Desert Publications Books May 2026

Less known is their metaphysical line. In the 1980s, as the New Age movement boomed, Desert Publications released books on astral projection, tarot, and folk magic of the Southwest. These are often confused with legitimate occult publishers (like Llewellyn), but the Desert versions are typically thinner and more sensationalized.

The text of Desert Publications books often included lengthy political introductions justifying the technical content. The philosophy was a unique blend of Murray Rothbard’s anarcho-capitalism and the survivalism of the Posse Comitatus movement, though Desert Publications generally avoided overt racism (unlike some contemporaries) in favor of a generic anti-government stance.

For modern collectors, finding a first edition Desert Publications book in good condition is a treasure hunt. These books were not designed to last. The staples rust, the pulp yellows, and most copies were literally destroyed by readers testing the formulas. desert publications books

Here are the "Holy Grails" of the Desert Publications catalog:

With the rise of print-on-demand and PDF scams, the market is flooded with fakes. If you are looking to purchase physical Desert Publications books, here is how to tell the real thing from a modern reprint: Less known is their metaphysical line

Desert Publications occupies a controversial space in the literary world.

Regardless of the stance, Desert Publications has remained steadfast in their commitment to the First Amendment and the preservation of technical data that the government might otherwise classify or allow to go out of print. Regardless of the stance, Desert Publications has remained

First, it is crucial to differentiate between generic books about the desert and the specific entity known as Desert Publications. Unlike major commercial publishers, Desert Publications (often flagged in bibliographies simply as "Desert Pub.") emerged from the American Southwest—specifically Arizona—during the mid-20th century.

While the exact founding date is shrouded in the dust of time, the golden era of Desert Publications was the 1960s through the 1980s. Unlike traditional regional presses that focused on tourism or natural history, Desert Publications took a sharp left turn into the underground.

Desert Publications Books are characterized by: