Zan and BC's Excellent Thoth Adventure: Crowley Biographies

Aeon418 said:

I would suggest that you start with a biography. Crowley's work is more easily understood if it is placed within the context of his life. If this were an ideal world I would recommend that you pick up a copy of Richard Kaczynski's, PERDURABO. But unfortunately it is out of print and used copies command a high price.

One book that you may be able to pick up on the used market at a reasonable price is The Legacy of the Beast by Gerald Suster. It's one of the first Crowley related books that I ever read. It's part bio, part examination of Crowley's ideas. Down to earth, factual, and free of sensationalism. As a general introduction to Crowley and his ideas it is unsurpassed IMHO.

Or you could get it straight from the horses mouth and check out Crowley's own autohagiography, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley. It's currently out of print but used copies are reasonably priced. It's also available on online, if you can stand reading big books on a computer screen. Personally I prefer good old fashioned ink on paper.

The Eye in the Triangle by Israel Regardie is another good bio, but sadly out of print.

Biographies that are currently in print and readily available are:

A Magick Life by Martin Booth. A reasonable bio. Booth was a poet himself so he likes to portray Crowley as a literary figure, rather than an occultist.

Do What Thou Wilt by Lawrence Sutin. Another reasonable bio, except that Sutin does have a tendency to steer towards sensationalism from time to time.

MEGATHERION by Francis King. A good bio, but it is a little bit on the short side. Still worth a look though.

The Beast Demystified by Roger Hutchinson. In one word, TRIPE!!! Tabloid journalism and character assassination. Definitely a hostile bio.

The Nature of the Beast by Colin Wilson. Recently reprinted by Aeon books. Wilson let himself down with this one. It's a sensation mongering pot boiler written to pay the bills. Nuff said.

That's the easy bit over and done with. The difficult part is finding an entry in Crowley's work. The trouble with the Crowley corpus of writings is that they are kind of like an octopus. If you focus on one tentacle the other seven will probably strangle you.

I'll make an off-the-wall suggestion. Try starting with The Holy Books of Thelema. It represents the fruits of Crowley's spiritual attainment. Crowley himself said that the Holy Books were examples of the states of consciousness that could be attained through his system of magick and yoga.
Commentaries on the Holy Books and other papers is a good companion volume. It contains Crowley's own commentary on the sublime Liber LXV.

Other suggestions might be MAGICK Book 4. Parts 1-4. It's big, it's heavy going, but it will last you a life time. Part 1: Mysticism. Part 2: Magick (Elementary Theory). Part 3: Magick in Theory and Practice. Part 4: Thelema - The Law (The Equinox of the Gods - Crowley's account of the reception of the Book of the Law.) On top of that there is masses of stuff in the appendices.

The Book of Thoth. Practically Crowley's entire philosophy presented under the guise of a pack of Tarot cards.

Magick Without Tears [Out of print but available on online] A collection letters between Crowley and a student relating to various theoretical and practical aspects of magcik and mysticism.

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Aeon418 said:

An update on the post. (When did I write that?)

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"Now that Crowley is safely dead, do you think his story can be told?"
John Symonds voiced the question which typified the unfortunately common reaction to Crowley's death. Symonds went on to write The Great Beast(1951), a sensational and critical portrayal of Crowley's life. At least one publisher turned the book down for fear of libel, but London publishers Rider eventually bought it. Those loyal to A.C. saw it as a betrayal of his trust, and Yorke's catalogue of the book's inaccuracies is a lengthy and damning document.

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Aleister Crowley is best known today as a founding father of modern occultism. His wide, hypnotic eyes peer at us from the cover of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and his influence can be found everywhere in popular culture.

Crowley, also known as the Great Beast, has been the subject of several biographies, some painting him as a misunderstood genius, others as a manipulative charlatan. None of them have looked seriously at his career as an agent of British Intelligence.

Using documents gleaned from British, American, French, and Italian archives, Secret Agent 666 sensationally reveals that Crowley played a major role in the sinking of the Lusitania, a plot to overthrow the government of Spain, the thwarting of Irish and Indian nationalist conspiracies, and the 1941 flight of Rudolf Hess.

Author Richard B. Spence argues that Crowley—in his own unconventional way—was a patriotic Englishman who endured years of public vilification in part to mask his role as a secret agent.

The verification of the Great Beast’s participation in the twentieth century’s most astounding government plots will likely blow the minds of history buff s and occult aficionados alike.

Author Richard B. Spence can be seen on various documentaries on the History Channel and is a consultant for Washington, DC’s International Spy Museum. He is also the author of Trust No One: The Secret World of Sidney Reilly (Feral House).

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