Aleister Crowley's Four Books of Magick

A great compilation of the more popular Crowley books.. This is a great introduction to his writings for someone interested in Thelema or Crowley in general.

“Mr. Crowley, what went on in your head?”

Show-off, womaniser, charmer, the wickedest man in England or just a bit of a prat? The jury on Aleister Crowley has been out for decades, but now this welcome collection of his work may help to rehabilitate him.
History has forgotten Crowley’s “distinctly original contributions” to the study of yoga in the West, and his many mountaineering records, some of which still stand today, in favour of the “sexier” stuff. Stephen Skinner’s excellent, lucid and often funny introduction to this definitive collection of the four Parts that make up Crowley’s “Book Four” magnum opus is worth the asking price alone. There is also a timeline of Crowley’s life which shows he packed in enough action to fill several lifetimes, but there is also a clear decline as age and hard times caught up with him. Skinner also examines how Crowley’s attempt to start his own religion, Thelema, and how it came to obsess him.
I’ve never swam so deep in AC’s world before so I appreciate the guiding hand of author Stephen Skinner; an expert in the world of magic and a Crowley admirer, but unafraid to be critical when needed. The four books are presented in their original form with new footnotes where necessary. The author has also moved certain original appendices around so that they are now grouped by type, rather than Crowley’s own often haphazard system. This collection is a welcome (and successful) attempt to simplify Crowley’s work and to present it as a coherent whole.
Crowley’s work is, to the uninitiated (and possibly even to the initiated) utterly impenetrable nonsense. True, some of it was Crowley’s own invention which he added in for show, and he was not averse to “fiddling the numbers” to make his Kabbalah calculations work better. But, as Skinner explains, Crowley’s desire was to modernise magic and to explain it in scientific terms, thus making it accessible to the masses.
I vividly recall buying a copy of “Magick” back in the early 90s, feeling quite naughty and being convinced I’d be able to summon up demons in no time, but utterly failing to make any sense of the bizarre words and weird diagrams within. Unsurprisingly, I still can’t get anything out of Crowley’s work but thanks to Skinner’s lucid annotation I can at least get the basic gist, and I’m truly glad that this collection exists. This volume will be of great benefit to the reader who is already well-versed in the subject matter.
A reappraisal of Aleister Crowley is long overdue, and this erudite, definitive work is the best of all possible starts.

Thanks to NetGalley and Watkins Publishing for allowing me to view an advanced reading copy.

My practice is more earth based but I have always wanted to know more about Aleister Crowley and his beliefs…and this book is just what I needed. While it includes four of his most prolific works, it gives great insight into his beliefs. For me, I took it as the “Illuminating writings of a unique man” and will be reading this again in more detail over time. Let’s just say there is unique, and then there is what did I just read? I need to read that again. This is definitely a great read for anyone interested in learning more about the man and his beliefs.

This was a great read. It had a lot of stuff I had never heard before about Aleister Crowley. Must read for those who want to learn more about him.

As someone who owns several of Crowley's books and who has been interested in his theories, this is a fantastic guide to his writings. Skinner does an unbelievable job of helping the reader to understand Crowley's erratic mind and beliefs. A priceless and fascinating read, I have pre-ordered a physical copy to add to my home library