Some very attractive items in the 20th catalogue from Night of Pan Books.
Many of the books listed are from the personal library of Meeka Aldritch (1903-1996) an opera performer and actress. She was a very early member of the Ordo Templi Orientis (Agape Lodge) and was apparently the mistress of Louis Culling.
Thanks to Michael Kolson of Night of Pan Books for giving me permission to repeat the catalogue here… Because of the catalogue’s large size, I’ve listed the “Meeka Aldritch library” items and provided a link to the full catalogue in PDF format.
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Welcome to Night of Pan Books: Catalog # 20
All books listed are cloth unless otherwise noted. It is best to call in advance to reserve your selections and to insure that they are still available. I will hold books for seven days to await payment, unless other arrangements have been made. When ordering books please add $4.00 S&H for the first volume and $1.00 for each volume thereafter.
Payment may be made by check, money order or credit card (Visa, Master Card or American Express.).
Codes for abbreviations are: D/W= Dust wrapper. HC= Hardcover, non-cloth. PB= Paperback. N.D.= No publication date. F= Fine, or like new. VG= Very good, shows some light wear. G= Good, shows some definite wear, but contents are in good shape. Otherwise exact condition will be noted, as will any specific damages. I am also interested in buying books, whole collections or individual volumes write or call for more information. Please send all payments to the following address:
Night of Pan Books
719 Highland Dr.
Seattle WA 98109
(206)352-56755
Please make all checks payable to “Michael Kolson”
Section A. Books from the Collection of Meeka Aldritch:
Meeka Aldritch (1903- 1996) an opera performer and bit actress in Hollywood. Her mother was Mariska Aldritch also an important opera singer of her day; she was the first American Prima Donna to sing the part of Brunhilde in Der Walkure under the direction of Wagner’s son. Both Meeka and her mother played bit parts in movies as well. According to Jerry Cornelius she joined the Ordo Templi Orientis in 1945 through the Agape Lodge in California, though Martin Starr shows that she had visited the Lodge as early as 1933. Also according to Cornelius she briefly had Karl Germer as a house guest, while he was on the outs with his wife Sascha. Meeka was also the mistress of Louis Culling, and friend of Israel Regardie. The books listed below represent a selection of books from her personal library.
1. Abbot, A.E. (a.k.a. Lionel Stebbing.) A Guide to Occult Books and Sacred Writings of Ages. 1963. Emerson Press: London. First edition. 12mo. Stapled wraps. 66 pp. Very good+. Some one has written Lionel Stebbing under the copyright info. $40.00
2. Abbot (as Lionel Stebbing.) A Guide to Occult Books and Sacred Writings of Ages. 1973. New Knowledge Books: Sussex. 12mo. Stapled wraps. 61 pp. Very good. $30.00
3. Budge, E.A. Wallis. The Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani. 1913. The Medici Society: London. 2 volumes. 4to. 704 pp. + many full color folding plates. Good. Volume 1 shows edge wear and some water damage to the edges, this doesn’t affect the pages at all. Volume 2 also shows edge wear though less significant save a ½” chip out of the top of the spine. Volume 2 has about ¾ of the original and rare D/W present. $250.00
4. Budge. The Nile: Notes for Travelers in Egypt. 1907.Thos. Cook & Son (Egypt): London. Tenth edition. Limp decorated cloth. Small 8vo. 955 pp. Illustrated. Marbled end pages and edges. Good +. $75.00
5. Cammell, Charles Richard. Aleister Crowley: The Man, the Mage, the Poet. 1962. University Books: NY. 8vo. 229 pp. 8 full page plates of Crowley and friends. Very good in good, lightly edge worn D/W. $25.00
6. Christian, Paul. The History and Practice of Magic. 1963. Citadel Press: NY. First American edition. 2 volumes 8vo. 621 pp. From the original 19th Century French, with much additional material added including material from Gerald Yorke and Charles Richard Cammell. Spines are sunned, else near very good. In near very good slip case. $40.00
8. Crowley, Aleister. AHA. 1969. Sangreal Foundation: Dallas. First thus with commentary by Israel Regardie. 8vo. 76 pp. Signed by Regardie to Meeka “For Meeka in token of my esteem, Francis”. Very good. $125.00
9. Crowley. Commentary to the Book of the Law and the Collected Holy Books. 4 Volumes. ca. 1966. Transcribed by Louis Culling’s Student Dave Kennedy. Both the Holy Books and the first of the Three Volumes of Liber Al bear inscriptions from Kennedy to Meeka Aldritch. They are facsimiles of a typescript done by Kennedy. The Commentary to Liber Al is stated as being the “Extenuation”, or as it is sometimes called the “New Comment” and it may indeed be a typescript of that. The first published versions of the Commentary came out years later. The Collected Holy Books contain Liber Israfel, Liber LXV, Liber VII, Liber Ararita, Liber LXVI, and the Wizard Way. All are in very good condition, and are bound into three punch note books with typed paper labels to their front covers with Meeka name on each. Scarce. $400.00
10. Crowley. Diary of a Drug Fiend. 1922. W. Collins and Son: London. First UK edition. 8vo. 368 pp. + adds. Light wear to the red printing on spine, also some light cover marking and wear to the corners and edges, not at all bad, however. There is also a light stain to the upper edge of the first 7-8 pgs. Not effecting the text at all. Very good. $600.00
11. Crowley, Aleister et al. the Equinox: Volume I no. IV. (Deluxe). 1910. “Printed for Aleister Crowley”: London. 4to. Bound in white buckram with gold rules. Top edge gilt. Contents include: Liber III, Liber A, An Installment of the Temple of Solomon the King, Part 4 of the Hashish series and more. This copy in good only condition. Front hinge is cracked and exposed, front packet loose but still attached. Table of contents page for the illustrations loose but present. Some light staining to the cloth. Cloth is “bubbling” in a few places. There are also two small holes to the spine. It’s not at all a bad project for a restorer. I have chosen to leave the condition as is. Contents complete including all plates. $400.00
12. Crowley, Aleister et al. The Equinox: Volume I no. IX. (Deluxe) 1913. Weiland and Co. London. 4to. 313 pp. + adds and preliminary announcements from the AA and OTO. Superior in every way to the standard edition. The deluxe editions were bound in white buckram with gilt stamping and rules to the front cover and spine. Top edge is gilt. Contents include: An installment of Temple of Solomon the King; Energized Enthusiasm; An Evocation of Bartzabel; etc. One of only 50 done thus. Some light soiling to the white boards, but not at all bad. A very good copy. $700.00
13. Crowley. Jephthah and Other Mysteries Lyrical and Dramatic. 1899. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co. First edition. 8vo. 223 pp. ¼ cream cloth on red brick paper covered boards. Tipped in catalog to the front of the book. Paper spine label is lightly chipped with the “C” of Crowley and the “J” of Jephthah missing, but otherwise no loss to the text. Corners are bumped, and there is some light chipping to the edges. Otherwise the book is in quite good shape with no real soiling to the covers to speak of. A very good copy. $450.00
14. Crowley. Jephthah and Other Mysteries Lyrical and Dramatic. 1899. Another copy. This one is in Fair to good condition only with soiled boards, wear along the edges and corners, and chipped spine label, which is still about 80% present. Tipped in catalog present, last page of which is loose. Hinges cracked on front and rear. $200.00
15. Crowley. Liber Aleph. 1972. Level Press: San Francisco. Small Folio. 219 pp. Printed on cream colored paper. Pictorial wraps featuring the Fool and Aeon Cards from Crowley’s Thoth Tarot. Some light general wear to the covers else very good. $50.00
10. Crowley. Magick in Theory and Practice. 1976 (possibly a later edition) Dover: NY. 8vo. 436 pp. Trade paperback. Very good. . $25.00
16. Crowley. Moonchild. 1929. Mandrake Press: London. First edition. 8vo. 335 pp. Light wear to the top and bottom of spine and a small light marginal marking else a very good copy. The highly sought after dust jacket is present but in poor shape. Spine is completely missing Front and rear panels present with striking artwork by Egan. Both panels are worn, torn and taped, D/W now protected in Mylar. $700.00
17. Crowley. Olla: An Anthology of Sixty Years of Song. 1946. 4to. Published by the O.T.O. Limited to 500 copies. Frontis. by Augustus John. Bound in brown cloth with the “mark of the Beast” printed inverted on the front cover. Original portrait of AC by Freida Harris is attached to the Half title page and there are a couple remnants of the scarce jacket laid loose in the book. Light wear along the edges. Foxing to the edges and prelims. Good+ to near very good. $350.00
18. Crowley. Orpheus: A Lyrical Legend. 1905. Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth: Boleskine, Inverness. “Fourth edition” 2 Volumes. 155 pp. + 147 pp. Bound in ¼ white cloth on blue paper covered boards. Paper spine labels fully intact. Rubricated title page. Printed on nice quality paper. Some very light wear to the covers else a very good+ set. Crowley published four “editions” of this work all in variant elemental bindings (red, blue, olive and yellow). Rare, especially in such great condition. $725.00
19. Crowley. Seven Seven Seven (777) Revised: vel Prolegomena Symbolica ad Sytemam Sceptico-Mysticae Viae Explicandae, Fundamentum Heirgoglyphicum Sanctissimorum Scientiae Summae. 1955. Neptune Press: London. 8vo., First revised edition. Limited to 1,100 copies. ¼ cream vellum on blue buckram boards. 155pp. Some light foxing to the vellum, there is also some “bubbling” to the cloth not at all bad and the binding is tight and the pages clean. Contains the original one page prospectus and order form. $200.00
20. Crowley. Various Works from the Equinox. 1909- 1913. The Equinox: London. 4 volumes 8vo. These four volumes where culled from the Equinox and bound in grey cloth by Meeka Aldritch. They consist of 2 volumes of Occult Fiction and Plays. These contain the following works: The Scorpion; The Earth; The Ordeal of Ida Pendragon; How I became a famous Mountaineer; Cancer?; The Vitriol Thrower; An Evocation of Bartzabel; The Testament of Magdalen Blair; Ercildoune; His Secret Sin; Doctor Bob; Adonis; The Ghouls, Snow Storm; Diana of the Inlet; Across the Gulf and some smaller works. There is also another volume that consists solely of Crowley’s “Description of the Tarot Cards”. The Forth volume is a collection of Sixteen Magical Practices containing: Liber B; Liber Nu; Liber Israfel; Liber Stellea Rubeea; Liber Astarte; Liber CCXXXI; Liber Os Abysmi; Liber Had; Liber Tav; Liber CMXIII; Liber Porta Lucis; Liber Tvrris; Liber Tzaddi, Liber Cheth; and Liber A’ash. These were selected collated and bound by Meeka using her motto OANDR in 1957. The last volume listed has a paper spine label the others simple printed tape labels. Each has a typed frontis. page indicating they were compiled by Meeka. All good+ to very good. $400.00
21. Crowley. The Vision and the Voice. 1952. Thelema Publishing: Barstow: CA. 4to. FIRST EDITION. 163 pp. Poor production value but truly a rare book. I don’t belief that more than 200 copies were published. Facsimile of type script bound in spiral binding with burgundy covers and title tamped on front cover. Back cover is detached and there are some occasional notes and bracketing in blue pen. Scarce. $800.00
22. Culling, Louis T. A Manual of Sex Magick. 1971. Llewellyn: MN. First Printing. Cloth bound in D/W. 8vo. 147 pp. Small sticker on the FFEP saying that the book came from the “Mariska Aldritch Memorial Library” in Hawaii. This was Meeka’s mother. There are no other library markings to the book and I have not been able to track down such a Library. Both book and Jacket are in very good condition, the latter has some very light edge wear and a couple of tears. $90.00
23. Culling. Occult Renaissance 1972-2008. 1972. Llewellyn: MN. Staple bound pamphlet. 8vo. 56 pp. Signed by Culling to his mistress “27th June 1972, To a very dear one to my heart, Anna Mary Aldritch, I affectionately autograph this book, the Author, Louis T. Culling”. Very good. $75.00
24. Culling. Occult Renaissance 1972-2008. Another copy this one signed to who I believe is Meeka’s husband (!), “27th June 1972, With pride and affection I autograph this book to R.J. Anderson, the Author Louis T. Culling.” Very good. $50.00
25. Hall, Manly Palmer. Magic: A treatise on Natural Occultism. 1960. Philosophical Research Society. 16mo. 72 pp. Staple bound paper wraps. Very good. $15.00
26. Hall. Orders of the Great Work: Alchemy. 1976. PRS: Los Angeles. 8vo. 107 pp. Cloth in D/W both in very good condition. $35.00
27. Johnston, Charles. The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali. 1912. The Quarterly Book Department. New York. 16mo. 183 pp. + adds. Light wear to the edges and corners. Very good. $35.00
28. [Meeka. (Meeka Aldritch), trans.] Wagner, Richard. The Eternal Ring (Die Walkure). 1992. Privately published. Signed by Meeka on the dedication page. This book was dedicated to Meeka’s mother Mariska Aldritch, the First American Prima Donna to play Brunhilde. Long inscription from Frank Osbourne who produced this volume along with Meeka, indicating that of the original 3,000 copies printed all but 800 were destroyed in a fire. This copy said to be the proof copy and inscribed by Frank to his Parents. 102 pp, White cream boards, lightly soiled, else very good. $100.00
29. Regardie, Israel. The Eye in the Triangle: An Interpretation of Aleister Crowley. 1974. Llewellyn: MN. 8vo. Trade paperback. 517 pp. Signed by Regardie: “For Meeka always, Israel Regardie”. Stain to front cover and page edges, does not affect the text. $50.00
30. Regardie. The Legend of Aleister Crowley. 1970. Llewellyn: MN. 8vo. Paperback. xvii + 157 pp. First Llewellyn edition. Signed by Regardie to Meeka “Te Meeka affectionately Francis Regardie”. Good+. Spine creases and light cover wear. $125.00
31. Regardie. The Philosopher’s Stone. 1974. Llewellyn: MN. 8vo. Trade Paperback. 204 pp. Signed by Regardie on the title page. Curl to the book, crease to rear upper corner. Else a good+ copy. $50.00
32. Regardie. The Tree of Life. 1975. Weiser: NY. 8vo. Trade paperback. 284 pp. Signed by Regardie on the title page. Very good. $100.00
33. Regardie. The Tree of Life. 1975. Weiser: NY. 8vo. Trade paperback. 284 pp. Signed by Regardie on the title page. Light spine crease else very good. $100.00
34. Rhodes, H.T.F. The Satanic Mass. 1974. Citadel: NJ. 8vo. First Citadel printing. Hardcover in D/W both in very good condition. 254 pp. $25.00
35. Roberts, Susan. The Magician of the Golden Dawn: The Story of Aleister Crowley. 1978. CBI: Chicago. 8vo. First edition. 337 pp. Hardcover and D/W both in very good condition. Contains a critical review by Carl Weschcke typed on Llewellyn letter head paper. $30.00
36. Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. 1960. University Books: NY. Small 4to. 440 pp. Many illustrations. Very good in good+ slip case. $40.00
37. Zain, C.C. (Benjamine, Elbert). Astrological Signatures. ca. 1928. The Brotherhood of the Light: Los Angeles. 16mo. Cloth bound. 288 pp. Contains the following essays/ lessons: The Two Keys; The Zodiac; Mundane Houses; The Mission of the Soul; Physiology and Correspondence; Doctrine about Signatures; About Reincarnation; The Ritual of Egyptian Initiation. Some soiling to the front cover Good+. $25.00