René Alleau (1917-2013), was a French author, philosopher, historian, and consulting engineer. The focus of his numerous works are symbology and alchemy, the occult and secret societies. As well as his own works, he contributed articles in these fields to the Encyclopædia Universalis, and sought to republish ancient works of esotericism while serving as the director of the Bibliotheca hermetica of the French publishing house Éditions Denoël.
Alleau was also a freemason, belonging to the Grande Loge de France. As a member of the Thebah Loge in Paris, he was associated with the Guénonian-Traditionalist School wing of the lodge, rather than the Anglo-Saxon element.
