From: Shawn Clayton Knight <knightster+@CMU.EDU>
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