The Book of Lies
May / 03 / 2009 / 08:37
by Aleister Crowley, hardcover. 1972This is a masterpiece of modern occult literature. The book consists of 93 short chapters (two of which are not numbered), together with Crowley's own commentaries on the chapters. It is marvelous that we thus get to hear Crowley's unique voice speaking in two complementary modes: the revelatory and the analytical.
The 93 chapters take a number of forms: poetry, parable, aphorism, vision, joke, and pun. There are numerous intriguing references: to the Tarot, the Qabala, astrology, Egyptian mythology, the "Left Hand Path," Masonry, the Beast of Revelation, sacred geometry, etc.
Crowley's writing is often cryptic, often witty, often elegant. The book is also full of memorable quotes. "I slept with Faith and found a corpse in my arms on awakening;"
Like the most enduring of occult and freethinking writers, Crowley challenges us to refocus our dulled organs of perception, and to rethink our stale mental conventions. "The Book of Lies" belongs on the shelf with my favorite "alternative scriptures": William Blake's "Marriage of Heaven and Hell," the poetry of Stephen Crane, the feminist satires of Luisa Valenzuela, the dark testaments of Anton Szandor LaVey, Ambrose Bierce's "Devil's Dictionary," the savagely satirical writings of Virgilio Pinera, and more. But even in this company, Crowley is in a class of his own.
Hardcover version, sometimes hard to find - perfect condition, pages and binding flawless.
SOLD for $35.00
