Ahab and other Poems.
London: Privately Printed at the Chiswick Press, 1903. First Edition. Softcover, (viii) + 36pp (latter eccentrically paginated) Quarto (11 x 9 inches). Original off-white Japanese vellum wrappers with title enclosed in ornamental border printed in gold/brown on upper wrapper, over plain card covers (the printing on the front was intended to be gold, but is more of a brownish hue - it is like this on all copies). Printed in Caxton antique type on handmade paper. Rubricated title page. According to Duncombe-Jewell only 162 copies of "Ahab" were printed, 2 on vellum, 10 on Japanese Vellum, and 150 thus, on handmade paper. The book has a printed dedication in verse to 'G.C.J.', George Cecil Jones, Crowley's friend and mentor in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: the poem Ahab was written by Crowley whilst visiting another old Golden Dawn associate, Alan Bennett, at Akyab in Burma. The book itself is effectively a companion to Crowley's 'Jezebel' (1898) which is almost identical in size, print, type, binding, etc. Crowley used the pseudonym Count Vladimir Svareff in both: though with his typical penchant for jokes 'Jezebel' was said to be "by Count Vladimir Svareff, Edited With an Introduction and Epilogue, by Aleister Crowley" - an order reversed in 'Ahab' - which was said to be "by Aleister Crowley, With an Introduction and Epilogue by Count Vladimir Svareff.' Crowley was of course also "Count Vladimir Svareff." Largely unopened. Corners of wrappers slightly bruised and creased, a little toning to the edges of the top wrapper, some light spotting to the rear wrapper, internally tight bright and clean. At least VG+ condition and probably as close to Fine as one is ever likely to find a copy. Additional shipping will required to that automatically quoted due to insurance charges. Item #70986
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