Item #60998 Letter: an autograph letter, signed, from Aleister Crowley to "My Dear Sadler" [ W. Dawson Sadler ]. Dated, Buckinghamshire, December 14, [1944]. In its original envelope, hand-addressed by Crowley, and impressed with his wax seal. 1944. Aleister CROWLEY, Signed.
Letter: an autograph letter, signed, from Aleister Crowley to "My Dear Sadler" [ W. Dawson Sadler ]. Dated, Buckinghamshire, December 14, [1944]. In its original envelope, hand-addressed by Crowley, and impressed with his wax seal. 1944.

Letter: an autograph letter, signed, from Aleister Crowley to "My Dear Sadler" [ W. Dawson Sadler ]. Dated, Buckinghamshire, December 14, [1944]. In its original envelope, hand-addressed by Crowley, and impressed with his wax seal. 1944.

NP [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' with his "phallic A." The letter begins and ends with the Thelemic greetings. Approx. 150 words. The letter starts "What a deplorable fool I am to have employed an even more deplorable ditto as secretary!" In short it seems that Crowley no longer possessed a copy of his "'Book 4, Part II," but had borrowed a copy from Sadler, and given it to his secretary with instructions to type out some half-a-dozen passages that were relevant to a project upon which he was then working. The book had since been returned to Sadler, and Crowley received the typescript, only to discover that the section "I wanted most, and wanted instantly was missing." Crowley then tells Sadler where to locate the section: "Soror Virakam's story of how I disappeared and got levitated, chair and all, and I don't know what else" and asks if he would copy it and send it on to him. The letter closes with his thanks and good wishes for the Solstice. The accompanying envelope is addressed to Sadler in Crowley's hand, and is postmarked December 15, 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 blood red sealing-wax, about an inch in diameter. The addressee, W. Dawson Sadler was a conventional Freemason, with esoteric leanings, with whom Crowley was in regular contact from 1944 though 1946. Although not certain, it seems likely that Crowley initiated him into the O.T.O. Letter, seal and envelope are all in Very Good condition, the letter has just the usual creases from having been folded to fit into the envelope and the flap of the envelope is missing a sliver from having been torn open. The seal has the usual minute cracks, and is missing one tiny chip - quite possibly from the outset - that is in the outer circle of wax, barely touching the rim of the cartouche. Both letter and envelope are a trifle darkened. Still, overall very nice. Item #60998

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