Simon is a student of magic, occultism, and religion since the mid-1960s and the editor of the Necronomicon, Simon was a frequent lecturer for the famed Warlock Shop in Brooklyn and the Magickal Childe Bookstore in Manhattan for more than ten years before his sudden disappearance in 1984, speaking on topics as diverse as religion and politics, occultism and fascism, ceremonial magic, demonolatry, the Tarot, the Qabala, and Asian occult systems.

He also conducted private classes for the New York City OTO during this period, with a focus on Enochian magic, "Owandering bishops," and Afro-Caribbean occult beliefs. An ordained priest of an Eastern Orthodox church, Simon has appeared on television and radio discussing such topics as exorcism, satanism, and Nazism.

The media events he organized in the 1970s and 1980s - with rock bands, ritual performances, and celebrity appearances - helped to promote the "occult renaissance" in New York City. After decades of study in European, Asian, and Latin American cult centers, this book marks his first public appearance in more than twenty years.

Michael G. Strauss is a David Ross Boyd Professor of Physics at the University of Oklahoma in Norman; he earned his undergraduate degree in physical science from Biola University and his doctorate in physics from the University of California in Los Angeles. He conducts research in experimental particle physics studying the fundamental particles and forces in the universe, and has worked at major international laboratories in the United States and in Europe. Strauss also speaks at churches, schools, and universities around the world about the intersection of science and Christianity. He is one of the four general editors of Zondervan's Dictionary of Christianity and Science.

Laurie Gwen Shapiro is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist.

The Stowaway is her first full-length work of nonfiction.

Julian Baggini’s books include A Short History of Truth, How the World Thinks, Freedom Regained, The Ego Trick, What’s It All About?: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life and the best-selling The Pig That Wants To Be Eaten. He has written for numerous newspapers and magazines, as well as for the think tanks The Institute of Public Policy Research, Demos and Counterpoint. He was the co-founder of The Philosophers' Magazine.