Aeon418
You could try reading from each camp. The question is which ones?sapienza said:
I've read these: (Not including Perdurabo)
The Legend of Aleister Crowley (1930) by Israel Regardie & P. R. Stephensen.
Not really a biography per se. It's more a defence of Crowley and his writings against the attacks by the British press.
The Great Beast (1951) by John Symonds.
Very hostile and lots of inaccuracies. But it did keep the "legend of infamy" alive and inspired a lot of people after A.C.'s death. Most of the "popular scare stories" that do the rounds on internet forums can be found in this book.
The Eye in the Triangle (1970) by Israel Regardie.
Partly written as a reaction to Symonds biography. Regardie fell out with Crowley in the 1930's but felt the need to set the record straight and correct many of the falsehoods spread by Symonds. Regardie attempts to use the tools of psycho-analysis on Crowley with mixed results. Some of his theories have been proved wrong with the passage of time, but it's still an interesting read. Only goes as far as 1914 though.
The Magickal World of Aleister Crowley (1977) by Francis X. King. (Republished in 2004 under the title MegaTherion.)
A readable biography but nothing special. It didn't really make much of an impression on me for some reason. Some people like it though.
The Nature of the Beast (1987) by Colin Wilson.
Oh dear.
In my opinion the only research Wilson did for this book was to read John Symonds biography. Nuff said!The Legacy of the Beast (1989) by Gerald Suster.
A brief potted bio followed by an examination of Crowley's ideas, influence and legacy. This was one of the first books I read on Crowley and so I have a bit of a soft spot for it. The biography section is probably a little too pro-Crowley though.
Aleister Crowley: The Beast Demystified (1998) by Roger Hutchinson.
There's a hostile slant to this one, which is no great crime. But the quality of Hutchinson's research is very dodgy in places. In fact he clearly makes things up. Example: his assertion on page 79 that Dion Fortune was present at the "Battle of Blythe Road" in 1900 when Crowley attempted to take over the London based Golden Dawn temple. Erm... no Mr Hutchinson. Fortune was only 10 years old at the time.
A Magick Life (2000) by Martin Booth.
A readable and even-handed biography. Sympathetic and critical in even measure. Booth was an appreciator of Crowley's poetry and quotes from it liberally throughout the book. Not much detail about Crowley's spiritual life though, but it's not really Booth's area of expertise.
Do What Thou Wilt (2000) by Lawrence Sutin.
Very detailed exploration of the outer events of Crowley's life. Reasonably even handed throughout, but just like Booth's bio there is a gaping hole at the centre. Where is the examination of Crowley's spirituality? Obviously it's not Sutin's forte, so his comments are minimal and brief at best. This leaves it feeling somewhat incomplete, despite the obvious effort put into it. It's almost as if Sutin has mapped out the framework of Crowley's life, but the heart is missing.
On a personal note I didn't like Sutin's writing style. A bit dry in places.
Secret Agent 666 (2008) by Richard B. Spence.
Not really a biography. It's an examination of Crowley's war time activities. Crowley always claimed that he was working as an agent for British Intelligence. Of course he could not prove this during his lifetime and so the "liar & traitor" tag has stuck for many years. Spence's book, based on newly released government documents, is an answer to that charge.
