Olla. An Anthology of Sixty Years of Song.
London: The O.T.O., 1946. Deluxe Limited Edition. Hardcover, Large Quarto, [ii] + 128 + [ivpp blanks] One of a special deluxe edition of twenty copies "for the author and his helpers" printed on pre-war mould-made paper, and bound in quarter-leather with papered boards with Egyptian motif by Sangorski & Sutcliffe: that is printed on the same paper and bound by the same binders and in the same fashion as the first edition of Crowley's "The Book of Thoth." Top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed, gilt title down spine, frontis portrait of Crowley by Augustus John. EDITION LIMITED TO 20 COPIES. This copy SIGNED TWICE and INSCRIBED by Crowley. The inscription, which is written in large letters across the front free end-paper reads: "To Gene Wood / This slight token of my appreciation / of her diligence & efficiency / of Agape Lodge / and of her personal kindness & devotion / from / [signature] Aleister Crowley / June 9, '47 e.v." Crowley has additionally signed the book in a bold but shaky hand under the frontispiece (although a signature was not specified in the limitation, Crowley distributed most of the copies personally, and when well enough signed and/or inscribed them). The original recipient - Miss Gene Wood - served as secretary of Agape Lodge of the O.T.O. from 1945-1947 during which time she regularly corresponded with Crowley. There are also frequent passing references to correspondence to or from her in his diaries of the period, with one entry recording that he had received a parcel of soap from her (still in short supply in immediately post-war Britain), "about 5 years' supply". Some copies of the deluxe edition, like this, have the Frieda Harris designed dust jacket of the trade edition bound-in at the rear.
"Olla" is Crowley's own selection of his best poetry and the last of his books to be published in his own lifetime. It is arguably the most under-rated of Crowley's works: not only is some of the verse truly magical, but it shows his tremendous versatility, ranging from traditional sonnets and couplets, to the intensely romantic ("La Gitana"); the deeply magical ("An Oath" to Aiwaz), to modernist satire: his "Panacea" described by him as "an International Anthem to Anglo-Saxondom" and which simply consists of the word "Money" printed over and over again. It ends with his stirring "Hymn to Pan", a work which less than a year after the publication of this volume would be read at Crowley's funeral by fellow poet Louis Wilkinson. Coincidentally Crowley had earlier vouchsafed the meaning of the book's title, "Olla", to Wilkinson, indicating that it referred to a line in Catullus's "particularly foul" epigram "Ipsa oler olla legit" in which the word "Olla", which in conventional Latin might have translated as "vase, urn or jar" in that context is clearly used to describe the vagina.
From the collection of Clive Harper with his discreet book-label neatly tipped in at the rear. Harper is well- known as the bibliographer of Austin Osman Spare, for updating the Aleister Crowley bibliography in the 2011 Teitan Press collection of Gerald Yorke's writings, and as someone who has lent his expertise to numerous other publications.
Unfortunately the book has not been treated well - the upper 1.75 inches of the leather of the top of the spine is wanting, causing the loss of the "O" from the "Olla" of the spine-title, and the top band. The bottom .75 inch of the spine is also wanting. Both the front and back leather hinges are cracked, although the boards, whilst a little wobbly, are still firmly secured by the endpapers. The boards are rubbed and discolored, as is the leather spine, with the extremes of the points rubbed and lightly rounded as is typical with this edition. The book has suffered a damp exposure, which has affected the top and bottom margins of the upper board, and has left a small, pale tide mark in the upper margin of most pages. For the most part the effect of this is limited to relatively moderate discoloration, but it has caused some discoloration, flaking and chipping to the upper margin of the dust jacket that is bound in at the rear. A few grubby marks in the first few leaves, but overall the text is tight and clean (aside from the aforementioned tide-mark). The volume is now protected by a fine custom-made quarter-leather clamshell protective box, brown leather spine stamped vertically in 22kt gold, yellow English buckram boards, trays lined with felt. Obviously the volume has seen better times, but still an inscribed copy of a rare edition with an important provenance that can safely be left as it is, or would be worthy of expert restoration. Item #64913
Sold