Lewis de Claremont, also spelled Louis de Clermont, was the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

occultism 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 an ...

who flourished during the 1930s. Books attributed to de Claremont include ''7 Steps to Power'', ''7 Keys to Success'', ''The Ancient's Book of

Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

'', ''The Ancient Book of Formulas'', and ''Legends of

Incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...

Herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

, and Oil Magic''. Although authorship of his writings was claimed by the publisher Joseph Kay (Joseph Spitalnick) for purposes of

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

renewal,Carolyn Morrow Long. "Spiritual Merchants: Religion, Magic, and Commerce". University of Tennessee Press, 2001 this claim has been easily disproved, and it is speculated that the author was also the proprietor of the Oracle Products Company, a spiritual supply house specializing in

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

hoodoo goods in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, who also used the name Mr. Young.Lewis de Claremont. "Legends of Incense, Herb, and Oil Magic, Esoteric Students' Handbook of Legendary Formulas and Facts," restored edition edited by

Catherine Yronwode Catherine Anna Yronwode (née Manfredi; May 12, 1947) is an American writer, editor, graphic designer, typesetter, and publisher with an extensive career in the comic book industry. She is also a practitioner of folk magic. Early life Catherine A ...

. Lucky Mojo Curio Co., 2017 . Afterword, pages 95-96. Under the name Mr. Young, he may also have been the

ghost-writer A ghostwriter is hired to write literature, literary or journalism, journalistic works, Public speaking, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely ne ...

of the "autobiography" of Benjamin Rucker, an African-American

stage magician Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...

professionally known as

Black Herman Benjamin Rucker (June 6, 1889 – April 15, 1934) was an American stage magician, better known by his stage name Black Herman. He was the most prominent African-American magician of his time. He appears as a major character in Ishmael Reed's 197 ...

. Many of de Claremont's titles have been reprinted by a variety of publishers and remain in print.

References

American occult writers Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub