The Works of Aleister Crowley [Three volumes]

Depending on the edition you are reading, the title is The Collected Works of Aleister Crowley, sometimes shortened to The Works of Aleister Crowley. Both are misleading titles. This book does not include everything Crowley ever wrote or published. This particular book was published by Crowley 1905-1907. It contains three volumes. Each volume collects writings from a range of years. Volume one is 1898 - 1902. Volume two is 1902 - 1904. Volume three is 1905 - 1907. However some works are left out that were written during these years, e.g. White Stains written in 1898 and The Book of the Law in 1904.In these volumes you will find lots of poetry, plays, and essays. The Collected works become more useful the further you delve into all things Crowley. His poetry and plays are used often in the Rites of Eleusis, ritual texts, and private OTO rites. There are some very important essays found here that Crowley would refer to constantly over the years like "Berashith" and "Science and Buddhism." "Qabalistic Dogma" and "The Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic" (found in The Sword of Song) are also important. It's incredible that in Magick Without Tears, written when he was 70, he was still referring to "Berashith," an essay he wrote when he was 27, as one of his primary ontological documents.I'm familiar with two editions of the Collected Works:1. A red hardcover facsimile edition published in three volumes by the Yogi Publication Society. This edition is a nice collectable and was kept in print for decades. I'm not sure if it's still being published as the prices for this set have skyrocketed the past decade. This set is great. However if you like to write in your books or make notes I would think about the Martino Fine Books Edition below.2. The Martino Fine Books paperback edition titled The Works of Aleister Crowley. This is a recent edition that I purchased used/discounted and it was a pleasant surprise. It's a thick book at over 700 pages but its not so heavy or bulky that its difficult to use. It's very durable. I can open the book repeatedly to different pages and the spine is not in danger of splitting. This is a book that can be used constantly without fear of wearing it out. The book keeps the original pagination of the original three volumes even though its published here as a single book. So there are three tables of contents and three individually paginated books within. Some readers my find this irritating but it allows a reader to quickly find any citation of these individual volumes found in another work.I highly recommend both editions. The Yogi Publications edition is a really nice collectable set, but if you like to mark up your books with notes and underlining, I would go for the Martino Fine Books edition.

Of course his reputation is outrageous. This compilation of Mr. Crowley's original 3-volume Collected Works is a pleasure to read in a comfortable format. . In his younger years he was an extremely fine poetic voice, and duly recognized as such. He never did lose that ability to turn a fine phrase. Included in this compact book are the Essays on Philosophical subjects to which A.C. never returned explicitly, except to mention them as references in his various Correspondences (notably Magick Without Tears, The Revival of Magick, and Little Essays Toward Truth). -- This is a stupendous volume of writing of a man who was both a poet and a philosopher. It is a very rare combination of abilities.

From what I have read so far I am loving this collection. His poetry is philosophical and poignant. His plays are precise and beautiful. The imagery is intensely described and very fluid.Anyone who wants a better look into the mindset of Crowley's creative endeavours will surely find it here.

Der Inhalt spricht für sich (und ist mittlerweile auch schon seit geraumer Zeit online verfügbar).Wer nach einer gedruckten vollständigen Faksimile der vorliegenden 3 Bände sucht, hat hier die Möglichkeit, diese in einem preiswerten Sammelband zu erwerben.Zwar ist die allgemeine Aufmachung des Paperbacks nichts für den bibliophilen Sammler, aber der recht angemessene Preis rechtfertigt eine Anschaffung. Alle 3 Bände sind zu einem Band zusammengefasst und liegen als exakte Reproduktion der Originalausgabe (ab 1905) vor.Da die gebundenen roten Einzelbände recht hohe Preise erzielen können (sofern man überhaupt Angebote findet; zum Zeitpunkt dieser Bestellung war das niedrigste Angebot einer kompletten Sammlung der 3 Bände doppelt so teuer wie diese Ausgabe), ist dieses Produkt eine nette und angenehme Alternative.Leicht debütantisches Coverdesign, dafür ist der Inhalt sehr gut reproduziert und (bis auf Mängel im Original) gut lesbar.

A comprehensive collection, in my opinion.Neat stuff, will take some time to read and digest.