author
Manly P. (Manly Palmer) Hall
1901–1990
A prolific lecturer and writer on symbolism, mysticism, and comparative religion, he became best known for The Secret Teachings of All Ages, a wide-ranging 1928 study of esoteric traditions. His work helped introduce generations of readers to ancient myths, hidden symbols, and the history of spiritual ideas.
1 Audiobook
The Initiates of the Flame
by Manly P. (Manly Palmer) Hall
About the author
Born in Peterborough, Ontario, on March 18, 1901, and later active in the United States, Manly P. Hall built a long career as a public speaker and author focused on mythology, philosophy, religion, and the occult. Over many decades he delivered thousands of lectures and published a large body of work for general readers interested in wisdom traditions from around the world.
His most famous book, The Secret Teachings of All Ages (1928), brought together material on Hermeticism, alchemy, Kabbalah, symbolism, and other esoteric subjects in a single ambitious volume. In 1934 he founded the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles, an organization created to support the study of philosophy, comparative religion, and the world’s spiritual literature.
Hall died on August 29, 1990. He remains a distinctive figure in twentieth-century esoteric writing, remembered for making difficult and often obscure traditions feel approachable to curious readers and listeners.