Nevill Drury (1 October 1947 – 15 October 2013) was an English-bornAustralian editor and publisher, as well as the author of over 40 books on subjects ranging fromshamanism and westernmagical traditions to art, music, and anthropology. His books have been published in 26 countries and in 19 languages.[1][2]
Born inHastings, England[3] in 1947, Drury moved to Australia at the age of nine. He attendedSydney University in the late 1960s and later earned his Master of Arts (honours) degree in anthropology fromMacquarie University.[4] He received his PhD from the School of Humanities and Social Research,University of Newcastle in 2008 for a dissertation on the visionary art and magical beliefs ofRosaleen Norton.[1][5]
In 1970, Drury was an English teacher atWest Wyalong High School in theRiverina District of NSW.[citation needed] In 1976, he began working in the Australian book industry. He was a former managing editor for the holistic journalNature and Health.[3] A former managing editor forHarper and Row andDoubleday in Australia, he helped found the specialist visual arts publishing company Craftsman House in 1981, which became Australia's leading art book imprint.[4]
Drury worked full-time as publishing director of this company from 1989 to January 2000. He also co-editedAustralian Painting Now, which was published in the UK and US byThames & Hudson. He was briefly the manager ofAdyar Bookshop in Sydney (2008-2012).[4]
Drury was a prolific author of books onshamanism, spirituality, and different forms of magical practice. His many books include the first serious overview ofoccultism in Australia:Other Temples, Other Gods (co-written with Gregory Tillet). Others includeDon Juan, Mescalito and Modern Magic,The Occult Experience (the book of an award-winning documentary he co-produced and narrated released in 1985 featuring, among others,Margot Adler,Selena Fox,Alex Sanders,Janet and Stewart Farrar, andH. R. Giger),[6] andPan's Daughter: the first biography of Australian artist and witchRosaleen Norton.
He authored several books on Australian art, including the three-volumeImages series. Artist Matthew Tobin (Creative Director, Urban Arts Projects[1]) described Drury as
His books have been translated into 19 languages.[2] Since 1980 he was a speaker and workshop facilitator on subjects such as magical visualization and shamanic drumming. He was both an interviewer and a guest on several programs on Australian television, including theABC Television showsThe Ark[8] andCompass, as a spokesperson for the New Spirituality.[4] He has also lectured at theUniversity of Queensland, Australia.[9]
Bronze Award for documentaryThe Occult Experience at the 1985 International Film and Television Festival of New York
Silver Award in ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards, New York (2004) forThe New Age : Searching for the Spiritual Self (In the USA:The New Age: The History of a Movement) Thames & Hudson UK / Thames & Hudson Inc. Category: "Mind Body Spirit".
Best PhD in the School of Humanities, University of Newcastle 2008
Most Significant Publication Arising from a Research PhD, (chapter on the 'Modern Magical Revival' published in M. Pizza and J.R. Lewis [ed], Handbook of Contemporary Paganism, Brill, Leiden 2009), University of Newcastle 2008
Nevill married three times – to Susan Pinchin (their three children being: Rebecca, Megan and Ben), to writer Anna Voigt, and to Lesley Andrews-Buffard. From 2008 onwards he lived in and around the small rural town ofMilton, on the New South Wales south coast. In retirement his interests included drawing in pastels, gardening, lecturing for theU3A organization, learning how to playslide guitar on adobro, and singing in a local gospel choir.[1]
Drury suffered various cancers and complications and was found to have advanced liver failure. He died at home on 15 October 2013 aged 66. He was survived by his wife Lesley, his three children, Rebecca, Megan and Ben, and his grandchildren Jethro, Isabella, Madeleine, Archie and Zara.[1]
Dark Spirits: The Magical Art of Rosaleen Norton and Austin Osman Spare (2012) Salamander & SonsISBN9780980409987
Dictionary of Mysticism and the Esoteric Traditions (1992) ABC Clio, (1992) Prism Press, (1994) Ferenczy Konyvkiado, (2002) Watkins (republication ofDictionary of Mysticism and the Occult)ISBN0-87436-699-2
Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult (1985) Harper & RowISBN0-06-062093-5, (1988) Droemer Knaur
The Dictionary of the Esoteric: Over 3,000 Entries on the Mystical and Occult Traditions (2002) Simon & Schuster (Australia) Pty LtdISBN1-84293-041-9, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.ISBN1-84293-108-3
Echoes From the Void: Writings on Magic, Visionary Art and the New Consciousness (1994)
The Elements of Human Potential (1989) Element, (1993) Edizione Crisalide, (1994) Xenia, (1995) Zysk, (1996) Votobia
The Elements of Shamanism (1989) Element, (1991) Tirion, (1991) Jouvence, (1994) Karisto Oy, (1994) Edesviz Kiado, (1994) Rebis, (1995) Xenia, (1996) Forum, (1996) Okyanus, (1997) Floros (republished 2000 by Element as New Perspectives: Shamanism)
Everyday Magic (9 April 2002) Simon & Schuster, AustraliaISBN0-7432-2919-3
Exploring the Labyrinth: Making Sense of the New Spirituality (1999) Continuum, 1999 Allen & Unwin (Sydney), 1999 Gill & Macmillan / NewleafISBN1-86448-644-9
Fire & Shadow: Spirituality in Contemporary Australian Art (with Anna Voigt) (1996)
The Gods of Rebirth (1988)
Healing Music: The Harmonic Path to Inner Wholeness (with Andrew Watson) (1987)
The Healing Power: A Handbook of Alternative Medicine and Natural Health (1981)
The History of Magic in the Modern Age (2000) Carroll & Graf, 2000 Constable, 2000 Simon & Schuster Australia
The Illustrated Dictionary of Natural Health (with Susan Drury) (1988) David & CharlesISBN0-7153-9313-8
Images in Contemporary Australian Painting (1992)
Images 2: Contemporary Australian Painting (1995)
Images 3: Contemporary Australian Painting (1998)
Inner Health: The Health Benefits of Relaxation,Meditation and Visualization (1985)
Inner Visions: Explorations in Magical Consciousness (1995) Arkana, (1995) Penguin Group (US) IncorporatedISBN0-14-019283-2
Magic and Witchcraft: From Shamanism to theTechnopagans (2004)
Merlin's Book of Magick and Enchantment (with Linda Garland) (2001) Barnes and Noble, (1997) Lansdowne, (1998) Raincoast, (2002) Edaf
The Path of theChameleon: Man's Encounter with the Gods and Magic (1973)
Reincarnation: Exploring the Concept of Reincarnation in Religion, Philosophy and Traditional Cultures (2002) Barnes & Noble, New YorkISBN0-7607-3234-5
Sacred Encounters: Shamanism and Magical Journeys of the Spirit (2003)
The Search forAbraxas (with Stephen Skinner, Introduction byColin Wilson) (1972)
The Shaman and the Magician: Journeys Between the Worlds (1988) Arkana, Penguin (Non-Classics); New Ed edition (1 November 1988)ISBN0-14-019056-2,ISBN978-0-14-019056-4
The Shaman's Quest: Journeys in an Ancient Spiritual Practice (with Tom Cowan) (2002)
Stealing Fire From Heaven: The Rise of Modern Western Magic (February 2011) New York: Oxford University PressISBN0-19-975100-5
TheTarot Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Discovering the Wisdom of the Cards (Divination and Energy Workbooks) (2004)
Vision Quest: A Personal Journey Through Magic and Shamanism (1989)
The Visionary Human: Mystical Consciousness andParanormal Perspectives (1991)
The Watkins Dictionary of Magic: Over 3,000 Entries on the World of Magical Formulas, Secret Symbols, and the Occult (28 July 2006) WatkinsISBN1-84293-152-0,ISBN978-1-84293-152-3
A Way Forward: Spiritual Guidance for Our Troubled Times (with Anna Voigt) (2003)
Wisdom from the Earth: the Living Legacy of the Aboriginal Dreamtime (with Anna Voigt) (1998) Shambhala, (1997) Simon & Schuster Australia, (1998) Droemer / Delphi (Germany)
