103 AC to Aleister Ataturk MacAlpine, 30 May 1947, New 117, Yorke Collection.
104 John Kelly, “Ellmann, Richard David (1918–1987)” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004).
105 Richard Ellmann, “Black Magic against White: Aleister Crowley verus W. B. Yeats,” Partisan Review, Sep 1948, 15(9): 1049–51. His Yeats book appeared the same year as Richard Ellmann, Yeats, the Man and the Masks (New-York: MacMillan, 1948).
106 AC to Grady McMurtry, 17 Jun 1947, OTO Archives.
107 AC to Frederick Mellinger, 15 Jul 1947, OTO Archives.
108 Friedrich Mellinger, Zeichen und Wunder: ein Führer durch die Welt der Magie (Berlin: Neufeld & Henius Verlag, 1933).
109 Mellinger’s film work includes Hitler: The Beast of Berlin (dir. Sam Newfield: Sigmund Neufeld Productions, 1939). plus uncredited appearances in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (dir. William Dieterle: RKO Radio Pictures, 1939), A Dispatch from Reuter’s (dir. William Dieterle: Warner Bros., 1940), and Dr. Ehlrich’s Magic Bullet (dir. William Dieterle: Warner Bros., 1940).
110 AC to Karl Germer, 6 Jun 1947, OTO Archives.
111 AC to Max Schneider, 20 Oct 1947, Yorke Collection.
112 These are but a few headlines from news clippings found in New 87, Yorke Collection, and elsewhere. Respectively, they are: Daily Express, 2 Dec 1947; unidentified; Newsweek, 15 Dec 1947; Time, 15 Dec 1947; Chicago Daily Tribune, 3 Dec 1947; Walla-Walla Union-Bulletin, 2 Dec 1947; unidentified. On the sixtieth anniversary of Crowley’s death, several of these obituaries were collected and issued as Mystic’s Potion to Prolong Life Fails: Aleister Crowley’s Death in the Press (n.p.: The Aleister Crowley Dependant Collective, 2007).
113 Death record, GRO, Westminster, London, 5c: 399. London phone books, 1939–1947. “Births, Marriages and Deaths,” British Medical Journal, 13 Dec 1947, 2(4536): 984.
114 Daily Express, 4 Dec 1947.
115 Awful Aleister. Newsweek, 15 Dec 1947, 34–5.
116 The text of the funeral service was published by Frieda Harris as Aleister Crowley, October 18th, 1875–December 1st, 1947: The Last Ritual, Read from His Own Works, according to His Wish, on December 5th, 1947, at Brighton. 1947 [n.p., 1948].
Epilogue
1 Andrew Green to John Symonds, 14 Jul 1949, New 96, Yorke Collection.
2 Hereward Carrington, Psychic Oddities (London: Rider, 1952).
3 Gerald Yorke to Karl Germer, 7 Mar 1948, OTO Archives.
4 Gerald Gardner to John Symonds, Dec 1950, Old EE2, Yorke Collection.
5 “Jane Wolfe: Hollywood,” In the Continuum 1990, 4(7): 27–8.
6 J. G. Bayley to J. Symonds, 7 Jan 1950, New 96, Yorke Collection.
7 As of this writing, an edition of Jones’s correspondence with Gerald Yorke is being prepared for a late 2010 release as The Incoming of the Aeon of Maat (London: Starfire).
8 Alexander Watt to John Symonds, 5 Apr 1952, New 96, Yorke Collection. Jones, in fact, had joined the Roman Catholic church decades earlier in 1928 and took confirmation in 1929. However, he saw this act to be in accordance with Liber Legis.
9 John W. Parsons to Karl Germer, 1952, OTO Archives.
10 Parsons, Three Essays on Freedom.
11 Karl Germer to Kenneth Grant, 20 Jul 1955, OTO Archives.
12 For Grant’s association with Spare, see Kenneth Grant and Steffi Grant, Zos Speaks!: Encounters with Austin Osman Spare (London: Fulgur, 1998).
13 Henrik Bogdan, Kenneth Grant: A Bibliography from 1948 (Gothenburg: Academia Esoterica Press, 2003).
14 For an insider’s perspective, see Frater Shiva, Inside the Solar Lodge, Outside the Law (York Beach, ME: Teitan Press, 2007).
15 For OTO’s history under McMurtry, see http://oto-usa.org/history.html#ohogrady (accessed Dec 26 2009).
16 Bogdan, Kenneth Grant, viii and vi, respectively.
17 Readers interested in Grant’s perspective could try The Magical Revival (1972) for a general overview; Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God (1973) and Remembering Aleister Crowley (1991) for his take on Crowley; or Images and Oracles of Austin Spare (1975) and Zos Speaks! Encounters with Austin Osman Spare (1998) for Austin Spare. The last of his three “Typhonian Trilogies,” The Ninth Arch (2002), is a return to form of his earlier works, and provides an au courant overview of Grant’s magical worldview.
18 AC to John W. Parsons, 19 Oct 1943, Yorke Collection.
19 Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. (New York: Robert Macoy, 1871). Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology, 2 vols. (New York: J. W. Bouton, 1877).
20 Rama Prasad, The Science of Breath and the Philosophy of the Tattvas Translated from the Sanskrit. With Introductory and Explanatory Essays on Nature’s Finer Forces Reprinted from “The Theosophist” with Modifications and Additions. (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1890).
21 James Legge, “The Yi King,” in The Sacred Books of China: The Texts of Confucianism, vol. 2 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882).
22 Lévi-Strauss was an anthropologist who studied the parallels in world mythologies and concluded that the meaning of myth lies in its fundamental structure and not the minor cultural variations in content. His chief works include Anthropologie Structurale (Paris: Plon, 1958) and Le Cru et le Cuit [The Raw and the Cooked] (Paris: Plon, 1964).
23 Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (New York: Pantheon, 1949).
24 J. Naisbitt, and P. Aburdene, Megatrends 2000 (New York: Avon, 1990). F. Bird and B. Reimer, “Participation Rates in New Religious and Para-religious Movements,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 1982, 21, 1–14.
25 Magick, xvi.
26 Alas, Thelema in practice is no less immune to these evils than any other religious, political or social group.
27 Interestingly, Houdini owned a set of The Equinox, currently among the holdings of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin.
28 Crowley did, however, read Joyce. See Crowley, “The Genius of Mr. James Joyce.”
References
Manuscript Collections
The following collections contain manuscripts or letters by Crowley.
Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature, MS 9040, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library.
Clifford Bax’s copy of Little Essays Toward Truth with tipped-in letter from AC, Department of Special Collections, University Research Library, UCLA.
Sylvia Beach Papers (C0108), Box 190, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
James Branch Cabell Papers, Collection M 214, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.
James Branch Cabell Papers, 7779-b, Alderman Library Special Collections, University of Virginia.
Aleister Crowley Collection, 1889–1989, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin.
Aleister Crowley, Comment on AL, Oasis of Nefta, al-Djerid, 1923. Rare Books Department, Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Wake Forest University.
Aleister Crowley fonds, SC181, McPherson Library Special Collections, University of Victoria, British Columbia.
Aleister Crowley notebook, Special Collections, Northwestern University Library.
Aleister Crowley Papers, George Arents Research Library, Syracuse University.
Aleister Crowley Papers, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University Libraries, Pennsylvania State University.
Astrology #11049-z, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mary Desti Papers (Collection 2055). Department of Special Collections, University Research Library, UCLA.
Norman Douglas Collection. GEN MSS 88, series II, box 17, General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Theodore Dreiser Papers, Special Collections, Van Pelt Library, University of Pe
nnsylvania.
Tom Driberg Papers, Christ Church Library, Oxford.
Montgomery Evans MSS, 1918–1952, Lilly Library, Indiana University.
Foyle’s Bookstore private archives, London, England.
Papers of Maj. Gen. John Frederick Charles Fuller (1878–1966), GB99 KCLMA Fuller, Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King’s College Library.
J. C. F. Fuller Papers, Special Collections, Archibald Stevens Alexander Library, Rutgers University.
Frieda Harris Papers, 1923–1964, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University Libraries, Pennsylvania State University.
Henry Holt Collection (C0100), Box 26, Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts, Princeton University Library.
Augustus John Papers, Department of Manuscripts, National Library of Wales.
Archives of Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Henry S. King, 1858–1912, Doheny Library, University of Southern California.
Manuel Komroff Papers, 1890–1974, MS# 0723, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Butler Library, Columbia University.
Mabel Dodge Luhan Papers. YCAL MSS 196, box 7, folder 209, Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
H. L. Mencken Papers, 1905–1956, Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.
H. L. Mencken Papers, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Maryland.
H. L. Mencken Papers, #6253–h and #9040, Alderman Library Special Collections, University of Virginia.
Harold Mortlake Collection of English Life and Letters, 1591–1963, Accession 1969–0024R, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Special Collections Library, University Libraries, Pennsylvania State University.
Open Court Publishing Company records, 1886–1953, 1/2/MSS 027, Southern Illinois University Carbondale Special Collections.
Ordo Templi Orientis Archives, New York, NY.
James B. Pinker and Sons records, Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, New York Public Library.
Katherine Susannah Prichard Papers, MS6201, National Library of Australia, Canberra.
John Quinn Memorial Collection, Rare Books and MSS Division, New York Public Library.
Burton Rascoe Papers, Van Pelt Library Special Collections, University of Pennsylvania.
Theodore Roosevelt Papers, Manuscripts Division, Library of Congress.
Theodore Schroeder Papers, 1842–1957, 1/1/MSS 017, Southern Illinois University Carbondale Special Collections.
P. R. Stephensen Papers, Collection ML1284, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales.
Ralph Straus Papers, Special Collections Department, Northwestern University Library.
Elihu Thomson Papers, MS Coll. 74, #MS61-930, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA.
H. G. Wells Papers, WELLS-1, C-537, Rare Book and Manuscripts Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Louis Umfreville Wilkinson Collection, 1916–1960, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin.
Gerald Yorke Collection, Warburg Institute Archive, University of London.
Bibliographies of the Works of Aleister Crowley
Cornelius, J. Edward. 1997. The Aleister Crowley Desk Reference. (Red Flame #4). Berkeley, CA: J. Edward & Marlene Cornelius.
Crowley, Aleister, and Frater 137. 1981. Source Book 93. San Francisco: Stellar Visions.
Duncombe-Jewell, L. C. R. 1907. Towards an outline of a bibliography of the writings in prose and verse of Aleister Crowley. In Aleister Crowley, The Works of Aleister Crowley 3. Foyers: SPRT, 233–239.
Fitzgerald, Edward Noel. 1951. The works of Aleister Crowley published or privately printed: A bibliographical list. In Charles Richard Cammell, Aleister Crowley: The Man, the Mage, the Poet. London: Richards Press, 207–218.
Fuller, John Frederick Charles. 1966. Bibliotheca Crowleyana: The Collection of J.F.C. Fuller. Tenterden, Kent: Keith Hogg [rpt. 1989, Edmonds, WA: Sure Fire Press, with a preface by Richard Kaczynski].
Parfitt, Will, and A. Drylie. 1976. A Crowley Cross-Index. Faulkland, Avon: Zro.
Yorke, Gerald. 1951. Bibliography of the works of Aleister Crowley. In John Symonds, The Great Beast: The Life of Aleister Crowley. London: Rider & Co., 301–310.
Published Works by Aleister Crowley
Although Crowley’s works have been reprinted over the years, the following bibliography cites the first publication—or reprints during Crowley’s lifetime—of works cited in this book. All works identify Aleister Crowley as the author unless otherwise noted. “Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth” is abbreviated SPRT.
I.Books, Pamphlets and Broadsides
A Gentleman of the University of Cambridge. Aceldama: A Place to Bury Strangers In. London: privately printed, 1898.
Ahab and Other Poems. London: privately printed, 1903.
Alexandra. Edited by Anthony Naylor. Thame: Mandrake, 1991.
Anonymous. Alice: An Adultery. Privately printed, 1903 (rpt. SPRT, 1905).
Ambergris: A Selection from the Poems of Aleister Crowley. London: Elkin Matthews, 1910.
Anonymous. Amphora. London: privately printed, 1908 (rpt. London: Burns & Oates, 1909, and as Hail Mary, London: Wieland & Co., 1912).
Amrita: Essays in Magical Rejuvenation. King’s Beach, CA: Thelema Publications, 1990.
An Appeal to the American Republic. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1899 (also appeared in Cambridge Magazine, 1899, and as “To America,” English Review, November 1914, 273–9).
The Argonauts. Foyers: SPRT, 1904.
Atlantis. S.l: Dove Press, 1970.
Alastor. The Avenger to the Theosophical Society. Tunis: privately printed, 1925.
Anonymous. Balzac: Hommage à Auguste Rodin. Paris: privately printed, 1903.
The Banned Lecture: Gilles de Rais. Oxford: P. R. Stevenson, 1930.
Abhavananda. Berashith: An Essay in Ontology, with Some Remarks on Ceremonial Magic. Paris: privately printed, 1903.
Frater Perdurabo and Soror Virakam. Book Four, part 1. London: Wieland & Co., 1911.
Frater Perdurabo and Soror Virakam. Book Four, part 2. London: Wieland & Co., 1913.
Frater Perdurabo. The Book of Lies: Which is also Falsely Called Breaks. The Wanderings or Falsifications of the One Thought of Frater Perdurabo, which Thought is in Itself Untrue. London: Wieland & Co., 1913 [1912].
O. M. and the Master Therion. The Book of the Law. London: OTO, 1938 (rpt. Los Angeles: OTO, 1942; also see Liber AL vel Legis).
Master Therion. The Book of Thoth: A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians. London: OTO, 1944.
St. E. A. of M. and S. Carmen Saeculare. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1901.
Chicago May: A Love Poem. New York: privately printed, 1914.
The City of God: A Rhapsody. London: OTO, 1943.
Verey, Rev. C. Clouds without Water. London: privately printed, 1909.
Commentaries on the Holy Books and Other Papers. Edited by Hymenaeus Beta. Yorke Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1996.
The Complete Astrological Writings. Edited by John Symonds and Kenneth Grant. London: Duckworth, 1974 (see General Principles of Astrology).
Dawn of a New Life, s.l., n.d.
The Diary of a Drug Fiend. London: William Collins & Sons, 1922.
Mahatma Guru Sri Paramahansa Shivaji. Eight Lectures on Yoga. London: OTO, 1939.
Anonymous. Ein Zeugnis der Suchenden. Leipzig: privately printed, 1925.
England, Stand Fast! A Poem. London: OTO, 1939.
The Equinox, volume I. London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton Kent & Co./Wieland & Co., 1909–1913.
The Equinox, volume III, number 1. Detroit: Universal Publishing Co., 1919.
Ankh-af-na-Khonsu. The Equinox of the Gods. London: OTO, 1936 (2nd printing, 1937).
The Fish. Edited by Anthony Naylor. Thame: Mandrake, 1992.
The Fun of the Fair. London: OTO, 1942.
Gargoyles: Being Strangely Wrought Images of Life and
Death. Foyers: SPRT, 1906.
Crowley, Aleister, Evangeline Adams, and Beta Hymenaeus. The General Principles of Astrology. Liber DXXXVI. Boston, MA: Weiser Books, 2002.
The Giant’s Thumb. Thame: First Impressions, 1992.
The God Eater: A Tragedy of Satire. London: Chas. Watts & Co., 1903.
A Dead Hand. The Goetia: The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King, Translated into the English Tongue by a Dead Hand and Adorned with Diverse Other Matters Germane, Delightful to the Wise. Edited by Aleister Crowley. Foyers: SPRT, 1904.
Golden Twigs. Edited by Martin P. Starr. Chicago: Teitan Press, 1988.
The Gospel According to St. Bernard Shaw. Barstow, CA: privately printed, 1953 (rpt. Crowley on Christ, ed. Francis King, London: C. W. Daniel Company, 1974).
Khaled Khan. The Heart of the Master. London: OTO, 1938.
The High History of Good Sir Palamedes the Saracen Knight and of His Following of the Questing Beast. London: Wieland & Co., 1912.
A. E. C. The Honourable Adulterers: A Tragedy. London: privately printed, 1899.
Household Gods: A Comedy. Pallanza: privately printed, 1912.
Hymn to Pan. New York: Argus Bookshop, n.d. (c. 1917).
In Residence: The Don’s Guide to Cambridge. Cambridge: Elijah Johnson, 1904.
A Gentleman of the University of Cambridge. Jephthah: A Tragedy. London: privately printed, 1898.
Jephthah and Other Mysteries, Lyrical and Dramatic. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1899.
Svareff, Count Vladimir. Jezebel and Other Tragic Poems. London: Chiswick Press, 1898.
Anonymous. Kreis um Thelema. Leipzig: privately printed, 1925.
Crowley, Aleister, Louis Wilkinson, and Hymenaeus Beta, 1983. The Law is for All: The Authorized Popular Commentary on Liber AL vel Legis sub figura CCXX, The Book of the Law. Phoenix, AZ: New Falcon Press, 1983.
Anonymous. The Law of Liberty. London: privately printed, n.d. (1917?).
Ankh-af-na-Khonsu. Liber AL vel Legis sub figura XXXI. Tunis: privately printed, 1926.
Anonymous. Liber Collegii Sancti. London: privately printed, 1910.
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