From: Shawn Clayton Knight Newsgroups: alt.magick Subject: Preliminary Review: _Book Four_ Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 12:02:43 -0500 Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. _Magick: Book 4, Parts I-IV_ by Aleister Crowley, (c) 1994 Ordo Templi Orientis, first published 1994 by Samuel Weiser, Inc. $49.95. As a Thelemite, a student of magick and Crowley, and a collector of Crowley's works, I'd been hoping for this book for a long time, and when I noted in the notes to the latest edition of _Eight Lectures on Yoga_ a reference to a forthcoming complete _Book Four_ I nearly fell over. Well, it's a year anf a half later, just about; and yesterday my copy arrived at my metaphysical bookstore. The proprietress had a huge grin when she handed it to me. It will take quite some time to assimilate the new edition, but here's some pluses: (1) First of all, it's complete. You could have gotten the bulk of the text by buying _Book Four (Parts I and II)_, previously available; _Magick in Theory and Practice_ (Part III), and _The Equinox of the Gods_ (Part IV). However, this is all in one volume. (2) This book looks *damn* good. The dust jacket features Crowley's magical symbols ("The Lamen of the Master Therion"), in color. Quite nice. I have removed the dust jacket from my copy right now; the book itself is blue bound hardcover; the front cover has in gold, the original title page seen in _Parts I and II_, i.e.: BOOK 4 [Tau][Delta][Mu]444 ABA (3) There is a dedication page listing the A.'.A.'. members who contributed: Ouarda, Per Ardua, Agatha, Virakam, Rhodon, Alostrael, Volo Intelligere, and finally Perdurabo. (4) Table of contents. Parts I and II needed this. The one for Part III is synoptic by chapter, unlike some editions of _MiTaP_. The appendices are also listed, paper by paper (no more "What the hell page was _Liber O_ on, again??) (5) Illustrations. Rose Crowley. Leila Waddell. Mary Desti. Mary Butts. All in the introduction. A bunch of other added illustrations, including a new, very clear, color reproduction of the original Stele of Revealing. The Averse Pentagrams (see _Liber V vel Reguli_). Pranayama. Aratrum Securum. All those pictures that were with the A.'.A.'. papers in the _Equinox_ but not in the appendices to _MiTaP_: they've been put back in - very clear, much more so than _Gems from the Equinox_. The signs of the grades, also very clear - including the signs of N.O.X.! And ELEVEN asanas! (6) Introduction. An introduction, notes, acknowledgements, etc. by Hymenaeus Beta X' numbering up to page lxxxiv (yes, eighty-four). Very interesting reading, a useful summary of Crowley's notes in _Confessions_, _Equinox of the Gods_, and some unpublished correspondence. A must; I read it avidly. (7) I was blown away to finally see a page bearing the A.'.A.'. title graphics (the pillars, glyphs, and Hadit above) reading: "LIBER ABA BOOK FOUR". On the reverse of that page: the A.'.A.'. imprimatur, listed as: "N.'. Fra. A.'.A.'. V. Praemonstrator. V.V. Imperator. S.U.A. Cancellarius. Publication in Classes A, B, D and E." (8) The text is in a very good font, easy to read throughout. (9) Crowley's obscure Greek and Latin phrases are translated in footnotes. (Ever wonder what "Solvitur ambulando" meant if NOT "Call the Ambulance"?) (10) Leila Waddell's Prefatory Note to _MiTaP_ has been restored. (11) Bits of text removed from the original typescript have been added back in. (12) Tables - most notably the (F.)I.A.O.(F.) table in Chapter 5 - look so much cleaner. (13) The four horoscopes from the beginning of _The Equinox of the Gods_ are now presented in both their original (Chaldean Square) and in modern round forms, for all you astrologers. (14) The manuscript of _Liber AL_ is photographed, not photoreproduced (instead of black letters on your white page, there's a photo of the page and you can see stains, notes, etc. on the pages. It's a big improvement IMHO. (15) Appendix I: The A.'.A.'. Course of Reading now includes Courses II-VIII, which are proper to the A.'.A.'. degrees up to Adeptus Major. Ever wonder what a Zelator oughta be doing and _Liber 185_ was too sketchy? It's here. And the "Syllabus" is heavily cross-referenced, footnoted, and enlarged now. Bonus. (16) Appendix III is now entitled "Notes for an Astral Atlas". (17) Appendix V (Principal Correspondences from Qabalah) is beautiful to look at once you've been used to the Castle edition of _MiTaP_. There are _five_ Trees of Life, each with different correspondences; and then the tables. They are *so* clear, *so* nice, that I'd like to see all of _Liber 777_ redone like this. (18) Appendix VI, principal rituals: "Grimorium Sanctissimum" translated in full. The Star Ruby and Sapphire with translations of the Greek and Latin. (19) Appendix VII, A.'.A.'. instructions: The libers with their original illustrations as noted above. (20) Appendix VIII (New!): Supplemental Papers. Things that should have been thrown in the first time. :) Liber Israfel. The Bornless ritual - and in the original Greek as well! The G.D. Festival of the Equinox. Ritual Beth-2: To Have Any Knowledge. The Great Invocation. Liber OZ. (21) Appendix IX (New!): On the Reception of the Book of the Law. Can't wait to read it. :) (22) Glossary and Editor's Notes: H.B. went crazy on the notes, which is a GOOD THING. There are 611 numbered notes, plus some other notes included among the others which are general references to a section of text and note endnotes by normal usage. (23) "Selected References": close to 350 of them. (24) INDICES!!! Subjects; Names of Persons; Names of Spiritual Entities; Names Mythological; Authors and Works Cited; Sanskrit and Pali terms; Technical Terms (A.'.A.'., Enochian, OTO, etc.); Citations of Liber AL. Summary: WORTH both the wait and the money if you're at all "into" Thelema and/or Crowley's magick. Disclaimer: This review has been written with neither the permission nor the request of the O.T.O., the A.'.A.'., or anyone else but me, and all opinions expressed herein are solely my own. Love is the law, love under will. -shawn Shawn C. Knight/knightster+@cmu.edu | "The nights of love ... We loved so 2010 Wendover Street Apartment No.5 | hard, we shook the stars above ..." Pittsburgh, PA 15217 (412) 422-2842 | - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer