The Stratagem and Other Stories.
London: The Mandrake Press, 1930. First edition. Hardcover. 16mo. 140pp. 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 & Supernatural as "one of the most horrible stories ever written." From the collection of English bibliophile and Aleister Crowley scholar Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper with his ownership signature in pencil on the front free endpaper. Binding a little splayed, edges of boards very lightly rubbed, endpapers unevenly toned, otherwise a clean VG+ copy in VG + dust jacket. (Dust jacket a little darkened - especially at spine, lightly rubbed). Item #39460
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