.469kg
ISBN:  

9798888501375

Pages:   384
Publication Date:   14 August 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: Heaven and Earth Magic: Harry Smith the Alchemist at Work Peter Valente 1 Mystic Traveler: Thoughts on Harry Smith Raymond Foye 2 Harry Stays with Henry for a While M. Henry Jones 3 Harry Smith and the Indians: Teaching Film Direction in the Sixties Marc Berger 4 Harry Smith: The Alchemy of Caprice Scott Feero 5 Intention, Vision, and Action: My Time with Harry Smith Paola Igliori 6 The First Surrealist in New York City Srijita Banerjee 7 Harry Smith on the Holy City: From Boulder to Kathmandu Darrin Daniel 8 Hanging out with Harry Smith at Naropa: A Collection of Fictional Anecdotes Rob Pacheco 9 The Women in Harry Smith’s Early World Bret Lunsford 10 Harry Smith’s Alchemy and Magic Charles Stein 11 Harry Smith: Cosmic Collage Maggie Corrigan 12 The Tree with Roots: Why Harry Smith’s Anthology Is Such a Big Deal Mike McGonigal 13 Remembering Harry Smith: A Conversation with Steven Taylor, Harry’s Friend and Colleague at Naropa Interview Conducted at Naropa University by Ariella Ruth during the Summer of 2011 14 At Naropa with Harry Smith (1989–1991) Tom Banger 15 Automatic Synchronization: Music and Image in the Films of Harry Smith David Chapman 16 Backstage of a Glyph: The Structure of Harry Smith’s Mahagonny Rose Marcus 17 Visionary Charlatan: Harry Smith’s Way-Out Science of Thought Forms Ed Hamilton 18 A Yoyo Shaped Like a Hamburger, or The World According to Harry Smith Beth Borrus 19 The Paradoxical Life of the Artist Harry Smith John Szwed 20 You’re the One Who Signs the Checks!: When Harry Lived with Allen Ginsberg Bob Rosenthal 21 Harry Smith’s Universal (Digital) String Figure Henry Adam Svec 22 String Figures, Not Cat’s Cradles Marc Berger 23 Like a Talisman for the Guardian Angel: What I Learned from Studying Harry Smith’s Work Peter Valente 24 Essays on Harry Smith’s Tree of Life in the Four Worlds James Wasserman and Khem Caigan 25 Harry Taught Me How to Be a Complete Human Being Pesach Betzalel (Peter Fleishman) Interviewed by Zia Ziprin (2022) 26 A Short History of the Installation Harry Smith: A Re-Creation M. Henry Jones and Friends 27 Correlating Irrationalities in The Moving Maths of Harry Smith: Essay on Harry Smith’s The 96 Apparitions of 96 Alchemical Formulae (1 to 36), with the Original Text Robert Podgurski 28 Unlocking the Secrets of the Unseen Universe: Essays on Harry Smith’s Letter to Arthur M. Young (August 30, 1960) Kathy Goss and Elliot Wolfson, PhD 29 Harry Smith Live: Three Interviews with Harry Smith Harry Smith Interviewed by Dawn-Michelle Baude (Boulder, Colorado, 1988) A Conversation with Harry Smith Recorded at His Naropa Cottage on December 18, 1988 Interview from Cantrills Filmnotes, No. 19 (October, 1974) References Index

Reviews

“Alchemist, magician, filmmaker, artist, mystic, anthropologist, collector, rebel, eternal omnivore, and 20th-century Renaissance man, Harry Smith was many things to many people, and this outstanding collection of lovingly written testimonies pays tribute to Harry with wit, respect, love, and laser-like precision. It is absolutely impossible to forget any interaction you had with Harry—and the beautiful tales in this remarkably readable and heartfelt book will have you awestruck, laughing out loud, and hungry for more. Perhaps the best collection of writings about one of the most enigmatic and fascinating figures the world has ever known.” * John Zorn, American composer * “The Occult Harry Smith explores so many fascinating aspects of Harry Smith that have yet to be explored! Through a panoply of voices gathered in this volume, we get firsthand accounts and informed explorations that delve deep into the magician and trickster Harry Smith. Essential reading for anyone who wants to know more about this enigmatic and influential figure who lived his life on the edge and for his art.” * Rani Singh, director of the Harry Smith Archives * “Through his alchemical metaphors and deep appreciation for cultural diversity, Smith’s work continues to influence new generations eager to learn more about his gentle blurring of the boundaries between art and magic. The Occult Harry Smith is a highly inspiring anthology and an invaluable glimpse into the timeless cosmic prism that was the mind of this polymath magus.” * Carl Abrahamsson, author of Meetings with Remarkable Magicians and Occulture * “The world is blessed unknown when a Harry Smith enters it, and we are fortunate that enough individuals notice, to record his presence among them. One can only gain—and gain much—from reading this prismatic collection of fascinating views on the polymathic shaman of the city. Smith: all profit with no risk, other than the effect of enlightenment, a mere byproduct of gazing at his mighty works.” * Tobias Churton, author of Aleister Crowley in England, Aleister Crowley in Paris, and Aleister Crowl * “This invaluable collection comes at the right time, as interest in Harry Smith’s life expands and his manifold work reaches new and ever-growing audiences. Offered up by the people who knew him best, this volume provides new and nuanced perspectives on Harry Smith: the man, the polymath, the sage.” * John Klacsmann, archivist at Anthology Film Archives * “The Occult Harry Smith is a long overdue deep dive into this particular aspect of a wonderful, remarkable, and insufferable genius and polymath. In addition, by bringing together the memories and observations of an impressive, indeed close-to-definitive, collection of acolytes, scholars, and friends (not to mention photographic treasures and unpublished texts), Peter Valente presents an unexpected delight in this wide-ranging compendium—endlessly illuminating (as was Harry)—a posthumous banquet.” * Simon Pettet, poet and author of Hearth, As A Bee, and More Winnowed Fragments *

Author Information

Harry Smith (1923-1991) was a filmmaker, painter, anthropologist, alchemist, and artist of the twentieth century. Peter Valente is a writer, editor, translator, and filmmaker. He was born in Salerno, Italy, in 1970 and grew up in New Jersey. The author of 12 books and the translator of several influential works, including Gérard de Nerval’s The Illuminated, he lives in North Carolina.

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