Tag Archives: Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper

Used and Rare Books. September Miscellany, 2013

You may be interested in Weiser Antiquarian Book Catalogue #111: Used and Rare Books. September Miscellany, 2013.

“Amongst the more unusual items are an original sketch by Austin Osman Spare, two first English-language editions of works by the great German mystic Jacob Boehme: Mysterium Magnum (1654) and his Fifth Book (1659); and an apparently unpublished typescript on the esoteric Tarot written by an unidentified author in Cambridge (England) in the nineteen-fifties: The Mystery of the Ancient “Egyptian Tarot.” (1958). A selection of signed books includes a copy of British explorer and mystic philosopher Sir Francis Younghusband’s Within: Thoughts During Convalescence (1914); Michael W. Ford’s Shades of Algol: A Luciferian and Sabbatic Grimoire of Left Hand Path Witchcraft (2002); Helen Kruger’s, Other Healers, Other Cures, (1974); Louis Martinie’s Waters of Return: The Aeonic Flow of Voudoo (1992) and an odd fictional work based on the story of Lilith, Jane Speller’s Adam’s First Wife (1929). A number of works from the library of English Aleister Crowley collector and scholar Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper are also scattered throughout the catalogue. These include a small selection of books relating to the English decadent illustrator Beresford Egan – whose work is best known to Aleister Crowley aficionados on account of his striking dust jacket design for Moonchild, and another group of works by and about Arthur Machen, the Welsh writer of supernatural fiction who was briefly a member of the Hermetic Order of Golden Dawn before joining his friend and sometime literary collaborator Arthur Edward Waite, in the Independent and Rectified Order R.R. et. A.C.. Also from Nicholas’ collection, but mixed throughout the catalogue, are a selection of works, some serious, some silly, and some seriously odd, on Secret Societies. There are also several uncommon books by the incorrigible reprobate of twentieth century occult publishing Lauron William de Laurence, as well as a number of other genuinely unusual items, but we will leave it to the astute bibliophile to hunt them out.” [via]

Aleister Crowley, Friends, and Followers

You may be interested in Weiser Antiquarian Book Catalogue #108: Aleister Crowley, Friends, and Followers.

“The catalogue starts with a work that has provoked considerable discussion even before its public release: Michael Effertz’s thoughtfully argued book Priest/ess: In Advocacy of Queer Gnostic Mass. There follows a section devoted to copies of The Book of the Law including a copy of the seldom-seen O.T.O. leather-bound Centennial Edition, limited to 418 numbered copies, signed by Hymenaeus Beta and the 1956 reissue of The Equinox of the Gods with the rare separate folder containing a facsimile of the original manuscript of “The Book of the Law.” Rare materials by Crowley in the following section include several letters from him to his collaborator on the Thoth tarot deck Frieda Harris, a superb first edition of The Book of Lies, a rare greeting-card type edition of The Hymn to Pan, and the original typescript of The Yi King: An Interpretation, a work which would later be published by Helen Parsons Smith as the Shi Yi.

Some of the most exciting items are found in the next section “Works by Friends and Followers of Aleister Crowley.” This includes Kenneth Grant’s copy of the Hatha-Yoga Pradipika of Svatmarama Svamin with Grant’s elaborate ownership inscription and his personal sigil as well as a list of the various titles to which he lay claim – on the half-title page, along with editions deluxe of Beyond the Mauve Zone and The Magical Revival. There is also a good selection of works by Jack Parsons including his own copy of Robert Graves’ I, Claudius, with Jack Parsons’ ownership initials on the first blank. In addition to an unusual collection of publications by Louis T. Culling there is a nice group by Israel Regardie including a signed edition of The Eye in the Triangle.

The penultimate section “Works Relating to Aleister Crowley and his Magical Orders” includes a number of unusual books, some of which have a most interesting provenance. Thus a copy of L. Ron Hubbard, Final Blackout was a gift to Wilfred T. Smith and his wife, Helen (Helen Parsons Smith), a copy of De Villars’ Comte de Gabalis belonged to Reea Leffingwell (of Agape Lodge), whilst a copy of The Kabbalah; Its Doctrines, Development and Literature has ownership signatures of two California Thelemites, Joseph C. Crombie and Mildred Burlingame. Copies of Arthur Edward Waite’s superb edition of Eliphas Levi’s The History of Magic and William Stirling’s The Canon are both from the collection of Aleister Crowley’s student Arthur Edward Richardson, with his bookplate on the front pastedown, whilst the first edition of Richard Kaczynski’s ground-breaking biography, Perdurabo. The Life of Aleister Crowley, is a presentation copy inscribed to English Crowley scholar Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper. The final section of the catalogue is somewhat more whimsical, featuring books related to music and cinema which make some mention of Aleister Crowley. Not surprisingly many also invoke the names of Jimmy Page and Kenneth Anger.” [via]

Aletheia and The Un-Magickal Record of the Great Beast 666

Weiser Antiquarian just sent out an email about two new books, both limited runs and signed by the authors, in which you may have some interest.

The first is Aletheia, Astrology in the New Aeon for Thelemites; a volume on astrology by J. Edward Cornelius. Limited to 418 numbered copies.

“This new book ‘Aletheia,’ is a short, practical work on astrology, with the emphasis on its use as a tool for self-knowledge and mastery by the magician or mystic. Not surprisingly it draws from and builds upon the insights of Aleister Crowley, examining among other things the relationship between astrology and the Tree of Life, the Daimon (or “Holy Guardian Angel”), and the initiatory system as taught by Crowley. Chapters comprise: Introduction, Foundations, Our Daimon and Kundalini, The Three Fates, The Lot of Fortune and the Nodes, The Tree of Life is Constantly Growing, The Twelve Houses and the Tree of Life, Interpreting the Houses, The Planets, The Mystery of Chiron, Ceres and the Asteroid Belt, The First Four Houses and the Man of Earth, Aspects, Conclusion.”


The second book is The Un-Magickal Record of the Great Beast 666. Volume One: Sez – Drugs – Prophetic Roles by Richard T. Cole. I assume this is one of the fruits to develop from the Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper collection which Weiser Antiquarian has recently started to make available to the collectors’ market.

“The book comprises an Introduction – “Occult Pulp Faction” by Sandy Robertson, a selection of essays by Richard T. Cole, and thirty-three facsimile reproductions of rare articles relating to Aleister Crowley, drawn from a variety of magazines published between 1939 and 1982, including: Auctions Record (1972) – Book & Magazine Collector (2008) – Smith’s Weekly (1924) – True (1939) – Sensation (1939) – Everybody’s Weekly (1949) – Fate (1949) – Sci. Fi. Quarterly (1953) – Action (1953) -Punch (1955) – Picture Post (1955) – People (1956) – True (1956) – Real Action For Men (1957) – Stag (1959) – American Book Collector (1961) – Adam (1964) – Real (1966) – Jaguar (1966) – Penthouse (1967) – Forum (1970) – Zodiac Monthly (1970) – Prediction (1970) – Strange (1971) – the Realist (1971) – High Times (1978) – Unexplained (1980) – Sounds (1982).”

Obvious there’s an intention for more volumes, and further there’s apparently a crossword puzzle “competition (with some rather lovely prizes) being run by the publisher that closes in December 2011.”

Weiser Antiquarian Books’ Catalog No. 91 “Aleister Crowley”

You may be interested in the new Weiser Antiquarian Books’ Catalog No. 91 “Aleister Crowley” which is part one of what will apparently be an extensive series focused on the works of Aleister Crowley from the collection of the late Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper:

“Welcome to this, the ninety-first of our on-line catalogues. This catalogue is the first of a series devoted to the Aleister Crowley collection of our longtime friend and customer, the late Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper (1942-2011). Those who knew Nick will recall that aside from piecing together a wonderful collection of works by Crowley, he had an extraordinary talent for tracking down books, magazines, newspapers – anything printed really – that contained “undiscovered” references to the Beast. In so doing he played a quiet but important part in furthering our knowledge of Crowley and his times, and developed a remarkable and varied library.”