Item #63441 An original scrapbook or album assembled by Crowley on the subject of chess. The book contains manuscript records in Crowley's handwriting of games that he had played, a large number of newspaper clippings of chess games, typescripts recording the details of games played by Crowley, etc. All loosely inserted or pasted into a printer's dummy of the Subscriber's Edition of The Equinox of the Gods. Aleister CROWLEY.
An original scrapbook or album assembled by Crowley on the subject of chess. The book contains manuscript records in Crowley's handwriting of games that he had played, a large number of newspaper clippings of chess games, typescripts recording the details of games played by Crowley, etc. All loosely inserted or pasted into a printer's dummy of the Subscriber's Edition of The Equinox of the Gods.
An original scrapbook or album assembled by Crowley on the subject of chess. The book contains manuscript records in Crowley's handwriting of games that he had played, a large number of newspaper clippings of chess games, typescripts recording the details of games played by Crowley, etc. All loosely inserted or pasted into a printer's dummy of the Subscriber's Edition of The Equinox of the Gods.
An original scrapbook or album assembled by Crowley on the subject of chess. The book contains manuscript records in Crowley's handwriting of games that he had played, a large number of newspaper clippings of chess games, typescripts recording the details of games played by Crowley, etc. All loosely inserted or pasted into a printer's dummy of the Subscriber's Edition of The Equinox of the Gods.
An original scrapbook or album assembled by Crowley on the subject of chess. The book contains manuscript records in Crowley's handwriting of games that he had played, a large number of newspaper clippings of chess games, typescripts recording the details of games played by Crowley, etc. All loosely inserted or pasted into a printer's dummy of the Subscriber's Edition of The Equinox of the Gods.
An original scrapbook or album assembled by Crowley on the subject of chess. The book contains manuscript records in Crowley's handwriting of games that he had played, a large number of newspaper clippings of chess games, typescripts recording the details of games played by Crowley, etc. All loosely inserted or pasted into a printer's dummy of the Subscriber's Edition of The Equinox of the Gods.
An original scrapbook or album assembled by Crowley on the subject of chess. The book contains manuscript records in Crowley's handwriting of games that he had played, a large number of newspaper clippings of chess games, typescripts recording the details of games played by Crowley, etc. All loosely inserted or pasted into a printer's dummy of the Subscriber's Edition of The Equinox of the Gods.

An original scrapbook or album assembled by Crowley on the subject of chess. The book contains manuscript records in Crowley's handwriting of games that he had played, a large number of newspaper clippings of chess games, typescripts recording the details of games played by Crowley, etc. All loosely inserted or pasted into a printer's dummy of the Subscriber's Edition of The Equinox of the Gods.

NP, (Circa 1937 - 1938.). Hardcover, Quarto. Approx. 80pp. Plain buff colored boards with blue cloth back strip, pocket in back board (designed for insertion of the manuscript sheets of "The Book of the Law"). The book itself is clearly a publisher's mockup or "dummy" of the Subscriber's edition of "The Equinox of the Gods" and is blank, save for a single test printing of one bifolium that has been pasted in. The recto of the first leaf of this is headed "CCXX COMMENT," below which are five lines of printer's specifications detailing page and types size, number of pages, etc. etc. The second and third pages have a test printing of the first two pages of the sixth chapter of "Genesis Libri AL." The fourth page is pasted to another leaf of the dummy, so its text, if any, is obscured. Crowley has also used one page of the book to write the draft of a letter - in an almost illegible scrawl. About 40 pages have clippings of chess columns (about 120 in all) which Crowley evidently found to be of interest. He has also pasted in four hand- completed records of chess games which Crowley had himself played. Each is written on a single sheet of specially printed chess-club stationary designed for that purpose, completed in Crowley's handwriting, and with his comments 'Good', 'Very Good' etc. in the margins. Loosely inserted are: (a) Three typescripts (1, 2, and 3 pages) which record the details of two victories and one draw by Crowley in games of chess with Frederick D. Yates. Yates (1884-1932), was six times British Champion, and if Crowley had indeed bested him at chess it is little wonder that he wanted to record the games. (b) An anonymous two-page typescript of text for a chess column. This was likely written by Crowley for the use of his friend, the British journalist and later Member of Parliament, Tom Driberg, who for a time wrote a gossip column for the "Daily Express" under the pseudonym William Hickey and apparently also ventured into chess journalism - with Crowley's help when called for. (c) a record of a historical chess game written in pencil on a sheet of scrap paper in Crowley's handwriting (the other side of the sheet is a printed company balance sheet for Thos. Cook & Son, Bankers, for October 1934.) (d) about 17 clippings from Chess columns of various newspapers which Crowley evidently intended to paste in, but never got around to. The book is accompanied by some related modern ephemera: a copy of "Chess Monthly", December 1997 which includes a six page article by C. P. Ravilious "Aleister Crowley: A Life in Chess" (the spine of the magazine is splitting, but otherwise it is VG condition). Also 13 photocopied sheets of the "Chess Notes" column of "The Eastbourne Gazette" (for 31 January, 7 February, 14 February, 21 February, 28 February, 7 March, 14 March, 21 March, 28 March, 4 April, 11 April, 18 April, 25 April, 1894) which Crowley wrote under the pseudonym Ta Dhuibh, stapled together and with a cover sheet titled "Aleister Crowley's Chess Articles." There is a large discolored patch on the front board where a label has obviously been torn off, and overall the album has the condition and feel of ….. a well-used scrapbook. An unusual, highly personal, and obviously unique record of the Beast as chess player. Item #63441

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