Eight Lectures on Yoga. The Equinox Volume III, Number Four.
London: The O.T.O., 1939. First Edition. Hardcover, Large Quarto (11 ¾ x 9") 84pp (+ 4pp. adverts.) Original publisher's pale brown buckram, with title and sigil gilt stamped on upper board, Edges untrimmed. Erratum tipped following advertisements at rear. Portrait frontispiece with original tissue guard. 1 diagram (Tree of Life). The book is widely regarded as one of Crowley's best works, and as one of the wittiest and most insightful studies of the subject ever written by a Westerner. Although Crowley gave the work a number in his Equinox series (Volume III., Number Four) it was effectively an independent monograph, and is complete in itself. This is an unusual variant of the first English edition, being bound in a fine beige-brown cloth (buckram), rather than the typical brown buckram (order of precedence is not known). As with the more commonly seen brown version it has title "Eight Lectures / On Yoga" (all in caps) gilt stamped across the front cover, above a large (approx. two and a quarter inches in diameter) gilt stamped A .'. A .'. seal. The points of the boards are very lightly rubbed, and there is some light discoloration to a small section of the cloth of the back board near lower spine. Internally it is an unusually bright and clean copy: the portrait, which is sometimes heavily browned, is barely toned and has not offset onto the title-page (a common occurence) which is still protected by the original tissue guard. The volume is free of the usual foxing, etc. etc., and almost all pages have been uncut at top margins - thus this is an unread and indeed unopened copy. Light crease across the top corner of the first few leaves, otherwise a tight, bright and clean better-than VG+ copy (lacks the dust jacket). Item #70146
Sold