Every Day Is a GOOD Day

GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado – Hilaritas Press has published the first new book in more than 30 years by Robert Shea, best known for co-writing Illuminatus!, the popular cult novel written with his friend, Robert Anton Wilson. Shea also was known for his historical novels such as Shike and All Things Are Lights , books that still draw rave reviews from readers at websites such as Goodreads and Amazon.  When Shea died in 1994, an obituary announced that a book would come out collecting his short pieces. That plan has finally been realized 30 years later with the publication of Every Day Is a GOOD Day , a collection of Shea’s writings. The book is edited by Tom Jackson, who has often written about Shea at his RAWIllumination.net website.  The book is expected to appeal to fans of Illuminatus! , to readers who have enjoyed Shea’s acclaimed historical novels and to people interested in anarchist theory. Shea published an anarchist fanzine, No Governor , and often wrote about anarc...

“One great paradox of Illuminatus! is that its cult following somehow transferred itself to just one of the book's two authors: Robert Anton Wilson still has a devoted cadre of fans two decades after his death, while Robert Shea's solo writings have run the risk of being forgotten. Thankfully, Every Day Is a GOOD Day is here to preserve the memory of this good-hearted, open-minded man – and to let more people enjoy his humane and freedom-loving writings.” – Author Jesse Walker , books editor at Reason magazine. “Entertaining, thought provoking and richly varied, Every Day is a GOOD Day is a perfect introduction to the anarchistic principles and humane thinking of Robert Shea - a man more interested in finding flaws in his own beliefs than he is in forcing those beliefs on others.”  – British writer John Higgs, author of Love and Let Die and other books.  “Tom Jackson's delightful collection has rescued the wit, warmth, and anarchist mischief of Robert Shea - the other hal...

Robert Joseph Shea (14 February 1933 - 10 March 1994) was the co-author of The Illuminatus! Trilogy with Robert Anton Wilson and the author of six other novels including Shike, All Things Are Lights, The Saracen , and Shaman. Robert Shea met Robert Anton Wilson in the late 1960s, when both were working in the editorial department of Playboy. Before long, they decided to collaborate on a novel that would combine sex, drugs, alternative religions, anarchism, and conspiracy theory, which became Illuminatus!. While they remained close friends for life, they had philosophical and political disagreements, and these enriched the book, helping to make it a dialogic novel in which no single point of view is privileged. On his own, Shea went on to write historical novels, including Shike (1981), All Things Are Lights (1986), and what probably is his most underrated work-- The Saracen , a book published in two parts in 1989 depicting the struggle between a blond Muslim warrior called Daoud I...

Here are some links for further information about Robert Shea and his work. Wikipedia biography.  Official website. Finding free ebooks by Robert Shea.   2007 interview with Mike Shea about his father. 2020 interview with Mike Shea about his father.