Ishtar Rising: or Why the Goddess Went to Hell and What to Expect Now That She's Returning [Paperback]

Robert Anton Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1989

Ishtar Rising takes you on a journey through esoterica, explaining why Eve in the Bible and Eris in Greek myth were both involved with nefarious apples...Why attitudes toward the female breast correlate with war and peace...Why the Great Goddess of the ancients went to Hell and why most of us go to Hell in our dreams occasionally...Why female pacifists baring their breasts in front of the Pentagon were unconsciously repeating an ancient ritual...Why celibates have burned so many "witches" ... and much, much more !!

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: New Falcon Publications (November 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941404838
• ISBN-13: 978-0941404839
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,755,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to a Reality Check, RAW style..., December 28, 1999

By 

"amaneris" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ishtar Rising: Or, Why the Goddess Went to Hell and What to Expect Now That She's Returning (Paperback)

Greetings.

Once again Robert Anton Wilson scores a direct hit on the idiocy prevalent in western society. As a thelemic female I am enchanted with his wit, humor and superb usage of cynical observation. If you are an easily offended feminist, more than likely you will be irate after reading this attempt to look at social customs prevalent in modern life. I found some of his *explanations* totally hilarious, so I must not be in the overly sensitive bracket.

Considering the morbid fascination with female anatomy and the ludicrous *morality* assigned to viewing what in fact all adult females posess, (up to and including the legal sanctions in many places against seeing female nipples) the breast fixation idea becomes even funnier. His discussions reguarding cinema "sex-goddesses" and the approval/disapproval demonstrated by the Public (towards the late Marilyn Monroe for example) were compelling, and sadly, all too true.

Bob Wilson is definitely one of the kewler writers around; literate, interesting and intellectually satisfying. Even if you do not agree with everything he states, you have to admit his style is impeccable. I collect his works and proudly display them right next to Crowley, Kraig, Reguardie,and the assorted OTO/Magickal/Philosophical books I own. Thank you Amazon.com for making it easy to order and obtain cherished works, Bob Wilson is hard to find these days in the local bookstores. I agree with the Denver Post review which referred to Wilson as "...the Lenny Bruce of Philosophers". Satire remains one of the most definitive methods of social commentary, and Wilson excells in this genre.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars RAW: Genius or Silly Person?, February 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Ishtar Rising: Or, Why the Goddess Went to Hell and What to Expect Now That She's Returning (Paperback)

Robert Anton Wilson, as usual, tests the reader's view of reality. I can't count the number of times I said, "Oi..." or "Please..." or "Give me a break!" while reading this book. But then, as is usual when I read RAW's books, I find myself thinking, "Jeeze, what if he has a point?" As a feminist, I was offended. As a Discordian philosopher, I was stimulated. It would appear that Mr. Wilson has somehow managed to trace every advance & atrocity committed in human history to the attitude toward the human breast current at that time. Lunacy? Perhaps not! His case is certainly clear and concise, if inane... I recommend this book highly, however, I must warn the reader to look twice, if not more times, at what he has written. There is a message here we might be well advised to look at...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ishtar Resurrected, January 15, 2005

By 

Harry Widoff "Bookateria" (Forest Hills, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ishtar Rising: or Why the Goddess Went to Hell and What to Expect Now That She's Returning (Paperback)

I have a bias towards this volume as I was the Photo Editor for this the Falcon Press / Golden Dawn edition. The book was originally published by Playboy Press as "The Book of The Breast". It was Robert Anton Wilson's thesis like examination of the matriarchal foundations of early religions.

He takes us rapidly through the present and contemporary religions and modern psychology. This presents a timely outline worth fleshing-out [excuse the pun]with other material.

Considering the recent film "Kinsey" and current conservative pressure on "public morality" this is a worthwhile though academically oriented addition to one knowledge bank.