In 1975, when he was 78, Dennis Wheatley finally achieved his long-held ambition of being elected to a really smart gentlemen's club, White's. On entering the building, so he told a friend, his first objective was to consult the membership book to find out how many had supported his candidacy - a gratifying 35. 'Not bad for the Streatham born son of a shopkeeper.'

LRB 20 January 2011 | PDF Download