Stan Gooch - Bibliography and reviews
Introductions and whole essays for some of these books can be found in the links below. All of the in-print books and a few of the out-of-print books are available through this website's shop.
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Total Man: An Evolutionary Theory of Personality, London, Allen Lane/Penguin Press, 1972; New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1973; New York, Ballantine, 1974; London, Abacus, 1975
"Drawing on literature and legend, on science fiction, mythology, history, physiology, psychology, linguistics, and art, British psychologist Stan Gooch has written a daring new interpretation of the human psyche. Total Man, which contains what may be the best defense of the I Ching as a way of knowledge since Carl Jung, presents a rare attempt at providing a complete system of thought aimed at fostering the evolution of a 'new consciousness.'” Publishers Weekly
“An extraordinary study. His vision of duality is arresting and his exploration will fascinate layman and scholar alike--never dull.” Library Journal
“One of the most exciting and original thinkers to appear in many years.” Books and Bookmen
Read the Preface to this book here.
Personality and Evolution: The Biology of the Divided Self, London, Wildwood House, 1973
“An abstract does no justice to the richness of material, live writing and exceptionally clear thinking which Stan Gooch commands.” Jacquetta Hawkes, Sunday Times
“We cannot but admire Stan Gooch's massive and challenging endeavor.” Los Angeles Times
Read the chapter The Nature of Consciousness here.
The Neanderthal Question, London, Wildwood House, 1977
“The most gripping part of his work deals with Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal man. He writes as if he had just come from a television interview with several." Time Out
“All Stan Gooch's books are infused with his amazing thinking. They are a force for good. I have read them with delight.” Brian Aldiss
Read the sleeve notes for this book here.
The Paranormal, London, Wildwood House, 1978; London, Fontana/Collins, 1979; New York, Harper/Collins, 1980,1981
Read the introduction to The Paranormal here, and another extract (from an external site) can be read here.
“A book that even the sceptic can read with enjoyment and profit--not just for the converted.” British Journal of Psychology
“To his credit Gooch insists upon approaching the paranormal on its own terms--terms radically different from those proposed by investigation of the orthodox sciences. But the primary value of Gooch's vision lies in his ability to advance and inspire the reader.” Singularities
“An original and exciting book by a brilliant writer.” Robert Temple
“Stan Gooch is a splendid advocate of the open-minded approach to the world lying beyond our ordinary sense.” Manchester Evening News
Alternative Persons: Entities of Science Fiction and Myth, Brans Head Publishing, 1979
Guardians of the Ancient Wisdom, London, Wildwood House, 1979; London, Fontana/Collins, 1979; Amsterdam, Standaard, 1980; Antwerp, Van Holkema, 1980 republished as
The Dream Culture of the Neanderthals, Rochester, USA, Inner Traditions, 2006
“Gooch's brilliance is undeniable.” Books and Bookmen
“Above all Gooch is a creative thinker. How can a book fail to appeal when clear writing and creativity are combined with courageous speculation.” Daniel Miller
“The latest and most daring of evolutionary theories--so well presented that it is difficult not to be convinced.” Western Daily Press
The Double Helix of the Mind: The Secrets of Mental Evolution and Advance, London, Wildwood House, 1980
“This important book will surely provoke wide-ranging debate.” Science of Thought Review
“Relentlessly original.” Stanley Krippner
Read the sleeve notes for this book here.
The Secret Life of Humans, London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1981
“Gooch boldly recalls our attention to the fact that man--in nature, society, history--is such a many-sided being; that to lose this vision is to place ourselves in real peril--that we must put into proper perspective the recent 'authority' of science.” New Humanist
“Like yourself, I have been trying to make sense of experiences that are consistently devalued by mainstream science. Your admirable summaries have given me the courage to take some steps forward.” Peter Redgrove
“A wealth of examples--fascinating case after fascinating case--both intriguing and impressive. Dumfries and Galloway Express
Science Fiction as Religion, co-authored with Christopher Evans, Brans Head Publishing, 1981
Read the entire essay here, republished with kind permission of Stan Gooch.
Creatures from Inner Space, London, Rider/Century Hutchinson, 1984; Tokyo, Tuttle-Mori, 1987 republished as
The Origins of Psychic Phenomena, Rochester, USA, Inner Traditions, 2007
“What an interesting, crowded, maddening whirlwind of a book.” Renée Haynes, The Tablet
“The evidence presented is curiously compelling and the book well worth reading.” Irish Independent
“Frighteningly well argued.” Times Educational Supplement
“Gooch presents a legion of bizarre happenings, crying out to be called incredible--except that they are witnessed, documented, authenticated. The book is startling enough to upstage Stephen King and makes horror comics seem pedestrian.” Daily Mail
Cities of Dreams, London, Rider/Century Hutchinson, 1989; London, Aulis Publishers, revised and augmented edition, 1995
“With this his latest book Stan Gooch may be ready to rejoin the academic establishment as an innovator whose originality can no longer be ignored. Cities of Dreams proves than far from being an eccentric maverick Gooch is one of the most formidable and consistent thinkers alive today, and that his own manifest belief in the importance of his work is totally justified.” Colin Wilson, Literary Review
“Stan Gooch is a careful and passionate researcher. We need him. For we have eaten of the Tree of Knowledge but not of the Tree of Life, and as Joseph Campbell used to say, wouldn't you like a bite of that? Cities of Dreams is a book of daring, of insight, of imagination. A book of the timeless and a book of our time.” Research Into Lost Knowledge Organization
The Neanderthal Legacy, Inner Traditions, 2008
Aimed at the student, this book is a direct appeal for a revolution in our educational system to restore the connection with our Neanderthal heritage
Gooch offers new scientific evidence of the crossbreeding between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons that is responsible for the dichotomous nature of our feelings, thoughts, impressions, beliefs, and even our cultural mores and politics. The “hybrid vigor” produced by this mating has gifted modern man with abilities and sensibilities that the scientific establishment and conventional educational system entirely ignore. The author explores the legacy of our Neanderthal ancestors in an effort to awaken their virtues and qualities, which are so needed in our modern world.