Llewellyn Worldwide (formerly Llewellyn Publications) is a
New Age
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
based in
Woodbury, Minnesota
Woodbury is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, eight miles (13 km) east of Saint Paul along Interstate 94. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The population was 75,102 at the 2020 census, making it ...
. Llewellyn's mission is to "serve the trade and consumers worldwide with options and tools for exploring new worlds of mind & spirit, thereby aiding in the quests of expanded human potential, spiritual consciousness, and planetary awareness."
History
Llewellyn Publications was formed in 1901 by Llewellyn George in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
. At first the company concentrated exclusively on
astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
, in the form of both books and annuals. Later, Llewellyn began to branch out into other New Age topics such as
alternative healing
Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...
,
psychic
A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...
development, and
earth-centered religions, among others. In 1920 Llewellyn Publications moved from Portland to
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. George died in 1954 and the company was bought by
Carl L. Weschcke in 1961, who then moved the headquarters to
St. Paul, Minnesota.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Llewellyn published books from authors such as
Dion Fortune
Dion Fortune (born Violet Mary Firth, 6 December 1890 – 6 January 1946) was a British occultist, ceremonial magician, novelist and author. She was a co-founder of the Fraternity of the Inner Light, an occult organisation that promoted ph ...
and
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...
writing on
occult
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...
and other topics. President and publisher Weschcke founded a series of Gnostic Aquarian festivals to help create a broader audience. Llewellyn went on to publish books such as
Raymond Buckland
Raymond Buckland (31 August 1934 – 27 September 2017), whose craft name was Robat, was an English writer on the subject of Wicca and the occult, and a significant figure in the history of Wicca, of which he was a high priest in both the Gardner ...
's 1986 ''Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft'',
Scott Cunningham
Scott Douglas Cunningham (June 27, 1956 – March 28, 1993) was an American writer. Cunningham is the author of several books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects.
His work ''Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner'' ...
's 1988 ''Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner'', and
Ted Andrews' 1993 ''Animal Speak'', a shamanistic guide to totem animals. The company also expanded into
tarot
The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, ...
decks, magical "kits," and materials for younger readers.
Declines in sales in 2001 spurred the company toward
layoff
A layoff or downsizing is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or, more commonly, a group of employees (collective layoff) for business reasons, such as personnel management or downsizing (reducing the ...
s and a restructure of its sales and marketing departments in 2002. By the end of 2003 the company had rebounded with $16 million in gross sales.
"Llewellyn_looks_to_the_stars,"_ "Llewellyn_looks_to_the_stars,"_Publishers_Weekly
,_12_Jan_2004">Publishers_Weekly">"Llewellyn_looks_to_the_stars,"_Publishers_Weekly
,_12_Jan_2004/ref>_In_July_2005,_Llewellyn_moved_its_offices_to_the_St._Paul_suburb_of_Woodbury.
On_February_1,_2005,_Llewellyn_launched_its_first_fiction_imprint,_Midnight_Ink._A_year_later,_Llewellyn_launched_its_second_fiction_imprint,_Flux_Books.
_Notable_authors
The_company_publishes_a_wide_offering_of_non-fiction_books_by_such_noted_authors_as_Scott_Cunningham_
Scott_Douglas_Cunningham_(June_27,_1956_–_March_28,_1993)_was_an_American_writer._Cunningham_is_the_author_of_several_books_on_Wicca_and_various_other_alternative_religious_subjects.
His_work_''Wicca:_A_Guide_for_the_Solitary_Practitioner''_...
,_12_Jan_2004.html" ;"title="Publishers Weekly">"Llewellyn looks to the stars," Publishers Weekly
, 12 Jan 2004">Publishers Weekly">"Llewellyn looks to the stars," Publishers Weekly
, 12 Jan 2004/ref> In July 2005, Llewellyn moved its offices to the St. Paul suburb of Woodbury.
On February 1, 2005, Llewellyn launched its first fiction imprint, Midnight Ink. A year later, Llewellyn launched its second fiction imprint, Flux Books.
The company publishes a wide offering of non-fiction books by such noted authors as
, Michael Newton (hypnotist)">Michael Newton, Donald Michael Kraig, Richard Webster (New Zealand Author), Richard Webster, Silver RavenWolf, Karen Mehringer, and Mark A. Michaels & Patricia Johnson.
Authors for its fiction lines include Maggie Stiefvater,
, and Nick James.