Tag Archives: Tom Bradley

Elmer Crowley

Elmer Crowley: a katabasic nekyia [also] by Tom Bradley (who you may recognize as the author of My Hands Were Clean from Unlikely Stories), illustrated by David Aronson & Nick Patterson, from Mandrake of Oxford, may be of interest. You can read the first two chapters at Tom Bradley’s site.

Tom Bradley David Aronson Nick Patterson Elmer Crowley from Mandrake of Oxford

“Bless me,
curse me.
For better or worse, my fallopian fall into matter…

After making careful preparations to ensure himself a proper reincarnation, the dying ALEISTER CROWLEY flubs one syllable of the magickal incantation … and comes back as ELMER FUDD.” — back cover

“After making careful preparations to ensure himself a proper reincarnation, the dying Aleister Crowley flubs one syllable of the magickal incantation…and comes back as Elmer Fudd.

The Great Beast never manages to figure out where he is. His Elmer Fudd senses don’t seem to work well, so he sees everything a bit cock-eyed. Bugs Bunny is a strange gray presence with a couple of penile protuberances rising from its head. Daffy Duck is a horrendously irritating black entity.

Crowley tries to interpret his experience in terms of the Egyptian and Tibetan Books of the Dead, plus the Greek Eleusinian mysteries, the Theravada school, etc. Madame Blavatsky keeps rearing her disapproving head.

There are two orgy scenes, one in the cartoon world, and a parallel one in Pasadena of 1910. These are full of unspeakable depravity and monstrosity, taken from Crowley’s own horror fiction, plus cute little Tweety Pie, who plays the part of Baubo, the headless Greek comedienne-demoness.

Crowley faces this bizarre and terrifying predicament with all the aplomb, humor and astonishing courage that he displayed throughout his occult life.” [via]

My Hands Were Clean

My Hands Were Clean by Tom Bradley, a 2010 paperback from Unlikely Stories, bound together with Dr. Gonzo by Deb Hoag, is part of the collection at the Reading Room courtesy of the publisher.

Tom Bradley My Hands Were Clean from Unlikely Stories

“My Hands Were Clean tells Tom Bradley’s teenaged story of working as a musician for pseudo-Mormon polygamists who conducted Aleister Crowley-style sex magick rituals under their place of business. It features cover art by Justin Aerni”

 

Deb Hoag Dr Gonzo from Unlikely Stories

“Dr. Gonzo: A series of loosely related essays on equality, visibility, and modern mental health, or, How the Mental Health System Drove Me Crazy details Dr. Hoag’s efforts to provide effective psychotherapy in a nation of apathetic lawmakers and actively hostile insurance companies. Check out the cover art by Gabriel Vrooman”

 

The Hermetic Library Reading Room is an imaginary and speculative future reification of the library in the physical world, a place to experience a cabinet of curiosities offering a confabulation of curation, context and community that engages, archives and encourages a living Western Esoteric Tradition. If you would like to contribute to the Hermetic Library Reading Room, consider supporting the library or contact the librarian.