The Winged Beetle.
London: Privately Printed, 1910. First Edition - Deluxe. Hardcover. Octavo. x + 228pp. Original white buckram boards with gilt titling and winged scarab design on top board. Top-edge gilt, fore and lower edges uncut. 'Glossary of Obscure Terms' bound in at rear. Copy no. 13 of a deluxe edition of 50 numbered copies printed on hand-made paper and bound in buckram (there was also an issue of 300 copies - numbered 51 - 350 - on normal paper and bound in pressed-paper boards). "The Winged Beetle" is a collection of poetry by Crowley with some extremely memorable dedications (see D'Arch-Smith, "The Books of the Beast"). The 'Glossary of Obscure Terms' at the rear gives an alarming and rather blasphemous alternative meaning to the third stanza of the main dedication, which could probably have only been published in this encrypted form. A photocopy of a recent, hand-written decipherment of the offending passage is loosely inserted. With the book-plate of the bibliophile Morton Burr Stelle (1848 - 1919) on the inside front cover. The volume is most recently from the collection of Clive Harper with his discrete 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 spine of the volume is somewhat darkened, and the boards generally show some modest darkening and discoloration typical for a white volume of this vintage. Light bruising to head and tail of spine and corners. Endpapers and first and last few leaves toned, hint of pale foxing to a few pages, page edges dusty, but otherwise a solid, tight, clean copy VG+ of a scarce edition. (No dust jacket issued). Item #71029
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