The Penguin Book of Cults
$30.40
- Paperback
320 pages
- Release Date
6 October 2025
Summary
The Lure of the Extreme: A History of Cults
A chilling documentary history of the most notorious cults of the past two thousand years, from the Celtic druids whose ritual sacrifices inspired the folk horror film The Wicker Man all the way up to the Peoples Temple and Heaven’s Gate.
The word “cult” conjures images of people in thrall to a charismatic leader who extracts obedience through lies and threats, and of apocalyptic prophecies, ritual sacrifices, sexual perve…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780143138693 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0143138693 |
| Author: | Joseph P. Laycock |
| Publisher: | Penguin Putnam Inc |
| Imprint: | Penguin Classics |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 320 |
| Release Date: | 6 October 2025 |
| Weight: | 234g |
| Dimensions: | 197mm x 129mm x 13mm |
About The Author
Joseph P. Laycock
Joseph P. Laycock (editor) is an associate professor of religious studies at Texas State University; coeditor of Nova Religio, the premier journal for the study of new religious movements; the author of several books about new religious movements, possession and exorcism, and moral panic; and the editor of The Penguin Book of Exorcisms. He has written for Quartz and The New Republic and been featured on the television documentary series Mysteries Decoded and The History Channel’s Holy Marvels with Dennis Quaid and The UnXplained with William Shatner.
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