The many (30+) books of Paul Wilson

Having no affiliation with any particular school or philosophy, he became one of the first freelance meditation teaches around Sydney. Which meant in years to come he would be equally at home sharing his knowledge in secular environments, Buddhist environments, Christian environments, yoga school and, most of all, at his own centre – the Calm Centre.

Fast forward to the eighties...

Wilson is teaching meditation at the Calm Centre. The handbook he writes, The Calm Technique, has been picked up by an Australian book publisher who turns it into a local best-seller. Six months later it is published in the US. The calm is spreading.

With around 30 titles in 24 languages, Wilson's calm books command a lot of shelf place.

Fast forward to the nineties...

Now there is not just one Paul Wilson 'calm' title, but dozens of them. Wilson has become the biggest-selling author in several countries, particularly in Europe. He has a number of Number 1 bestsellers. In the UK he not only has Number 1s, he has five books in the Top 10 - simultaneously - a feat that has only ever been equalled once. By Roald Dahl.

Fast forward to the late nineties...

It is impossible to calculate exactly how many of these 'calm' books are in circulation, but as at the close of the century, there are at least 10 million. At least. Possibly many millions more.

So ubiquitous is this suite of calm (and related) titles that they are regularly lampooned in newspaper cartoons and the like without any attempt to add background or context. Intimate knowledge of the backstory public is assumed.

Check out the very first episode of the comedy series, Black Books. And the more recent Peter Rabbit movie. And other popular shows like QI.