Thumbs Up! Five Poems by Aleister Crowley.
Hollywood, California, NP ( Ordo Templi Orientis ), 1942. First Edition Thus. Softcover booklet, stapled. Octavo (8 1/2 " x 6 1/4") 8 pp. Grey paper wrappers, secured by cord ties, with "Thumbs Up!" and "in hoc signo Vinces" around Crowley's phallic "mark of the Beast" sigil printed in black on upper wrapper. This copy INSCRIBED "To Sister Reea: AL II 62 / With the most cordial fraternal Greetings / V.I.A.T.O.R. - 687" and the Thelemic date. "Sister Reea" was Reea Leffingwell and "Frater VIATOR" was Max Schneider, both active members of Agape Lodge (Schneider, who lived in Hollywood, was almost certainly responsible for the publication of this edition of the booklet). The booklet itself is the 'Hollywood" printing of the first US edition of Crowley's "Thumbs Up" (there was also a near identical Los Angeles edition). It was produced in the year following the release of the British editions, and like the 'popular' British edition, the booklet comprises 5 patriotic poems over 8 pages: p. 1 (title) Thumbs Up! / "mark of the Beast" sigil around which "In hoc signo Vinces" / Five Poems by Aleister Crowley / Copyright 1942 by Aleister Crowley / P.O. Box 2411, Hollywood, Cal. / Printed in U.S.A. All Rights Reserved, p. 2 "The Pentagram" (poem), pp. 3-4 "England, Stand Fast!" (poem), p. 5 "Toast (Battle of the River Plate)" (poem), pp. 6-7 "Hymn for the American People" (poem), & p. 8 "Anthem" (poem). Interestingly, whereas the British edition carried a line on the title page reading 'Five Poems by the Author of "The V Sign" ' this edition merely reads "Five Poems by Aleister Crowley." The words, 'by the Author of "The V Sign" 'alluded to Crowley's claim that he was the inventor of the 'V for Victory' finger-sign made famous by Sir Winston Churchill. Documents in the Yorke collection suggest that the British authorities took a very dim few of Crowley's appropriation of the authorship of what had become an icon of the struggle against Nazism, and threatened him with the most dire consequences if he persisted with his claims. It was presumably for this reason the claim was dropped from this booklet and the words instead replaced with Crowley's name. From the collection of Helen Parsons Smith (1910 - 2003), ex-wife of Jack Parsons and widow of W. T. Smith, long time member of Agape Lodge of the OTO, and founder of Thelema Publications. A hint of fading to the spine, otherwise a Fine copy. Item #51327
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