[CROWLEY, Aleister & Mary Desti] Meister Therion, Soror Virakam, Übertsetzung von Martha Küntzel.

Buch 4 Mystik ( Buch Vier I. Teil ) [ und ] Buch 4 Magie ( Buch Vier II. Teil ).

Leipzig: Thelema Verlags Gesellschaft, (1927). First Editions Thus. Hardcovers, 2 Volumes. Small square octavos. Approx. 4 3/4 inches x 4 3/4. Vol I: 134pp & Vol. II, 256pp. Original yellow and original purple printed paper-covered boards, with plain black cloth backstrips. The page number of p.256 of Vol. II has been misprinted as 265 as always. Black and white line drawings in both volumes, and one black and white photographic plate in Vol. II. A German-language translation of the first two Volumes, complete in themselves, on mysticism and 'magick' respectively - of Crowley's magnum opus, Book 4 (all issued thus). The third vol. (on the Book of the Law) did not appear as such during Crowley's lifetime, the fourth Vol. (also called Magick in Theory and Practice) came out in different format in English in 1929. A complete edition of the work did not appear until well after Crowley's death. In their distinctive 'flashing bindings.' Like the original English editions these were examples of the book as talismanic object, with the design by Crowley reflecting the (itself symbolic) number 4 (a theme carried through in the square shape; 4 equal sides). The two volumes of the German edition were one of the first publications of the Thelema Verlags Gesellschaft of Leipzig, a company founded to publish German language editions of Crowley's works by a syndicate which comprised Crowley himself, Martha Kuntzel (who translated the works), Bernhard Sporn, Oscar Gebbhardi, Oscar Hopfer and Karl Germer. From the collection of English bibliophile and Aleister Crowley scholar Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper, with his book-label lightly tipped in at rear of each volume (these could be easily removed, but it would be a shame to do so). A little light fraying at the head and tails of spines, boards lightly marked, small previous owner's name stamps on half-title and title pages of both volumes, a few minor handling marks but overall VG+ examples, and quite rare thus (issued without dustjackets). Item #61146

Sold