Subtitled "The Ageless Wisdom of the Western Mystery Traditions," this book amounts to a handbook that describes the various approaches that have been passed down to us since classical antiquity to the pursuit of esoteric wisdom. Godwin describes the beliefs and practices of each movement, explaining how each was perceived by contemporaries in a Christian world that showed little or no tolerance to beliefs and practices that ran counter to the prescribed order. Whole chapters are devoted to an amazing range of schools of thought: the prisca theologia (ancient theology); Hermetic, Orphic, Pythagorian, Platonic and Gnostic philosophies, as well as theosophy, the pagan Renaissance, Rosicrucians, Alchemy, Jung and more. Each chapter is brief, but end notes are filled with multiple references to a vast array of further reading, making this a useful and informative book.

Godwin writes from a point of view that is obviously sympathetic with esoteric approaches to belief. He concludes by arguing for esoteric tradition as a third way between dogmatic religion and materialistic science. He seems to have lost faith equally in the spiritual efficacy of institutional religions on the one hand, and atheism on the other, which denies even "the existence of any psychical or spiritual reality."

For a short treatment of a broad subject, I give this book high marks for its clarity and organized presentation of subject matter that is a mystery to many, myself included. ( )

Godwin's Golden Thread is an impressive survey of its subject. In a brief and accessible form, he treats esoteric traditions from antiquity, through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, to modernity and the present. Although the book presumes shockingly little prior acquaintance with such material, he manages to avoid any tone of condescension, and he embroiders the necessarily broad outlines of such a high-level overview with many interesting details.

This volume is published by Quest Books, a Theosophical Society imprint, but it doesn't pander to that organization. Godwin professes a metaphysical perspective in common with Paul Brunton (1898-1981, a pupil of Alan Bennett and later Ramana Maharshi), and he takes seriously--without conceding to--the anti-occultist esotericism of the Traditionalists.

As an introductory survey, The Golden Thread doesn't provide the depth or originality one might be looking for in the course of academic research, but Godwin is careful to furnish extensive references for further reading. These notes enhance the value of the book as a historical primer in its field. I would recommend it to anyone with a preliminary curiosity about its subject, and it is sure to provide rewarding perspective for those who have a practical engagement with the Masonic, Rosicrucian, or Theosophical traditions. There are few books that cover so much ground with such clarity and ease.