Liber Liberi Vel Lapidis Lazuli, Adumbratio Kabbalæ Aegyptiorum Sub Figura VII. Being the Voluntary Emancipation of a Certain Exempt Adept From his Adeptship. These are the Birth-words of a Master of the Temple.
NP [ Kitchener, Ontario ]: Alexander Watt, ND [ 1952 ]. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. Folio (13 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches) 18 un-numbered large sheets (36pp.), secured together with two staples across the top (the last few leaves are loose, as the staples weren't thick enough to penetrate properly). Text printed on rectos only, reproduced from a typescript using mimeograph or similar process. Now loosely housed in a plain custom made green-cloth folder. Despite the somewhat unprepossessing appearance of its pages this volume is actually the first North American publication of Crowley's "Holy Book" "Liber VII: Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli." The text was taken directly from an original edition of "Thelema" and was published by Alexander Watt of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, circa 1952. Watt (1890-1961) was prominent in local Theosophical Society circles and is believed to have been an O.T.O. member: he certainly knew Crowley (at least through correspondence), was in touch with Karl Germer, and was also was one of the few Thelemites active in North America throughout the 1950s. With Germer's support he republished four of the "Holy Books" - making them available to students for the first time in decades - as well as reprinting a few of Crowley's other works, including his "Hymn to Pan" which he issued in card form. Watt issued his publications as sets of loose sheets, and given that, and their rather cheap production values, they have always been rare, especially, like this, "as issued." A six-line "Errata" list has been hand-stamped in red ink onto the bottom of the second page. Somewhat amusingly, there is a mistake in the errata itself, which Watt has then corrected by hand.
We recently discovered a handful of what are essentially brand new (although nearly 70 year old) copies of this usually extremely rare production . Due to the rather "fanzine" type production values and low quality paper used, although basically new, the pages show a little tanning in the margins, and a few have lightly creased corners and a little fraying around the edges. The cloth folders, which we commissioned to preserve them, are in Fine condition. Item #67765
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