CROWLEY, Aleister.

The Equinox, Vol. III, No. 1 [ The Blue Equinox ].

Newburyport MA: Weiser Books, 2007. Reprint. Softcover. Small quarto. 440pp. The blue and gold wrappers replicate the design on the binding of the 1919 First Edition. Black and white illustrations. The color reproductions of Crowley's painting "May Morn" and the portrait of him by Leon Engers Kennedy are not printed as plates (as with the earlier edition) but reproduced on the inside front covers. A reprint of Crowley's contentious 1919 publication. Crowley was the editor and principal author of most of the "The Equinox" series, which contained a variety of poetry, fiction, and reviews - generally with esoteric themes - alongside a number of articles of occult instruction. The "Blue Equinox" – as this number became known - was arguably the last of the "real" Equinoxes to be published during Crowley's lifetime. He continued to use the volume and number designations of the Equinox series, but for what were effectively separate monographs, quite different in most respects to the original journals. The text comprises a number of magical books ("Libers") amongst which Liber LXV, Crowley's Gnostic Catholic Mass, the publication of which caused considerable outcry, and calls for the "Blue Equinox" to be banned, as well as providing inspiration to James Branch Cabell who adapted part of it for use in his equally-contentious, but best-selling novel, "Jurgen." Blavatsky's "The Voice of Silence" with Crowley's commentary to it are appended as a "special supplement" and other texts include Crowley's "Hymn to Pan," various book reviews, etc. etc. Corners lightly bumped and chafed, unmarked - overall, a tight clean near Fine copy. Item #69780
ISBN: 1578633532

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