"Ultra Vires" An early 2-page typescript of a humorous poem, with various pencilled manuscript notes in Crowley's handwriting, and signed by him at the end in ink.
ND. Text typed in black on the rectos only of two sheets of plain quarto (10 1/4 x 8 inch) note paper watermarked "Excelsior / Superfine / British Make." The poem has the typed heading "Ultra Vires" at the head of the page, beneath which Crowley had written in an alternative title which he has struck out (the first word of the title appears to be "Caveat", the second word is illegible). Clearly Crowley had hoped that the poem would appear in an illustrated publication: in the margins he has added pencil notes reading "Might be illustrated with thumbnail sketches", "Sketch of man", "Sketch", "Pictures of Harem", etc. etc. There are a couple of ink corrections to the text, and Crowley had signed it at the end with the pseudonym "Violet Gabrielle Dobell", which he has then struck through, signing it beneath as "Aleister Crowley". The pseudonym "Violet Gabrielle Dobell" is not one that Crowley is known to have used elsewhere - it is almost certainly a joke at someone else's expense, but just who is unknown to the cataloguer. Crowley included the poem (without alternate title, pseudonym or illustrations) in his collection "The Giant's Thumb" which reached proof stage in 1915, but remained unpublished in his lifetime. An edition of "The Giant's Thumb," taken from the proofs, was finally published by "First Impressions" (UK) in a limited edition in 1992, with "Ultra Vires" printed on pp. 256/60.
The two leaves of the typescript are secured together with a pin in the upper left margin, and a single hole, smaller than a cigarette end, has been neatly punched in the margins directly below it. A little creasing, and a few light signs of age, but still VG+ condition. Item #67532
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