Item #45148 Aleister Crowley contributes a poem, "Morphia" to The English Review, Vol. XVII, No. 4, July 1914. Aleister contributes to CROWLEY, Austin HARRISON.

Aleister Crowley contributes a poem, "Morphia" to The English Review, Vol. XVII, No. 4, July 1914.

London: The English Review, 1914. First Edition. Softcover, Large Octavo. xvi + 144pp (numbered 433-576) + viiipp. Original blue printed wrappers. This issue includes the first appearance in print of Crowley's poem "Morphia" - (pp. 433-438) - published under the pseudonym "A Victim." Crowley wrote the poem during his travels in pre-revolutionary Russia, and commented in his 'Confessions' that " 'Morphia,' has no ostensible reference to Russia, but the insight into the psychology of the "addict" was indubitably conferred by my illumination. I had no experience, even at second hand, of the effects of the drug; yet I was assured by a distinguished man of letters who had himself suffered from its malice, that I have expressed to the utmost the terrific truth. He could hardly believe at first that I had written it without actual knowledge." From the collection of English bibliophile and Aleister Crowley scholar Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper, with his book-label loosely inserted. Spine darkened and lightly creased with largish chips from head and tail, edges darkened, otherwise a clean VG copy. Very good. Item #45148

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