CROWLEY, Aleister and Freida Harris; Instructions by James Wasserman, essays by Frieda Harris and commentary and footnotes by Stuart R. Kaplan. [ From the library of Oliver Marlow Wilkinson ].

Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot Deck (Cards) [ With Four-Language Card Titles ].

New York: US Games Systems Inc., (1985 or later). Four-Language Issue - First Edition thus. Set of cards with booklet in original folding cardboard box. The cards measures 5 1/2" x 3 3/4"; the box a fraction of an inch larger. Complete set comprising the 78 tarot cards, plus an additional "Caliph Card" with a short history of the deck, an extra card with Crowley's unicursal hexagram on the recto and an extra card on the recto of which is a multilingual statement about the deck being published with card titles in English, French, Spanish and German. Also a 50 page English language stapled booklet ("LWB"), "Instructions for Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot Deck' by James Wasserman, with two essays by Frieda Harris with commentary and footnotes by Stuart R. Kaplan. This particular deck is the uncommon four language version of the deck sometimes known as "White Box C" or "the Greenie" on account of its hue. Each of the cards has the English title in the usual place, a German translation in the upper left margin, and a French and a Spanish translation in the top left and right margins, respectively. Following the success of the original Llewellyn and Weiser printings of the Thoth deck ("White Box A", Llewllyn; "White Box B" Llewellyn and Weiser) arrangements were made to rephotograph the original tarot designs in London, to produce a more accurate deck. It was co-published by US Games Systems Inc. and Weiser in 1978, with distribution initially done by Llewellyn. The deck was very popular, with at least three English language printings done in the "White Box C" form, but with subtle differences between them (some have the ISBN printed on the box and the year 1983 printed in the booklet and other minor differences). At some unknown time (probably the mid-late 1980s) this four-language deck appeared - but although the cards were different, it was issued in the same "White Box C" with the "1983" booklet just described.
From the library of Oliver Marlow Wilkinson (1915-1999) dramatist, author, educator and raconteur. Oliver was the son of Louis Umfreville Wilkinson (1881-1966) an English man-of-letters who wrote a number of satirical autobiographical and fictional works, mostly under the pseudonym "Louis Marlow." Louis Umfreville Wilkinson was a good friend of Aleister Crowley's, the two had an extensive correspondence, and Crowley respected Louis's literary skills to the extent that he engaged him to prepare a popular edition of Crowley commentaries on "Liber AL." Crowley also made Louis one of his executors, and it was Louis Wilkinson who caused some uproar amongst the more excitable members of the press by reading from Crowley's "Hymn to Pan" and other of his works at the Beast's funeral. Louis's son Oliver also knew Crowley well; indeed he was the one that found Crowley the rooms at Netherwood that became his final home and Crowley, along with John Cowper Powys, is said to have jointly shared the honour of being Oliver's godfather. Oliver Wilkinson inherited many of the Crowley books and papers that had belonged to his father Louis, including a number of signed and inscribed items, etc. etc. In the 1980s Oliver refreshed his interest in Crowley, meeting with a number of contemporary Crowley afficiandos including Hymenaeus Beta, Clive Harper, Tony Naylor, Keith Richmond, Martin P. Starr, et al. At Tony Naylor's urging he also wrote an Introduction to a new edition of his father's book "Seven Friends" (which included a chapter-long reminiscense of Crowley) which Naylor published under his Mandrake Press Ltd. imprint in 1992. Oliver Marlow died in 1999, and in 2021 Weiser Antiquarian books acquired the remains of Oliver's Crowley collection, which comprised some of the books and pieces of ephemera that had belonged to his father, as well as books and this tarot deck, which he himself had bought or had given to him in the 1980s and 1990s. A small posthumous book-label, loosely inserted, identifies it as having come from his collection.
The deck itself is in Fine condition and almost certainly not used. The booklet VG, the bottom of the wrappers being somewhat creased from having been carelessly stuffed into the box. The box is a little marked and lightly rubbed with some tears at the fold-over tabs at the top and bottom, and an older British bookseller or distributors label on the top flap. The printing of the four-language deck must have been quite small as it is genuinely uncommon. Item #69781

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