Vintage books: Everybody’s Book of Fate and Fortune by Edward Lyndoe

 

Everybody's Book of Fate Fortune is a great resource for anyone studying or interested in divination. Written by Edward Lyndoe in 1933 and first published in Britain in 1938 by Odhams Press Ltd (London). This book was part of a number of works by the author who gained popularity and indeed noteriety for being one of the leading  voices in the field of divination although, as we will mention later, his predictions were sometimes far from reliable and accurate. This should not, however, disuade anyone from reading this book as the methods and information contained within are all well established and often proven measn of divination. 

This is a huge, bound book of 576 pages. It's more of a pick and read for guidance and inspiration rather than a book you can sit and read end-to-end in one go. As such it is a valuable resources.

The book covers many of the main subects that any diviner or psychic worth their salt should know:

• Astrology and astronomy
• Pherenology
• Graphology
• Numerology
• Chirognomy
• Magic and the sub sciences
• Cartomany
• Arithmancy
• Luck
• Planetary influenes

plus The Oracle of Napoleon  and some very well drawn and informative pictures to help illustrate as well as a list of dates that Lyndoe foresaw as being importance for the near future (at time of writing). It could be very interesting to look into these dates to see if they truly were significant in any way.

If nothing else this book serves as a fascinating look into the Edwardian and Victorian views on psychic abilities and fortune telling. 

A flawed psychic but a well loved people's fortune teller.

Edward Lyndoe (1901–1982) stands out as a noteworthy figure in the mid-20th-century intersection of journalism and astrology in Britain. While he is not widely remembered in mainstream literary histories, his impact in popularising astrology via the press, and his role as an author of occult/astrological works, make him a fascinating study in how esoteric ideas entered the public sphere.

Let's take a quick look into Lyndoe’s life and career, examine his major works and contributions, consider his influence and limitations, and reflect on his significance (and the reasons he is relatively obscure today).

Lyndoe was born in 1901 in England — sources give his full birth name as Thomas Edward Lyndoe Winter (he used his mother’s maiden name “Lyndoe” professionally).   He died in 1982.  

He first came to prominence in the early 1930s when the national British newspaper The People (a Sunday paper) launched a regular astrology column, “Plan with the Planets”, on 1 October 1933, under Lyndoe’s by-line.   In that role he blended his astrological interest with journalism, contributing to the growing press phenomenon of horoscope and birthday-based forecasting.

You can read the book for free online here or physical copies are readily available cheap online.

According to a biographical note, Lyndoe lost much of his savings in the early 1930s stock market crashes, and turned to astrology (which he had studied) as a way to make a living.   He described this as a turning point:

“I awakened one morning to discover I had lost every penny I possessed … I recalled my knowledge of astrology … I began to wonder if, perhaps … I had not been that great fool who, holding the magic key to success in his hand, had forgotten to insert it into the lock and open the door.”  

From his foundation in journalism he went on to publish books on astrology and divination, and served as “Director of Lyndoe and Fisher” (a publishing/astrological concern) according to a portrait-archive note.  

One noteworthy point: despite his astrological credentials, Lyndoe made a public prediction in early 1939 stating “I see absolutely no signs of a Great War during 1939… The Nazis attacking Britain? Don’t make me laugh! Not a sign in my charts” (25 June 1939). After war broke out, his response was to say that Hitler was “a madman against the stars!”   This illustrates both his public-profile forecasting and the limits of such work.