L. W. De Laurence

L. W. De Laurence (1868–1936) was an American occultist and publisher based in Chicago, where his De Laurence Company sold books, talismans and mail-order courses on hypnotism, spiritualism, magic and divination. He wrote and issued a long list of titles, among them The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, The Great Book of Magical Art, Hindu Magic and Indian Occultism, and reprinted the works of other authors, often without permission, so that A. E. Waite and other British occultists complained of pirated editions. His publications circulated widely in the Caribbean and West Africa, where his name became associated with popular magic.