Gerald Heard

‘Two small green-silver spots, almost like small fragments of reflected moonlight, shone up at them, not more than three yards away. Then, as they watched, the two points moved, trailing after them a smear of black…’ When the aspiring Canon Throcton is passed up for promotion to Dean of the Cathedral in favour of his rival Canon Simpkins, a faint knell of disorder rings out over the Close. Believing that suspicions over his scholarly work on Hebrew and Arabian mysticism led to his snubbing, Throcton nurses his pride with an experiment – the invocation of a simple curse, popular in the East in ancient times, but surely no more than an antiquated trifle in the reign of Victoria? And yet a dark force answers the call – something bestial and immortal, dragging pestilential vengeance and corruption to the very heart of the Cathedral. First published in 1950, Heard’s classic novel of occult horror and religious turmoil exudes a tense atmosphere of encroaching dread, its chills underpinned by Heard’s expertise in world theology.

A Novel of the Eighteen-Seventies

The Black Fox

Mycroft, the elusive elder brother of Sherlock Holmes, demonstrates his own mental wizardry in three exceptional, horrific, classic mysteries

Three Novels

The Amazing Mycroft Mysteries

Stacy Gillis

Jphn Roger Barrie

"One of the ten best mysteries of all time." -Newsweek Horror strikes when killer bees swarm amok in the seemingly idyllic hamlet of Ashton Clearwater. Even more sinister is the discovery that the angry swarms were programmed to kill by a mad, ingenious apiarist named Heregrove. Leave it to one of the village's honey addicts-the hapless, reclusive Sydney Silchester-to stumble unwittingly onto Heregrove's diabolical scheme. Silchester's sweet tooth leads him to the indomitable Mr. Mycroft, a retired beekeeper possessing an encyclopedic knowledge of bees and a Holmesian penchant for sleuthing. By matching wits and strategies, the persnickety Silchester and the determined Mycroft seek to thwart Heregrove and his stinging minions before they strike again. "We may know whodunit, but the question of 'why' is altogether more disturbing," writes Stacy Gillis, Ph.D., who contributes a new foreword to this reissue of the 1941 detective-fiction classic, A Taste for Honey. Listed among the Haycraft-Queen Cornerstones of essential mystery fiction, H. F. Heard's masterpiece became a runaway bestseller, provoking Baker Street Irregulars founder Christopher Morley to declare it "the most original and enchanting crime story of the year." Loosely adapted into the 1967 movie, "The Deadly Bees," A Taste for Honey is required reading for all Sherlockian aficionados. "More than 30 years before Nicholas Meyer's The Seven Percent Solution opened the floodgates of Sherlockian imitation, H. F. Heard's A Taste for Honey was the first significant book-length Sherlock Holmes pastiche, and it remains one of the very best. This new edition should be welcomed by all lovers of classic detective fiction." -Jon L. Breen, noted mystery writer "H. F. Heard's ... Mr. Mycroft tales ... encompass the style of the 'old-fashioned' mystery. A delightful read.!" -Paul D. Herbert, member Baker Street Irregulars MURDERED BY BEES? Until the last few years, there had been quite a lot of bee-keeping in the Ashton Clearwater district. But lately nobody, except the sinister and solitary Heregroves, had managed to make their bees thrive. This was tiresome for Sydney Silchester who had gone to the country to be on his own and undisturbed by friends and garrulous neighbors. It was even more tiresome for him when Mrs. Heregrove was stung to death by her husband's bees. His situation suddenly became fraught with mysterious terror when he met his extraordinary neighbor, Mr. Mycroft, a scientific apiarist who had made discoveries about Heregrove's bees which pointed to murder on wings. Who is Mr. Mycroft? The true identity of this magnificent, inscrutable old gentleman is a deep secret--but there are echoes of Baker Street in his voice, and a familiar gleam in his eyes that miss no clue. In A Taste for Honey, he meets one of the most sinister murderers of all time, and encounters one of the most fiendishly ingenious murder methods ever devised.--from the back cover of the 1964 Lancer Books paperback edition "I thought I knew all the tricks of the horror trade but I never expected to have my hair stand on end when a bee flew in through an open window... A triumph of ingenuity and horrific simplicity." Boris Karloff ..".the most original and enchanting crime story of the year." Christopher Morley "A veritable triumph of modern mystery...packing plenty of horror." Will Cuppy, The New York Herald Tribune "Slow-moving, whimsical, somewhat weightily allusive, this tale is definitely caviar to the general; in a sense, it may be called a bookman's book." New York Times Book Review "Terrifying...perfectly done...The most original contribution in many years." Vincent Starrett

A Taste for Honey

.".".full of fascinating facts and significant implications...an inexhaustible well of living water."" The New York Times ""Man has an inner life as complicated and challenging as the outer world. During most of his history advances in one sphere have been balanced by equal advances in the other. The problem of uneven, uncompensated progress in understanding and controlling the powers of nature did not arise in an acute form until the mind fissured into a critical and analytic conscious intelligence insulated from contact with the large unconscious mind. In order to cope with this situation man needs to learn and practice deliberate psychological techniques. Is there evidence that he has done so? Yes, answers Mr. Heard..."" Rev. Edmund A. Opitz Gerald Heard (1889-1971) was a well-known author, philosopher, and lecturer. Trained as a historian at Cambridge, he served as the BBC's first science commentator. Later in California he founded and directed Trabuco College, which advanced comparative-religious studies. His broad philosophical themes and scintillating oratorical style influenced many people. Heard wrote thirty-eight books, including his pioneering academic works, several popular devotional books, and a number of mysteries.

The Source of Civilization

Gamaliel, the sensitive, spiritually-minded grandson of the great Hillel and teacher of Saul, was a leading and influential figure in the days of Jesus. Many were the students who flocked to listen to his words of wisdom, to learn of tolerance, of common sense, and of the love of one God. It is of such a man that Gerald Heard writes--a man who was a thousand years ahead of his age. Woven around historically accurate facts, the story is written as Gamaliel's journal about Jesus and the early Christian movement. First by hearsay, then through friends, and finally by encounter with Jesus of Nazareth himself, Gamaliel learned of this vitalizing, dynamic teaching of love as a way of life. With the account of Peter and Paul's meeting in Jerusalem the author concludes this unique presentation, which gives new insight into the life and teachings of Jesus and a clear delineation of Gamaliel, a heretofore shadowy personality of the first century era.

The Gospel According to Gamaliel

The Psychology of Human History

The Five Ages of Man

Referring to Heard's influence on Western notables, Ellery Queen wrote, "Gerald Heard is the spiritual godfather of this Western movement."

A New Outlook on Evolution and the Future of Man

Pain, Sex, and Time

Introducing new reprints by Gerald Heard: The Creed of Christ The Code of Christ Training for the Life of the Spirit Prayers and Meditations There was a period in my early thirties when these four small books by Gerald Heard served almost as my bible. I read and reread them, and invariably found them to be uplifting and inspiring. - Professor Huston Smith Gerald Heard was an inspiring voice for the life of the spirit. Wipf & Stock is to be commended that Heard's remarkable work is being made available to a new generation of spiritual seekers. - Dr. William H. Forthman These prayers and meditations are traces of an experiment, writes Gerald Heard in his Introduction to Prayers and Meditations. Seven were written by one of our ablest authors. That experiment was Trabuco College, which Heard founded in California in 1941. The ablest author was Aldous Huxley, Heard's sometime co-adventurer in mystical voyages. Along with Huxley's seven contributions are selections by St. Albert, St. Anselm, Dionysius the Areopagite, William H. Forthman, and Margaret Gage. Heard penned all the others. Altogether these powerful reflections, are present-day renderings of those thoughts and feelings which have been rising in men since they began to reach out to Him who is beyond the senses. Prayers and Meditations equips the contemporary spiritual aspirant with a wellspring of inspirational devotions, ever invoking, the desire to remember constantly the all-pervading, transcendent Presence of God.

Selections by Gerald Heard, Aldous Huxley, and Others

Prayers and Meditations

Introducing new reprints by Gerald Heard: The Creed of Christ The Code of Christ Training for the Life of the Spirit Prayers and Meditations There was a period in my early thirties when these four small books by Gerald Heard served almost as my bible. I read and reread them, and invariably found them to be uplifting and inspiring. - Professor Huston Smith Gerald Heard was an inspiring voice for the life of the spirit. Wipf & Stock is to be commended that Heard's remarkable work is being made available to a new generation of spiritual seekers. - Dr. William H. Forthman The Code of Christ is Gerald Heard's sequel to The Creed of Christ. In this volume Heard emphasizes how, Christianity is in essence a way of life for us to live. That way of life is systematically presented in the Beatitudes, which contain, a message needing decoding. Heard authoritatively decodes this central message of Christ: The world exists for man to achieve union with God. The universe and life are the means whereby souls achieve Enlightenment and Liberation. Once enlightenment is achieved, the perfected soulÉturns back and stands incandescent with compassion, to light others on their way home. The Code of Christ is essential reading for those desiring a deeper understanding of Christ's message. Gerald Heard's thoughtful musings skillfully expound the mystical truths of Christianity.

An Interpretation of the Beatitudes

The Code of Christ

"". . . engrossing . . . Mr. Heard belongs with the poets...here is a book that may lift your heart."" --The New York Times ""The versatility of Gerald Heard is truly astonishing. Previous books have proven him to be a philosopher, a scientist, a theologian, a mystic, and a writer of mystery novels. And here is a fairy tale. But behind the tales are scientific facts and hypotheses--and in and through it all a religious purpose personified by Gabriel, the Archangel. For whether the creatures in their upward climb veered from the mainstream of life, or are kept close to the center of things depended on how often and how closely they listened to the always available words of Gabriel."" --Kirkus Reviews Gerald Heard (1889-1971) was a well-known author, philosopher, and lecturer. Trained as a historian at Cambridge, he served as the BBC's first science commentator. Later in California he founded and directed Trabuco College, which advanced comparative-religious studies. His broad philosophical themes and scintillating oratorical style influenced many people. Heard wrote thirty-eight books, including his pioneering academic works, several popular devotional books, and a number of mysteries.

Gabriel and the Creatures

Introducing new reprints by Gerald Heard: The Creed of Christ The Code of Christ Training for the Life of the Spirit Prayers and Meditations There was a period in my early thirties when these four small books by Gerald Heard served almost as my bible. I read and reread them, and invariably found them to be uplifting and inspiring. - Professor Huston Smith Gerald Heard was an inspiring voice for the life of the spirit. Wipf & Stock is to be commended that Heard's remarkable work is being made available to a new generation of spiritual seekers. - Dr. William H. Forthman Required reading for those walking the spiritual path, Gerald Heard's Training for the Life of the Spirit methodically outlines the entire course of the aspirant's journey. Heard provides a time-tested roadmap for the wayfarer: There is a purpose in evolution - to evolve consciously, to evolve consciousness. That evolution is achieved only by the skilled, conscious training of our spirits. The aspirant works to subdue their ego: For in so far as we are emptied of self, so far are we freed from accident. Our habit patterns, our moodsÉour natures can be reconditioned, re-freed. We will be inwardly reunited, our fissured selves re-fused. Training for the Life of the Spirit contains Gerald Heard's essential observation: Our whole life must become intentional and purposive, instead of a series of irrelevant events, adventures, and accidents, happy or unhappy.

Training for the Life of the Spirit

Four chilling novellas blend horror and science fiction in this collection of short stories from one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century. When a man can't bear the company of others, when he runs not just from society but from something evil within himself, he'll find refuge only in the dark, deep underground, in the horrifying void of an uncharted cave. In the wilds of Mexico, a veteran spelunker hears rumors of a cave that could take him deeper than he's ever gone before. The locals whisper old Toltec legends of the devils that inhabit the darkness, spirits that have blighted the countryside for miles around, but the man doesn't listen. He'll find things within that cave that mankind isn't meant to see. And even if he manages to get out alive, he'll never escape the darkness. Drawing on his unique background as an intellectual and expert in the supernatural, author H.F. Heard echoes the pioneering horror of H.P. Lovecraft and the Victorian science fiction of H.G. Wells. In this weird world, the greatest threat to man is man himself. "The Lost Cavern" is one of Heard's best-known stories, and it remains just as eerie today as when it debuted. Along with the other three stories that make up this volume "The Cup," "The Thaw Plan," and "The Chapel of Ease" it confirms Heard's deserved status as one of the early masters of weird fiction.

Gerald Heard

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