The Star In the West. A Critical Essay Upon The Works of Aleister Crowley.
London: Walter Scott Publishing Co. Ltd., 1907. First Edition. Limited Edition Signed. Hardcover. Octavo. Original white buckram with heavily gilt stamped occult seal and title on top board; title, occult symbols etc. on spine. (x) + 328pp. (+ ivp. publisher's catalogue bound in at rear.) Frontispiece with original printed tissue guard, title page printed in red and black. Portraits of Fuller (facing p. 120) and Crowley (facing p. 206). No. 31 of the first edition, limited to 100 numbered copies, SIGNED by both Fuller and Crowley. This copy also INSCRIBED and SIGNED by Fuller on the front free endpaper: "To E. Noel FitzGerald / with greetings from / J. F. C. Fuller." John Frederick Charles Fuller (1878 - 1966) originally wrote the text that became "The Star in the West," as an entry in a competition Crowley held for the best essay on his own literary work. The essay won the competition (it is rumored to have been the only entry) and - surely somewhat surprisingly - Fuller was duly paid the hundred pound prize that Crowley had offered. With Crowley's assistance Fuller rewrote the essay, and Crowley published it. In the interim Fuller had fallen seriously under Crowley's sway, and from 1906 until 1911, when the two fell out, he was one of Crowley's most loyal followers. Despite this Fuller, who rose to the rank of Major General in the British army, retained an interest in esoteric matters, and a fabulous collection of Crowley's books. In 1949 Fuller was contacted by Edward Noel Fitzgerald (1908-1958), Frater Agape, a IX° member of the O.T.O., long-time friend of Aleister Crowley's, and eventually - for a short time - Karl Germer's representative in the U.K. FitzGerald was keen to track down former friends and acquaintances of Crowley's, and was also working on a bibliography of Crowley's work (later published as an appendix to Cammell's biography: "Aleister Crowley, The Man, The Mage, The Poet.") Fuller allowed FitzGerald access to his Crowley collection for research, and in addition to visits, the two engaged in a correspondence about Crowley, his life and books. It was almost certainly during one of these visits that Fuller inscribed the present volume for FitzGerald. Also, loosely inserted in the volume is a printed "Change of Address" card, announcing that Major-Gen. and Mrs. Fuller had moved to a new address, and a clipping of a photographic portrait of Fuller from a news-magazine, undated but probably early 1950s. Starting in 2007 much of FitzGerald's library was dispersed by Weiser Antiquarian Books, and this volume has the posthumous FitzGerald bookplate that Weiser Antiquarian produced to identify books from that collection tipped onto the front pastedown. The book was listed in one of Weiser's FitzGerald catalogues, and subsequently purchased by Clive Harper from whose library it now comes. 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. His discreet book-label is neatly tipped in at the rear of the volume. Spine and covers show just a hint of darkening, much less than is usually found on this volume, and there is just a little pale foxing to the first and last few leaves. An interesting association copy in much better condition than it is usually encountered. Item #65627
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