Aleister Crowley ... The Last Ritual. Read From His Own Works, According To His Wish, on December 5th, 1947, at Brighton.
Great Britain: Empress Earth Mysteries Press, 1989. Second Edition / Facsimile reprint. Softcover. Stapled booklet. Small quarto (10 ½ x 7 inches). 10pp. Pale grey/blue wrappers illustrated and printed in black, with tipped in b&w frontispiece. Woodcut designs on front and back wrappers and tarot-style frontispiece by Frieda Harris, "artist executant" of the Thoth tarot deck. The second edition (1989) of this booklet of readings from Crowley's own works which were delivered at his funeral in 1947. This second edition was actually printed from the original printing blocks used for the first edition, with the exception of a new Introduction especially created for this edition.
In their Introduction Paul and Charla Devereux explain how in October 1988 two members of their group, the Centre for Earth Mysteries Studies, went to a printer in Brecon, Wales, to arrange the printing of some literature pertaining to a visit to Egypt that the group was planning. At the time of their visit the attic of the building was being refurbished, and the proprietor produced a box that he had found there and asked if they could explain the nature of its contents to him. It turned out that the box housed the original printing blocks, a proof copy, and some original editions of "The Last Ritual" which had been stowed away for safe-keeping some 41 years earlier. There followed all manner of synchronicities associated with the rediscovery, and the group felt that they were duty bound to produce a new edition.
Following discussion and a ritual, described in the "Introduction", the decision was taken to proceed, and the book went to press in April 1989. This edition retains the erroneous birthdate for Crowley of October 18th, rather than October 12th, on the front wrapper and title-page, in keeping with the original edition. This Empress / Earth Mysteries Press edition is without doubt better produced than any of the other post-1947 printings of this booklet being the only one printed from the original blocks. Offered here is one of five copies of the 1989 edition that had been retained by Paul and Charla Devereux of Empress / Earth Mysteries Press and recently acquired by Weiser Antiquarian Books.
Each copy is basically as-new, thus Fine condition. An interesting and typically quite scarce booklet. Sorry limit of one copy per customer. Item #73949
ISBN: 1871343038
Price: $93.00