As always, I am delighted to be able to draw the attention of members and visitors to the latest online catalogue from Weiser Antiquarian. Not only are there many items of great interest to the Crowley collectors here, but also some fascinating snippets of information buried in the book descriptions…
Welcome to this, the seventy-eighth of our on-line catalogs, another of our special lists devoted to books by and about Aleister Crowley.
The catalog is divided into three subsections, the first of which is made up of a select group of used and rare books, letters, and documents, a number of which are signed by Crowley himself. The books include various First Editions, notably Crowley’s Eight Lectures on Yoga (1939) in the scarce dustjacket, Magick In Theory and Practice (1930) in 4 parts with color plate, an early printing of Liber Oz (1941) featuring one of the Thoth tarot designs, and the first separate printing of the Hymn to Pan (Circa 1919). The letters are particularly interesting, with three from Crowley to his collaborator on the Thoth deck, Frieda Harris. In one long letter, written from his English “Abbey of Thelema” at Barton Brow, Crowley encourages her to read The Book of the Law, and also discusses, of all things, his attainments as a road-racing cyclist! In another letter he makes reference to his plans for the text that would become known as Liber Oz, and also speaks of his abhorrence for the forthcoming fifth “National Day of Prayer,” whilst in the third he gives suggestions about the presentation of the original designs of the Thoth tarot cards, and also expounds upon the issues facing young men growing into adulthood, including the need for them to separate from their mothers, citing C. J. Jung in the process. Other fascinating documents include a three page holograph manuscript in which Crowley outlines his lifetime of literary achievements, a letter from a pharmacist to Crowley demanding payment of his account, with Crowley’s note “chemist’s crazy letter,” and a mysterious selection of papers, termed by Crowley the “Philips dossier.” These were clearly of some importance to him, although their actual meaning is obscure.
The second section contains works related to Aleister Crowley, most of which are magazines, although with a few bound books. Amongst the magazines are a good run of the 1970s British Thelemic journal, The New Equinox, and a number of (slightly) more mainstream magazines, including Real – a “men’s magazine” from April, 1966 – and High Times, from July, 1978, both of which feature article about Crowley. The third section of the catalog comprises a selection of books by Kenneth Grant, as well as a number of issues of Starfire (1996), the journal of the Typhonian Order.
To view this illustrated Catalog, visit Weiser Antiquarian at: http://weiserantiquarian.com/catalog/
Weiser Antiquarian Books
P.O. Box 2050
York Beach, ME, 03910-2050
USA.