The Myterious Eric Ericson
Eric Ericson is the mysterious author of 3 occult horror novels. The Sorceror, my favourite of his tales, was published in 1978 and concerns a scientist who joins a sex-magick coven.
The startlingly titled The Woman Who slept with Demons followed 2 years later. This is a tale of a veterinarian who witness a woman out in the wilds having sex with a powerful demon to increase her magickal powers.
Master of the Temple followed in 1983. This last novel by Ericson is a more serious, in-depth novel, and a meatier beast altogether than his earlier occult fiction. This story (bizarrely) features biscuit salesperson, who just also happens to be a sex magician. Spot the connecting theme is these books?
A fourth work by Ericson, written and published between the release of The Woman who Slept with Demons and Master of the Temple, is a non-fiction Who's Who of Occult practitioners. The World, the Flesh, the Devil: A Biographical Dictionary evidences the profound interest and understanding of the Dark Arts possessed by the author. Not that such proof of Ericson's intense inside-knowledge of occultism and sex-magick is necessary, as all three of his fictional works literally oozes the fact from their pages.
After the publication of these astounding works, all published between 1978 -1983, Ericson stopped writing books and seemingly disappeared from the literary scene. Had he been scolded by occult leaders for divulging too many of their secrets? Such was the content and power of his books, that questions such as this easily arose in the mind of those fans of his fiction hungry for further books by the man.
Like others intrigued by the author, one of my first dial-up internet searches when I first got a computer (yes, I am that old) was to try and learn more about the man, in the primary hope of finding more of his novels. But I also wanted those bubbling questions raised by the mystique of the author answered.
Imagine my surprise then, when I recently refreshed my search for Eric Ericson, and, hey presto, I finally discovered the answers I was looking for! And so, over 40 after my first desire to demystify the enigmatic author was born, I can finally relay some information dredged
Harping back to a recent post, where I chastised the use of author pseudonyms, much of this lack of clarity concerning Ericson is due to his use of a literary nom-de-plume. In fact, Eric Priestley Towers (the author's real name) used several different author names, including Roderick Milton and Tony Caxton. Out of the books published under his other disguises, none really appeal to my genre appetites so I won't go down that avenue of exploring his other works here.
Anyhow, for anyone else wanting to secure this info, here it is, along with a colour photograph of Eric Priestley Towers, a.k.a. Eric Ericson:
Personal
Background
- Full
name: Eric Priestley Towers
- Birth: 23
June 1925, Blaby, Leicestershire, England
- Death:
Between October–December 2006, North Surrey
- Parents: Sidney Towers and Winnifred May Priestley
- Education: Newton’s Grammar School | Jesus College, Cambridge
- Military Service (WWII): Served in Italy and Austria | Supported the Allied Military Government in Vienna post-war
- Residences: Grew up in Wigston Magna | Lived in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey (by 1981)
Professional
Career
- Occupation: Corporate and public relations specialist | Novelist (under multiple pseudonyms)
- Reason for pseudonyms: Maintained discretion due to professional career, particularly for works involving sex magick and occult themes
Main Pseudonyms
Used
- Roderick
Milton – early fiction and stories
- Eric
Ericson – occult and pulp fiction
- Tony
Caxton – late-career detective fiction
Literary
Works
As
Roderick Milton (1950s–1960s):
- Magic City: Three Stories of Vienna under Allied Occupation (1950)
- The Lightning That Struck Me (1951)
- Tell Them in Sparta (1962)
- Regular contributor to Lilliput magazine (short fiction and articles)
As Eric Ericson (1978–1983):
- The Sorcerer (Feb 1978)
- The Woman Who Slept with Demons (Jan 1980)
- The World, the Flesh, the Devil: A Biographical Dictionary (1981)
- Master of the Temple (Mar 1983
As Eric
Towers (1986):
- Dashwood: The Man and the Myth (1986) – Biography of Sir Francis Dashwood
As Tony
Caxton (1994–1996):
- Murder in a Quiet Place (July 1994)
- Bowker’s Bonfire (March 1996)
Occult
Connections
- Involvement
in London’s occult scene: Early
participant in “The Society” – an esoteric discussion group held
upstairs at The Plough, near the British Museum, in the 1980s. Known
for involvement in practical and theoretical occult studies. Ericson's novels contain real occult references and practices