THE SECRET LIFE OF A SATANIST by Blanche Barton

An inside view of the provocative man who created the Church of Satan and wrote The Satanic Bible The Secret Life of a Satanist steps behind the curtain with the founder and High Priest of the Church of Satan. What is contemporary Satanism, and why would one start a church dedicated to the Dark One? It wasn’t a rebellion against an oppressive religious upbringing; it was Anton Szandor LaVey’s disgust with most of humanity. Drawing from Jack London, H.L. Mencken, Friedrich Nietzsche, Marquis de Sade, George Bernard Shaw, John Milton, Benjamin Franklin, and a host of reprobates, with a large dose of alchemy and black magic, LaVey formulated a philosophy that deeply resonated with him. LaVey did not worship Satan; he paid homage to the rebellious spirit of innovation, defiance, and self-reliance that the archetype embodied. His background as a musician, circus lion trainer, hypnotist, and police photographer is covered here. The author, who later became his paramour and mother to his only