The book store was established by John M. Watkins, a friend of
Madame Blavatsky, in 1897 at 26
Charing Cross. John Watkins had already been selling books via a catalogue which he began publishing in March 1893. The first biography of
Aleister Crowley recounts a story of Crowley making all of the books in Watkins magically disappear. Geoffrey Watkins (1896–1981) owned and managed the store after his father. He was also an author and publisher The company first publishing
Carl Gustav Jung's 1925 edition of
Septem Sermones ad Mortuos. In 1901, Watkins Books moved to 21
Cecil Court where it has been continuously trading ever since. It publishes a magazine called the ''Watkins' Mind Body Spirit magazine'', which has featured leading authors from
mind-body-spirit and esoteric fields. Watkins Books has been owned by
Etan Ilfeld since March 2010. Since then, a new website has been launched, and the store regularly hosts book launches and signings. == Awards ==