Weiser Antiquarian Books Catalog # 35.
Aleister Crowley: Rarities.
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Contents of this Catalog:
An Important Crowley Typescript.
Aleister Crowley - Rare, Scarce and Unusual Books and Ephemera.
The Crowley - Hixenbaugh Collection.
Works Recommended for Study by Aleister Crowley.
Aleister Crowley: Letters, Envelopes and Seals.
About This Catalog & How To Purchase From It.
Aleister Crowley, Commentary on Liber AL Vel Legis. An original bound typescript. London: NP, ND (circa 1930s?).. Hardbound, thick quarto. Carbon typescript, 627 leaves, 7 ¾ x 9 ½ inches, each printed on one side only, numbered [ii] 308, [vi] 190 [vi] 122pp. Attractively bound in black cloth, with 'Liber AL Vel Legis / decoration / Commentary' stamped in gilt across spine, and 'Z .·. ' (a symbolic abbreviation of 'Frater Zopiron') gilt stamped on the front board. A carbon typescript of Crowley's Commentaries on The Book of the Law, most likely prepared for Crowley in the UK at some time in the 1930s, and sent to his followers in the United States. It was acquired by 'Frater Zopiron' who specially commissioned its present binding. Gabriel Montenegro Vargas (Frater Zopiron: 1907-1969), IX degree, O.T.O., was the last initiate of the Agape Lodge of the O.T.O. in California. His Thelemically-inspired bookplate (illustrated) is on the front pastedown.
The volume is divided into three sections - one for each chapter of Liber AL - with the first and the second chapters containing both the 'old comment' and the 'new comment', and the third chapter the 'new comment' only. A magnificent, handsome copy of a rarely-seen work. The typescript appears to represent a somewhat earlier state than that used by Symonds and Grant in their publication the Magical and Philosophical Commentaries [hereafter MPC].
Aleister Crowley, The Banned Lecture. Gilles de Rais, to have been delivered before the Oxford University Poetry Society by Aleister Crowley on the evening of Monday February 3rd, 1930 .... for sale to Members of University of Oxford (with original envelope) . London: P. R. Stephensen, 41 Museum Street, 1930. First Edition. Softcover. 8vo. 16pp. Original pale blue-grey printed stapled wrappers. In February 1930 Crowley was invited to give a lecture to the Oxford University Poetry Society on the notorious medieval French occultist and mass-murderer Gilles de Rais. However the lecture was cancelled at the last moment after pressure was brought to bear by the University's Catholic Chaplain, Father Ronald Knox. Crowley retaliated by having his friend and publisher P. R. Stephensen quickly printed copies of the lecture in booklet form, which were then sold on the streets of Oxford, thereby reaching a far greater audience than his original lecture would ever have attracted. Due to their ephemeral nature, the original booklets are now quite scarce, despite having probably had a relatively large print-run (1000 copies). 
Aleister Crowley, The Book of the Goetia or the Lesser Key of Solomon the King. From numerous manuscripts in Hebrew, Latin, French and English by the order of the Secret Chief of the Rosicrucian Order.... Chicago, IL: The Occult Publishing House, ND [circa 1910]. First U.S. Edition. Hardcover. Small 8vo. (x) + 82 pp (ii pp adverts). Original black cloth with gilt title, etc. to spine and front cover. Illustrated. Although Crowley's name does not appear in the book, it is actually a pirated version of his edition of the famous grimoire of talismanic magic, the Lemegeton of Solomon. Crowley first published the book at Boleskine in 1904, under the title The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King in an edition of only 200 copies using translations which had been prepared by S. L. MacGregor Mathers, his former mentor in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. A copy was evidently acquired by The Occult Publishing House who used it to produce this presumably unauthorised edition, the first to be published in the United States. Although undated, advertisements in the rear of the volume, and other evidence, suggest that it was published around 1910. A near fine copy: tight, clean, unmarked with just a little bruising to the edges. No dust jacket called for. (34521) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, The Book of Lies. [Full title:] Liber CCCXXXIII (333), The Book of Lies Which is Also Falsely Called BREAKS the Wanderings or Falsifications of the One Thought of Frater Perdurabo Which Thought is itself Untrue. London: Wieland and Co., 1913. First edition. Hardcover, 16 mo, 132 pp., Original black cloth with gilt titling on spine and title within an elaborate Egyptian-themed decorative border on the front cover. Errata slip facing p. 61. Black and white photographs of Crowley (on donkey) and Leila Waddell . One of Crowley's most important, and cryptic works. He wrote of it: "this book deals with many matters on all planes of the very highest importance. It is an official publication for Babes of the Abyss, but is recommended even to beginners as highly suggestive." There is a small, half-inch split in the gutter of the cloth between the bottom of the spine and the front board, and overall the book the covers show some light wear: cloth a little rubbed at the folds and with some very light chafing to the edges and the corners. As usual the endpapers and plates are somewhat toned, and there is a little chipping to the edge of one leaf, whilst another has lost a nick from a corner (due to careless opening). Still overall a tight, clean, V.G.+ copy (no dustjacket - none issued) (34538) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, The Book Of The Law (Liber AL vel Legis, sub figura CCXX as delivered by XCIII = 418 to DCLXVI) . London: Privately issued by the O.T.O. , 1938 . First Edition thus . Softcover. Small 8vo ( 6 1/2 x 4 7/8 inches) 50pp. (+ 6pp adverts at rear) White printed wrappers, with title printed in black on upper board. INSCRIBED BY CROWLEY. The softcover issue of the first separate UK publication of The Book of the Law. This copy inscribed by Crowley "a Mynheer J Michaud avec les homages respectueses de 666 An Ixii [Astrological symbols for Sol in Aries - thus March 1938]. Jean Michaud (1884 - 1961) was a composer, author, and occultist, who was deeply involved in esoteric circles in London from the 1920s through 1950s. He was also the author of a number of esoteric works, mostly published by his own UMA Press, London, in the late 1940s. Michaud was a friend of the head of A.M.O.R.C., H. Spencer Lewis, and possibly also had some involvement with A.M.O.R.C. in Britain, for when Crowley and he first met on 26 July, 1937, Crowley recorded in his diary 'Met Michaud A.M.O.R.C. publisher.' Despite Crowley's subsequent failed attempts to involve Michaud in his battle with H. Spencer Lewis over control of A.M.O.R.C., the Beast and Michaud became friends, and saw each other with some frequency during 1938 and 1939, though less so during the war years. Signed or inscribed copies of The Book of the Law are genuinely rare. Hint of discoloration to the wrappers, tiny scratch to fore-edge, still VG+. (34471) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, [The Book Of The Law] Liber AL vel Legis, sub figura CCXX. Oxford, UK: Golden Dawn Publications, nd [circa 1980]. Reprint. Softcover. 6 x 4 inches. Not paginated 24pp. Stapled printed wrappers. An unusual modern printing of Crowley's The Book of the Law. VG+ (34533) SOLD
Aleister Crowley, An engraved Carte de Visite of Mr. Aleister Crowley, 6, Hasker Street, S.W.3, London: ND (circa 1939). An engraved Carte de Visite, approx. 3" x 1 1/2," printed on white card stock. It has Crowley's 6, Hasker Street, S.W.3, [Kensington] London address on it, and his telephone number. 
Aleister Crowley, Edited etc. by Francis King, Crowley on Christ. London: C. W. Daniel Ltd. , 1974. First Edition Thus. Hardcover 8vo, 232 pp. Red Cloth, gilt title, etc. to spine. A fascinating study of Christianity by Crowley. The text was originally published in mimeographed form by Karl Germer in 1953 under the title The Gospel According to St. Bernard Shaw, in an edition that was almost certainly less than 200 copies. This new edition includes an Introduction by Francis King, and is itself increasingly difficult to find. A fine copy, tight crisp and clean. The dustjacket is price-clipped and there is a little 'crazing' to the laminate of the front panel, otherwise it too is in near-fine condition. (34468) SOLD
Aleister Crowley, [Writing as :Mahatma Guru Sri Paramahansa Shivaji]. Eight Lectures on Yoga. London: The O.T.O., 1939. First Edition. Hardcover, Large Quarto (11 ¾ x 9") Original cloth (buckram) with title and sigil gilt stamped on upper board, 84pp (+ 4pp. adverts.) Edges untrimmed. Erratum tipped in at p. 84. Portrait frontispiece with original tissue guard. 1 diagram (Tree of Life). The book is widely regarded as one of Crowley's best works, and as one of the wittiest and most insightful studies of the subject ever written by a Westerner. Although Crowley gave the work a number in his Equinox series (Volume III, Number Four) it was effectively an independent monograph, and is complete in itself. This is the first English edition, which was bound in a fine cloth (buckram) with the gilt stamped A.'. A.'. seal on the front cover approx. two and a quarter inches in diameter. The book itself is in near-fine condition, many of the pages are unopened, and it is tight clean and fresh and not yellowed, as is often the case. It is complete with its scarce dustjacket. The dustjacket is one of the cleanest examples we have seen, the white panels are largely unmarked, and it has just a few small closed chips and tears around the edges. The white areas of the jacket are lightly browned and it is darkened at the folds. There are a few small chips and tears around the edges - the largest is the size of a thumbnail and is at the base of the spine. It is still in unusually good condition, and genuinely scarce thus. (34534) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, The Equinox of the Gods (being The Equinox Vol. III, No. III) . London: The O.T.O., 1936. First edition - First Printing. Hardcover, Quarto, vi + 138pp (+ 65 single-sided quarto sheets in a printed folder contained in a pocket at the rear of the volume ). Original white buckram, heavily stamped in gilt with title and sigils on upper board and spine. The Equinox of the Gods was Crowley's first real attempt to do justice to The Book of the Law. A magnificent example of book production, buckram bound and printed on fine paper. It includes the text of Liber AL, essays on its history and meaning, color reproductions and translations of the "Stele of Revealing" (which thanks to a rather apt typo is misnamed the "Stele of Revelling") and - for the first time - a full size facsimile of the original manuscript of the book, contained in a printed folder housed in a specially designed "wallet" or pocket at the rear of the book. An errata leaf listing ten changes is pasted onto p. 137. Original 4 page prospectus / order form loosely inserted. A superb copy. The only flaw is that a rubber band was once around the folder in the pocket at the rear, and this has long since perished, leaving a dark ring around the folder where is once was. The book itself is VG+ - as close to fine as this volume could ever be found. The usually-darkened buckram and gilt work are bright and fresh, the internals crisp and clean. An exceptional copy - one of the best we have ever seen - of a landmark work in the history of Thelema. (34470) ON HOLD
Aleister Crowley, The Equinox of the Gods. NP [Chico, CA]: [ L. A. Brock? ], ND [circa 1970's ]. Reprint. Hardcover. 4to. x + 138pp + lv. Off-white composite boards with gilt title, etc. to spine and upper board, b&w illustrations. In a rather sad effort to imitate the First Edition of this title, there is a manila envelope at rear housing loose facsimile sheets of the manuscript of The Book of the Law. The design of the book has been rather ingeniously engineered to accommodate the envelope at the rear by binding in about 150 extra sheets, which were then excised, thus creating a space between the text and the rear board. Spine a little darkened, light rubbing to boards and extremities, paper lightly browned. Otherwise a sound, bright VG+ copy of an unusual printing. No dustjacket - none issued. Unusual - nowhere near as common as the standard 'Brock' reprint in which the 'facsimile manuscript' is simply bound in like the rest of the pages. (34592) Please check our website for current availability.
[Aleister Crowley, writing as:] Khaled Khan. The Heart Of The Master. London: Privately issued by the O.T.O., 1938 . First edition. Hardcover, Small 8vo. 40pp. ( + viii pp. adverts at rear) Original yellow buckram, purple stamped title and A.'. A.'. seal on front board. Crowley wrote the bulk of The Heart of the Master in 1924, although the book was not published until 1938 when it appeared in this edition, in a print run which some have said was as small as a 100 copies (whatever it was, there is no doubt that it was small as this is a genuinely scarce book). Yellow buckram a little discolored as always, a short (half-inch) split in the paper at the bottom of the front inside gutter. Endpapers a little darkened. Still a solid, clean, VG+ copy, of one of Crowley's scarcer and more important works. (No dustjacket: unlike the companion volume Little Essays Toward Truth, no printed dustjacket was issued with this book). (34536) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, Translator, Edited by 'Shepard'. The I Ching: A New Translation of the Book of Changes by the Master Therion. San Francisco, CA: Level Press, 1972. First Edition Thus. Softcover. 8vo. 96 pp. White printed wrappers. Ironically - considering the important role played by the Yi King in Crowley's life - this is one of the first publications of his work on the subject. Innovative book design: "This edition is designed to be read from back to front (as the Hexagrams are read from bottom to top.) In this way we hope to remind our readers that in appreciating the work of cultures other than our own, a fixed mind is at a disadvantage." This copy is obviously unread, and the spine is just a little darkened, otherwise Fine condition, and very unusual thus. (34541) SOLD
Aleister Crowley, In Residence. The Don's Guide to Cambridge. Cambridge: Elijah Johnson, 1904. First edition. Softcover. 8vo, 94 pp. + 20pp. adverts, Original pale blue wrappers with darker blue title etc. to front wrapper. A collection of Crowley's early poetry, published in the same years as Crowley received The Book of the Law. The poems are mostly reprinted from magazines like 'Granta,' 'Cambridge Magazine,' 'Cantab,' etc. though some were previously unpublished. Includes twenty pages of extremely interesting, humorous, and informative advertisements for works by Crowley at the rear, as well as the detachable entry form for a competition which Crowley held for the best essay to be written on his own works. This was of course the competition won by J. F. C. Fuller whose essay was said to have been the only entry, although contrary to popular beleif he did in fact receive the promised hundred pound prize. Some light discoloration to the wrappers as always and creasing to the spine, detachable entry form detached but present. Chip a little bigger than a thumbnail missing from the bottom of the spine, otherwise the wrappers are still firmly attached, and aside from a little light flecking the internals clean. (34539) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, Liber Aleph The Book of Wisdom or Folly in the Form of an Epistle of 666 The Great Wild Beast to his Son 777 being the Equinox Volume III No. VI. California: Thelema Publishing Company, 1962. First edition. Hardcover. Quarto. xii + 220 pp. Tipped in frontis portrait of Crowley, errata slip facing p. xii. The first edition of this important work, published by Crowley's successor, Karl Germer. Previous owner's bookplate on front pastedown. There is some flecking to the boards, and the cloth is lightly rubbed at the head and tail of spine. Light browning to outer margins, pen check marks at page headings on a half dozen or so pages. Otherwise a sound VG copy in bright VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket lightly rubbed at spine ends and edges, faint discoloration to upper panel, now protected in mylar). (34523) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, Magick In Theory and Practice (being part III of Book 4) (Four volumes) . Paris: Lecram Press, [ 1929 ]. First Edition. Softcovers. Four sections. Quartos. Each in original printed wrappers. xxxii + 122pp.; [82pp.]; [94pp.]; [132pp.]. Fore- & bottom-edges untrimmed. Color plate in Section 1. Tables, diagrams, etc. etc. This four part, paper-wrappered set is the true first issue of Crowley's magnum opus, Magick in Theory and Practice (also known as Book 4, Part III), and includes the color plate which was omitted from the later hardbound edition. Apparently Crowley was not satisfied with some features of this edition, and had the great majority of copies disbound and rebound in cloth, thereby creating the so-named "Subscriber's Edition." At the same time he had the color plate removed, supposedly because he was not happy with the quality of the reproduction. Hailed by Crowley as "the first complete treatise on Magick to be published", Magick is commonly regarded as his Magnum Opus. The contents of the book were somewhat different to those listed in the original prospectus for the book, with an additional appendix (number VII) being added, and changes made to the order and composition of some of those preceding it. Spines a bit darkened and creased with some light chipping at ends, a bit of neat glue repair to spine edges. A few light marks to covers, penned no. 345 on lower edge of upper wrapper of Part 4. Light browning to pages. Still a VG set of an important and fragile edition. (34525) SOLD
Aleister Crowley, Foreword by Karl J. Germer. Magick Without Tears. Hampton, New Jersey: Thelema Publishing Company, 1954. First edition. Hardcover, Large Quarto, [vi - blanks]+ xxx pp + 400pp, Original maroon binder's cloth, with simple gilt titling. Crowley's original title for this book was 'Aleister Explains Everything' - for it is in essence his personal commentary on magical work and training, offered in the simplest and most straightforward terms, in the form of 80 letters addressed to students. It was first published by Karl Germer, in this edition, with a print-run that almost certainly did not exceed 100 copies. The work has subsequently been reprinted, but the editor Israel Regardie removed substantial sections of the text which he felt to be redundant, and this remains the only complete edition. A few creases to the spine that have probably been there from new (the binding was rather cheaply done), corners bruised. There are a couple of rub marks to the front pastedown, where it would appear that a strip of tape was placed, and then removed. On the reverse of the front free endpaper a previous owner has placed a photograph (?) of a highly stylized drawing of an Anubis-type figure in mummy draperies beneath a full moon. It is held in place by golden sticky tape, which partially covers some hand-drawn hieroglyphics above and below it (see photograph to the right). The gold tape has resulted in some off-set marks on the title-page that faces it. Otherwise the book is in VG + condition, unmarked saved for a few 'ticks' in the margins of a couple of pages (no dustjacket - none issued). (34559) SOLD
Aleister Crowley, Olla. An Anthology of Sixty Years of Song. London: The OTO, 1946. First edition, limited to 500 copies. Hardcover. Quarto. 128 pp., Original brown cloth with gilt lettering down spine and on upper board, which also has a gilt-stamped device - Crowley's 'mark of the Beast' sigil. Frontis. Portrait of Crowley by Augustus John. Crowley's own selection of his best poetry, and the last of his books to be published in his own lifetime. Famously a binders error saw the 'mark of the Beast' sigil on the front board stamped upside down, something that would doubtless have caused Crowley great annoyance. Light shelf wear and rubbing to spine and edges of the boards, cloth a little discolored in spots, corners bumped. Bookplate on front paste down, a little spotting, mostly to the preliminaries. Still, a near-VG copy of a book, which due to war-time economy standards, did not have the production values of Crowley's earlier works (lacks dustjacket). (34526) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, Introduces and Edits, Stuart X [Henry Clifford Stuart], A Prophet In His Own Country. Being The Letters Of Stuart X. Washinton, D. C. : Privately Published, N.D. 1916. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. 500pp. "Author's Edition": limited to 500 copies signed and numbered by the author (that is Henry Clifford Stuart). Navy blue cloth with white lettering. Portrait. A bizarre collection of letters mainly preoccupied with politics and finance - but touching on everything from the duties of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to the moral superiority of the Zulu warrior - written by New York businessman Henry Stuart Clifford. The letters are to a number of luminaries including Lloyd George, President Woodrow Wilson, Sun Yat Sen as well as to various newspapers. Crowley, who spent the years of the First World War in the United States in relative penury, was apparently more than happy to take on the presumably reasonably-paid task of collecting, editing, and arranging the letters, as well as writing a 16 page introduction to them. Indeed he does so with considerable gusto, and it is difficult not to suspect that some of his more sycophantic annotations are more than a little tongue-in-cheek. 
[Aleister Crowley, & Theodor Reuss,] edited by Francis King, The Secret Rituals of the O.T.O. London: The C. W. Daniel Co., 1973. First UK edition. Hardcover. 8vo. 240pp. Original brown paper-covered boards, gilt lettering on spine. Frontis. The controversial first publication of the "secret rituals" of the Ordo Templi Orientis, of which Aleister Crowley was one-time head, edited and introduced by Francis King. The book is in 3 parts: Part 1: "The Birth and Development of the O.T.O.", Part 2: "The Rituals Themselves", Part 3: "The Secret Instructions of the Seventh, Eighth & Ninth Degrees". Light shelfwear to edges. Bookshop sticker and a bit of glue residue to front pastedown, previous owner's name and "F. R. C." [Fellowship of the Rosy-Cross?] in pen on title page, along with a postage stamp size sticker with a Biblical quote and "Food for the Poor"! All else VG + in VG dust jacket (Dust jacket lightly rubbed, price clipped, and has been externally reinforced at the edge with clear tape, although this is practically invisible under its protective mylar cover) (34540) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, The Stratagem and Other Stories. London: The Mandrake Press, 1930. First edition. Hardcover, 16mo, 140 pp, Original gold & black imitation-snake skin patterned boards with black cloth spine with white paper title label. Three novellas by Crowley: "The Stratagem," "His Secret Sin," and "The Testament of Magdalen Blair. " " The Testament of Magdalen Blair " paints a particularly nasty picture of what happens to human beings after they die, which is indeed so nasty that it has been described in the Penguin Encyclopaedia of Horror & the Supernatural as "one of the most horrible stories ever written." Very light bruising and rubbing to spine ends and corners, endpapers unevenly browned. Otherwise an unusually bright Near fine copy, in VG+ dust jacket: the spine of which is somewhat darkened and which is just a little chipped and creased at the extemeties of the head and tail. (34478) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, The Sword of Song. Called by Christians The Book of the Beast. Benares [Actually Paris]: Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth, 1904. First Edition. Softcover, large Quarto (viii) + xii + 194 + (ii)pp, Original gold-printed blue paper wrappers, rebacked with new backstrip, now housed in a custom made protective cloth box. Extremely scarce: edition limited to only 100 copies (there were also 10 advance copies in printed red wrappers). The 100 copies were divided into four 'editions' with a number of copies (presumably 25 of each) having respectively 'Second Edition', 'Third Edition' and 'Fourth Edition' printed on the title page. This copy does not have any of these 'edition' statements, so can be counted as the First Issue of the First Edition, of which there were probably only 25 copies.
Aleister Crowley, [writing under the pseudonym Gerard Aumont]. An early Typescript of Crowley's essay 'The Secret Conference,' with the original envelope, with Crowley's seal in wax, in which it was posted to an acquaintance in the United States. [Tunisia - circa 1925]. An original typescript (probably carbon) of Crowley's essay 'The Secret Conference,' typed on the rectos only of 14 sheets of 8 x 10 1/2 inch onion skin typing paper. Several minor manuscript corrections in an unknown hand, which of course may be Crowley's. 'The Secret Conference' is a short essay on the history of the "mysterious Brotherhood" of occult initiates, the "secret chiefs" who are said to guide them, the advent of The Book of the Law and Thelema, and the role which Crowley believed it cast upon him. It was written by Crowley in 1925 in Tunisia, under the name Gerard Aumont (a pseudonym he used in several other works) and was probably intended for publication as part of the 'World Teacher' campaign he had begun the previous year. This typescript of 'The Secret Conference' was sent by Crowley to a Chicago resident, Walter R. Hixenbaugh, in 1926. 
Only three other copies of the typescript are known to survive, two in the Harry Ransom Collection, University of Texas at Austin, and one, previously in the possession of Kenneth Anger and now in the O.T.O. archives. The first publication of the text was apparently in the Thelemic journal 'In the Continuum', III, 7, 1985 (not seen) and it was later included as an introductory essay in the 1992 O.T.O. New Falcon edition of The Heart of the Master. 
Aleister Crowley, A fragment of a typed letter, from Aleister Crowley to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, dated March 12, 1926. . The first two pages ONLY of what appears to have been a 3 page typed letter. Approx. 30 lines of type on the rectos of two sheets of 10 1/2 x 8 1/4 inch buff typing paper. From Aleister Crowley to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, dated March 12, 1926, and with Crowley's Tunisian (Seniat el Kitou) address typed at the head. Crowley is responding to a letter from Hixenbaugh sent in January, in which he evidently inquired about purchasing copies of The Equinox. He suggests that Hixenbaugh make contact with Max Schneider, whose address he gives, and goes on to discuss an 'important campaign' (presumably the 'World Teacher' campaign) which he is currently engaged in. Crowley mentions enclosing "various documents which will enable you to get some idea of what we are really doing" an allusion perhaps to some the typescript(s) he sent Hixenbaugh. Crowley goes on to discuss his inventory of books, and publishing plans: clearly with the intention of enticing Hixenbaugh into some involvement. As the letter is lacking its final page (or pages) it is unsigned. A few chips and tears around the edges, not affecting the text. (34582) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, A typed letter neither signed nor dated and without sender or recipient details, but presumably from Aleister Crowley or one of his deputies to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, (circa 1926). The 3 page draft of a typed letter (of approx. 70 lines) neither signed nor dated and without sender or recipient details, but presumably from Aleister Crowley or one of his deputies to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, (circa 1926). Typed on the rectos only of 3 sheets of 8 x 10 inch onion skin typing paper. The letter discusses, at some length, the stock of Crowley's books held in London, Chicago, and Detroit, and their value. The writer essentially goes on to either offer them for direct bulk purchase, or for use as a collateral on a loan, and enthuses about their merit, financial worth etc. A number of large chips, tears and creases around the edges, not affecting the text. (34583) Please check our website for current availability.
Max Schneider, A typed letter, signed, from V.I.A.T.O.R. (Max Schneider) to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, dated July 27, 1926. A two page typed letter signed (of approx. 50 lines in total), from V.I.A.T.O.R. (Max Schneider) to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, dated July 27, 1926, and headed with a Chicago address. On the rectos of two sheets of 10 1/2 x 8 1/4 inch buff typing paper. Hixenbaugh had asked Germer for information regarding the A .'. A .'. and O.T.O., and Germer had clearly forwarded the letter to Schneider to answer. The letter begins and ends with the Thelemic greetings typed in red, and is signed "Frater V.I.A.T.O.R. 1 = 10 A .'. A .'." (As well as being a member of the A .'. A .'. Schneider would later be initiated as a IX° member of the O.T.O. and would become one of the founding members of the second Agapé Lodge.) Schneider mentions the existence of O.T.O. lodges in Europe and Australia, and South Africa, and discusses the relationship between the O.T.O. and the A .'. A .'., the basic structures of the groups, etc. etc. A discolored patch - looks a little like a tea stain - on the second leaf, and a couple of old heavy crease marks, otherwise V.G. condition. (34581) Please check our website for current availability.
Karl Germer, A typed letter, signed, from Karl Germer to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, dated July 7, 1926. A typed letter signed, from Karl Germer to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, on a single sheet of 10 1/2 x 8 1/4 inch buff typing paper. Dated July 7, 1926, written in Chicago, but with a return in address in New York City. Approx 30 typed lines, signed at the bottom of the page 'Karl Germer.' Clearly the letter is a reply to a query from Hixenbaugh regarding the availability of various Crowley titles. Germer mentions having just arrived in America, and discusses books held in various stores, Crowley's recent work, publication plans etc. With the original envelope with typewritten addresses. Two largish slivers missing from the right hand margin of the letter (not affecting the text), which also has some creases and a few chips and tears around the edges. Envelope has been roughly torn open at one end, and is rather dusty. (34528) Please check our website for current availability.
Karl Germer, A typed letter, signed, from Karl Germer to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, dated July 15, 1926. A typed letter signed, from Karl Germer to Walter R. Hixenbaugh, on a single sheet of 10 1/2 x 8 1/4 inch buff typing paper. Dated July 15, 1926, and with a New York address. Approx 40 typed lines plus a short note "Please excuse my English" handwritten in bottom margin. Signed 'Karl Germer.' In this letter Germer tells of having made arrangements for a part of Crowley's London stock of books to be shipped to the US, and then continues and earlier discussion about which books Hixenbaugh should acquire - specifically The Equinox, Book 4 (Part 1 & II) The Collected Works, etc. He writes of the need for funding for further publications etc. and of his hopes of interesting a New York publisher in printing some of Crowley's manuscripts. Overall VG condition - a few chips and tears around the edges, not affecting the text.
(34580) Please check our website for current availability.
Anonymous [William Stirling] with a Preface by R. B. Cunninghame Graham). The Canon. An Exposition of the Pagan Mystery Perpetuated in the Cabala as the Rule of All the Arts. London: Elkin Mathews, 1897. First Edition. Hardcover large 8vo., [2] [xvi] + 404 pp, Original grey/blue boards with white cloth spine and paper title label. Aleister Crowley recommended The Canon to his students as a book worthy of 'serious study', describing it as 'The best text-book of applied Qabalah.' It is also regarded as one of the foundation works in the modern esoteric study of 'Sacred Geometry.' Spine darkened and with some spots to label, boards rubbed, particularly at corners which are rounded. Contemporary previous owner's bookplate and signature (detail) on frontpastedown, heavy erasure on front endpaper, front hinge cracked but holding, a few old unobtrusive annotations. Still a Good copy of a scarce work. (34473) Please check our website for current availability.
Ida Craddock, Edited and with an Introduction by Theodore Schroeder, Heavenly Bridegrooms. An Unintentional Contribution to the Erotogenetic Interpretation of Religion. [with] Bibliography. New York: Privately printed, 1918. First Edition Thus. Softcover. 8vo. 122pp. Original printed wrappers. The first edition in book form of this posthumously-published collection of erotic autobiographical material by Ida Craddock, that was originally appeared as a series of articles in the journal "Alienist and Neurologist," between 1915 and 1917. 
Richard Payne Knight, A Discourse on the Worship of Priapus And its connection with the Mystic Theology of the Ancients. A New Edition, to which is added an Essay on the Worship of the Generative Powers during the Middle Ages of Western Europe. London: Privately Printed, 1865. First Edition Thus. Hardcover, 8vo, xvi + 254 pp. Quarter green leather w/ maroon papered boards, gilt title, etc. to spine, marbled endpapers. Numerous illusrations - many full page and some double. A new edition of Richard Payne Knight's Discourse on the Worship of Priapus (first published 1786), a book that is said to be one of the foundations from which modern talismanic and sex-magick practices evolved. Aleister Crowley recommended it to his pupils in the A.: A.: as "Invaluable to all students." Boards and spine rubbed, particularly at edges, pages show some foxing and browning, quite heavy in places, related old bookseller's catalogue entry tipped to front free endpaper. Still a solid, attractive VG copy. (34469) Please check our website for current availability.
Michael De Molinos, The Spiritual Guide [&] A Brief Treatise Concerning Daily Communion. The Spiritual Guide Which Disintangles [sic] the Soul, and brings it by the Inward Way, to the Getting of Perfect Contemplation, and the Rich Creature of Internal Peace. London: NP , 1688. . First English Edition. Small octavo (6 x 3 1/2 inches) Spiritual Guide: (xxx) + 192 + vi, Brief Treatise on viii + 38 + (ii)pp. Contemporary calf with double blind rule at edge of boards.
Aleister Crowley, An autograph letter, signed, from Aleister Crowley to "Dear Sir" [in this case W. Dawson Sadler]. Dated, Buckinghamshire, June 22, 1944. In its original envelope, impressed with Crowley's wax seal. The letter is written on both sides of a sheet of 7" x 5 1/4" note paper, the recto of which is headed with Crowley's 'Mark of the Beast' sigil printed in red. It is entirely handwritten, and is headed "Bell Inn, Ashton Clinton, Bucks" and is signed 'Aleister Crowley' in a large, bold hand. A short letter that begins and ends with the Thelemic greetings, and in which Crowley refers to a horoscope that he had apparently sent to - or planned to send to - Sadler. The accompanying envelope is addressed to Sadler in Crowley's hand, and is postmarked June 22, 1944. The reverse of the envelope has been elaborately sealed by Crowley, with the the cartouche of Ankh-f-n-khonsu from his seal ring heavily impressed into a blob of sealing-wax, about an inch in diameter. Unusually the wax is a salmon color - a hue not normally favoured by Crowley. Sadler has used the back of the letter to draft his response, in pencil, to Crowley. Both letter and envelope are in Very Good condition, the letter has just the usual creases from having been folded to fit into the envelope and the top edge of the envelope is jagged from having been split open. Both are a trifle darkened. (34543) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, A single leaf autograph letter, Signed, from Aleister Crowley to W. Dawson Sadler. Dated, Buckinghamshire, July 24, 1944 ev. Written on both sides of a single sheet of 7" x 5 1/4" note paper, the recto of which is headed with Crowley's 'Mark of the Beast' sigil printed in red. The address "Bell Inn, Ashton Clinton, Bucks" is written at the top of the first side in Crowley's hand, as is the date "24-7-44 e.v." About 100 words. Addressed to "Mr. Sadler" (W. Dawson Sadler.) This letter dates from relatively early in their acquaintance: Sadler had purchased a copy of the just-published Book of Thoth from him, and Crowley writes that he hopes "you will find the book up to your expectations." He writes further that "Sales are surprising, over 50 before publication at that price", and that a further 50 copies had been sent to the binder. He also comments that the tarot pack "will be as you suppose", but adds that he doesn't know when it will be printed, due to the cost. The letter begins and ends with the Thelemic greetings, and is signed "Yours sincerely, Aleister Crowley." Very Good condition, with some light discoloration and the usual light creases from having been folded to fit into an envelope. (34554) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, An autograph letter, signed, from Aleister Crowley to W. Dawson Sadler. Dated, Buckinghamshire, December 12, 1944. In its original envelope, impressed with Crowley's wax seal. The letter is written on all four sides of two sheets of 7" x 5 1/4" note paper, the recto of each of which is headed with Crowley's 'Mark of the Beast' sigil printed in red. It is entirely handwritten, and is headed "Bell Inn, Ashton Clinton, Bucks" and is signed 'Aleister Crowley' in a large flourishing hand. Approx. 550 words. After some general chat, Crowley suggests that Sadler should 'affiliate to the IVo' of the O.T.O. - and offers some comments on the O.T.O. and Freemasonry. He then launches into a discourse on Astrology, before writing about Hastings and a practitioner of alternative medicine 'a queer bird' he had recently met. The letter begins and ends with the Thelemic greetings, and closes with 'Yours in the Bonds of the Order.' The accompanying envelope is addressed to Sadler in Crowley's hand, and is postmarked August 28, 1944. The reverse of the envelope has been elaborately sealed by Crowley, with the the cartouche of Ankh-f-n-khonsu from his seal ring heavily impressed into a blob of dark red sealing-wax, about an inch in diameter. Both letter and envelope are in Very Good condition, the letter has just the usual creases from having been folded to fit into the envelope and the top edge of the envelope is jagged from having been split open. Both are a trifle darkened. (34544) Please check our website for current availability.
Aleister Crowley, An autograph letter, signed, from Aleister Crowley to "My Dear Sadler" [W. Dawson Sadler]. Dated, Buckinghamshire, December 16, [1944]. In its original envelope, impressed with Crowley's wax seal. 1944. The letter is written on both sides of a sheet of 7" x 5 1/4" note paper, the recto of which is headed with the O.T.O. dove and chalice lamen printed in red. It is entirely handwritten, and is headed "Bell Inn, Ashton Clinton, Bucks" and is signed in full 'Aleister Crowley.' The letter begins and ends with the Thelemic greetings. Approx. 350 words. Most of the letter is concerned with Crowley's books. He starts discussing his own personal copy of 777, with its many notes, additions, etc., and his belief that it should be published and would find a ready market. He writes of not having seen copies of Konx om Pax or The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage 'for years.' Crowley then goes on to discourse about the half-a-dozen books he has ready for press, and urges Sadler to persuade a friend to buy a printing company. "It is so silly: people clamour on all sides for Liber Aleph, Across the Gulf, The Tao Teh King and several others..." The last quarter of the letter is devoted to the O.T.O. After describing the fee structure etc. required for Sadler to be admitted to the IVth degree Crowley continues "You would get the complete rituals up to P.I. The system is a complete theory of Incarnation, from before birth to after resurrection..." 
Aleister Crowley, An autograph letter, Signed, from Aleister Crowley to Frieda Harris, dated March 5, [1941?] with the impression in sealing wax of Crowley's ring. A long letter, written on all four sides of two sheets of 5 x 8 inch notepaper. The letter is simply headed 'The Gardens,' 'March 5' in Crowley's handwriting at the top of the page. This most likely referred to his lodgings at 14 Lasell Gardens, Maidenhead, and - from the context - the year 1941.