author
L. W. (Lauron William) De Laurence
1868–1936
A flamboyant early 20th-century occult publisher, hypnotism promoter, and mail-order entrepreneur, he helped spread esoteric books and spiritual supplies far beyond Chicago. His work became especially influential in African diasporic religious and magical traditions across the Caribbean and the Americas.
1 Audiobook
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
by L. W. (Lauron William) De Laurence
About the author
Best known as L. W. de Laurence, Lauron William de Laurence was an American author, publisher, and self-styled spiritual authority born in 1868 and active during the boom years of popular occultism. From Chicago, he built a business around books on hypnotism, magic, mysticism, and spiritual practice, reaching readers through energetic advertising and mail-order sales.
His publications were widely circulated and often controversial. De Laurence became notorious for grand claims, aggressive marketing, and for reprinting or adapting existing occult material, but he also played a major role in making esoteric texts available to ordinary readers. That mix of showmanship, commerce, and spiritual promise made him a striking figure in popular metaphysical culture.
Today, he is remembered not just as a curious occult celebrity, but as a publisher whose books traveled widely and had a lasting afterlife. In particular, his editions of magical texts became influential in parts of the Caribbean and among African diasporic traditions in the Americas, where his name remained recognizable long after his death in 1936.