Category:
Magick & Occult
£46.00
Crowley finished "Tannhäuser" in Kandy, Ceylon in the beginning of 1900s during a period when he and his mentor Allan Bennet were in middle of intense yogic practices. The book is Crowley’s take on the 13th century legend of Minnesinger Tannhäuser. In Crowley’s dramatic version, which he referred as “The History of the Soul”, the traveling Rosicrucian poet journeys in the world of gods, men and demons in search of truth and harmony. Through Tannhäuser's reflections the book explores complex themes, such as the clash between earthly passions and spiritual aspirations, foreshadowing the conflicts and transformations Tannhäuser experiences throughout the story. The drama reflects Crowley's fascination with mysticism and the interplay of earthly desire and divine inspiration. Tho overlooked at its time, Crowley’s Tannhäuser play grew later into a seminal text in Thelema and in O.T.O.
Crowley’s gives the keys for deciphering the text in his preface written in Kandy in 1901 where he connects the drama’s scheme with John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim's Progress” (1678). Crowley advices the reader to observe Tannhäuser as the only “real” character of the play and other characters just merely reflections of the traveling poet’s own consciousness.
The publications is a facsimile reprint of the second edition published through Crowley’s own publishing house Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth aka S.P.R.T. in 1907. In the “new” edition Crowley used mainly unbound pages left over from the original 1902 Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.’s publication. Crowley’s disappointment with Kegan Paul's management of his book sales spurred him to distribute his own works via S.P.R.T.
The facsimile edition is published in large format hardback edition of 222 hand-numbered copies. Front and back cover and spine stamped with gilt. Binding: sewn. Endpapers: Malmero Abysse. Headband: Iranian turquoise. The book comes with a limited edition “Crowley in Ceylon” -bookmark.
£69.99
£55.00
out of stock - £245.00
Out of print hardback edition, limited to 350 copies only.
Unread in very good condition, wrapped in protective cellophane.
Edited, annotated and introduced by Richard Kaczynski, this edition far surpasses that found in the Collected Works: red and black ink has been employed to capture the feel of the 1904 edition; a 50 page introduction by Crowley’s foremost biographer introduces the reader to the many themes to be found throughout the book; finally, copious end-notes further elucidate concepts and ideas in need of clarification.
From the introduction:
‘The Sword of Song is arguably the greatest story never told. It is a book of firsts: his first manifesto, his first talismanic book, his first mystical essays, his first nod to sexual mysteries, and an enticing preview of what was to come in The Book of the Law, the spirit-writing that would form the cornerstone of his philosophy’.