The Illustrated Beast: The Aleister Crowley Scrapbook

by Sandy Robertson

Who was Aleister Crowley? Magus, poet, sexual athlete, mountaineer, traitor, drug fiend, and Prophet of a New Aeon he has been described as all these things. Dubbed "The Wickedest Man in the World" by the British press, Crowley and his story have captured the imagination of occultists, rock stars including The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, who included his portrait on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band free spirits, and science fiction aficionados for decades.

Compiled from Sandy Robertson's extensive personal collection of Crowleyana, The Illustrated Beast includes a short biography, blackandwhite photographs of Crowley and his contemporaries, excerpts from his writings, and commentary on the Wanderer of the Waste.

From his paradoxical childhood to his stormy involvement with The Golden Dawn, from his adventurous travels and published works to his controversial Italian Abbey and lifelong heroin addiction, this scrapbook offers readers a glimpse of the man, his works, and his lasting impact on the occult.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Biography

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Sandy Robertson was the Features Editor of the rock-music magazine Sounds. His life-long interest in the mysterious and occult engendered an extensive collection of both Crowleyana and the works of other students of the black art.

Reviews

[Kimmo Sinivuori · Rating 3 out of 5]

A person as fascinating as the "Great Beast" is always worth a scrapbook. This book is not bad but it somehow feels cheap like it was intended for the bargain book sellers in the first place - I bought it from one close to Notting Hill Gate. Maybe that was the intention as the Beast is not exactly a house hold name and a book like this would always have limited sales. Nevertheless, in the hands of someone who knows his/her layout this book could have been great.

[Signor Mambrino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little addition to any Crowley collection. You'll find a lot of the stuff in this book dispersed online at this stage, but I like having it all in one place on my bookshelf. I had the chance to interview Sandy Robertson, the book's author, for a post on my blog.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim from the library. I had read "Diary of a Drug Fiend" in college and a few times since then, and wanted another look at Mr. Crowley. He is indeed fascinating in a curious sort of way. There were some excerpts from his writing in the scrapbook that were interesting.

[Χρήστος Δούκας · Rating 5 out of 5]

W. Foulsham & Co. Ltd., London, 1988. Hardcover. Book Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Mild edgewear to dust jacket which is now in protective mylar. 128pp. Fully illustrated with photos. Cloth.