<B>An intimate exploration of the life, philosophy, and lasting occult influence of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan</B><BR/><BR/> With his creation of the infamous Church of Satan in 1966 and his bestselling book <I>The Satanic Bible</I> in 1969, Anton Szandor LaVey (1930-1997) became a controversial celebrity who basked in the attention and even made a successful career out of it. But who was Anton LaVey behind the public persona that so easily provoked Christians and others intolerant of his views?<BR/><BR/> One of privileged few who spent time with the “Black Pope” in the last decade of his life, Carl Abrahamsson met Anton LaVey in 1989, sparking an “infernally” empowering friendship. In this book Abrahamsson explores what LaVey was really about, where he came from, and how he shaped the esoteric landscape of the 1960s. The author shares in-depth interviews with the notorious Satanist’s intimate friends and collaborators, including L