Description
Crowley, Aleister
Unknown, circa 1950’s? Hardcover. Attractive re-issue of the 1937 second edition, without the facsimile of the original hand-written manuscript of The Book of the Law. Maroon cloth with gilt embossed titles to spine amid two horizontal bars above and below, seal of the A.’.A.’. on front cover. Minor external soiling, small spot of dis-coloured cloth and shelf-wear including some small indentations to cover, slight faint spotting of end-papers. A very beautiful copy of this highly desirable work. Very Good.
This appears to be one of the maroon cloth bound Germer editions, or a very convincing facsimile. It is consistent with the description of this edition except in two respects; it is not rubber stamped “WEHMAN BROS” at the foot of the title page and it does not include the illustration of the Stélé of Revealing (it may have not been stamped and the illustration may have been removed). In every other respect, including the quality of the paper and binding, a very convincing case can be made for this being a genuine Germer/ Weiser edition.
After Crowley’s death, most of his papers and other possessions were shipped to Germer including the unbound sheets of the 1937 edition of his book The Equinox of the Gods.
In 1955 Germer sold the sheets to Samuel Weiser who had them bound up in maroon cloth and sold through the shop. This was probably one of the first books to be published by Samuel Weiser – although it retained the original O.T.O. title page and imprint. This issue lacks the pocket with The Comment on The Book of the Law and the photolithographic facsimile reproduction of the original manuscript of The Book of the Law.
Aleister Crowley first released The Equinox of the Gods in 1936, bound in white buckram, and with a specially-made pocket at the rear of the volume which held an envelope containing a facsimile of the original manuscript of The Book of the Law . In 1937 Crowley had the book reprinted, though the printers retained the 1936 publication date on the title page etc. A small number of the copies were printed on machine-made paper and were used for a ‘Subscriber’s Edition’ bound in cloth-backed boards. A larger number were printed on ‘Japanese paper’ and were again bound in white buckram. A significant number of the sheets of the ‘Japanese paper’ issue, and a small number of those of the ‘Subscriber’s Issue’ remained unbound, and after Crowley’s death were sent to Karl Germer, who in 1955 passed approx. 500 sets of sheets to Samuel Weiser, bookseller and publisher.
One of Crowley’s most rare and sought-after works. The Equinox of the Gods presents an amazing description of the circumstances leading up to Crowley’s transcription of The Book of the Law.
