The Magician, together with A Fragment of Autobiography.
New York: Doubleday, 1957. First US Edition Thus. Hardcover. Octavo. xiv + 244pp. Black cloth lettered in purple on spine. Oliver Haddo, 'The Magician' of Maugham's story, was clearly a portrait of Aleister Crowley, albeit a not particularly pleasant one, although Crowley claimed to have got great enjoyment from reading it, calling it "an expression of my genius" (elsewhere he observed that he detested it!). This volume includes a "Fragment of Autobiography" by Maugham especially written for this Collected Edition of his works (first published in the UK a year before this volume), in which Maugham confirms that Haddo was based on Crowley, and describes the circumstances in which he came to know "the Beast." Ex-library copy with some markings: bookplate and sign out sheet at rear, tape residue on edges of boards, and front endpapers. Cloth rubbed, spine canted, corners and spine ends bumped and chafed, board edges rubbed, page edges darkened, endpapers split at rear inner hinge and hinge a bit sloppy but holding well, pages toned but unmarked. Overall a serviceable internally clean near Good copy. No dust jacket. As is. Item #63585
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