Alice: An Adultery.
Boleskine, Foyers: Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth, 1905. Second Edition. Softcover. Small octavo. xii + 86pp. Original Jap vellum turned-in wrappers over plain card covers, with "Alice" printed in red on front wrapper. Text printed on hand-made Van Gelder paper. "Alice" was amongst Crowley's favourite poetical works: it is a sonnet sequence in which he recounts a particularly memorable affair that he had enjoyed with a married American woman of Scottish descent onboard the "America Maru" sailing between Hawaii and Japan in 1901. It was first published anonymously in an edition of only 100 copies in 1903. This Second Edition includes a 'Publisher's Note' not present in the First Edition, but omits the "A Brief Critical Essay on Alice: An Adultery" which is attributed to someone with the initials G.K. but which was actually a collaboration between Crowley, Gerald Kelly, Ivor Back and someone known simply as D.J.-F. The poems "The White Poppy" and "Love and Fear" are also omitted and the poem "The Red Poppy" retitled as "The Poem", and there are a few minor textual differences. Only 300 copies of the Second Edition were printed, which like the first - was anonymous. 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. The label can easily be removed without affecting the page, although it would be a shame not to preserve this record of the book's provenance. Vellum wrapper rubbed and heavily darkened with a some tiny chips and tears at edges, split at spine edge of front panel, lacking lower two thirds of spine of outer wrapper, although as this is almost the same colour as the card covers it is not that noticeale. Owner's name "C. B. Winchester, 2 March 1908" in neat tiny letters at top of first blank (it is possible that Winchester was an associate of Crowley's as we had a similarly dated "Konx om Pax" some time back. A few flecks of foxing. Overall a VG copy of this scarce edition. Item #68265
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