Idries Shah's 1970s Sufi teaching literature

Record summary

Idries Shah published several influential books during the 1970s, including The Book of the Book and Learning How to Learn, presenting Sufi teaching stories, psychological exercises, and claims about hidden transmission. These works are relevant to visionary and occult comparison because they repackage traditional materials as methods of perception, attention, and spiritual development for modern Western readers. Their historical status is contested: Shah's biographical claims and lineage narratives have been challenged, and many stories are difficult to trace to older sources. Verify editions, provenance, and scholarly assessments before treating them as traditional documentation.