The Books of the Beast A guide to Aleister Crowley s Magical 1st Editions

Timothy d'Arch Smith is a well-known bibliographer, reviewer and antiquarian bookseller with a special interest in the by-ways of literature, notably the occult and the curious. For Aleister Crowley a book was a talisman and their every part right down to colour, dimension, and price was symbolic. He also used magical techniques to gain literary success--thus new editions of Crowley's writing multiply daily, tantalizing the bibliographer. All the more indispensable is this authoritative guide to his magical first editions. Timothy d'Arch Smith, widely acknowledged as a leading expert on Crowley and on underground literature, offers several shorter articles on: *Oxford's demonologist Montague Summers; *R A Caton and his Fortune Press; *Sexual prophet Ralph Chubb; *Florence Farr; *The British Library Private Case; *and Timothy d'Arch Smith. *For this new edition, he also adds an extra chapter on Crowley. ''...one could hardly wish for a more stimulating guide...'' -The London Magazine ''One of the more immediately striking things about the book is its gentle humour.'' - Time Out