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Crowley, Aleister. Moonchild: A Prologue. Mandrake, London, 1929.

Price: US$300.00 + shipping

Description: In protective mylar Very good with lightly rubbed edges and bumped corners. The front cover has a dime-sized stain from moisture. Pages are slightly yellowed and faintly soiled on the edges. Previous owner's inscription on the front free endsheet Green cloth with gilt lettering on spine

Seller: Weller Book Works, A.B.A.A., Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.

Crowley, Aleister. Moonchild. A Prologue.. The Mandrake Press, London, 1929,, 1929.

Price: US$325.04 + shipping

Description: 1st edition, hardback, 8vo, 336pp, owner's bookplate on endpaper, edges brwoned and some scattered foxing, text otherwise clean and sound, publisher's green cloth, gilt, rubbed, a patch of soiling on front board, slight spine lean, Good condition, in worn and faded colour photocopy of the original dustwrapper

Seller: BRIMSTONES, Lewes, United Kingdom

Crowley, Aleister. Moonchild: a Prologue. Mandrake, E-181, 1929.

Price: US$500.00 + shipping

Condition: Good

Description: Hardcover. 8vo. The Mandrake Press, London, 1929. 335 pgs. First Edition/First Printing. Bound in green textured cloth with gilt titles present to the spine. Boards have light wear present to the extremities of the boards. Offsetting present to the FFEP. Previous owner's bookplate removed from the FFEP. Text is clean and free of marks. Binding tight and solid. The first edition of Crowley's famous second novel which tells the tale of a young woman caught up in a battle between two magicians, one of whom seeks to use her body as the vessel for the 'birth' in human form of a non-human entity: "the Moonchild" of the title. An extraordinary novel by the mysterious author of 'Diary of a Drug Fiend'. E-181; 8vo 8" - 9" tall

Seller: Last Exit Books, Charlottesville, VA, U.S.A.

CROWLEY, Aleister. Moonchild. A Prologue.. The Mandrake Press, 1929.

Price: US$520.07 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: CROWLEY, Aleister. Moonchild. A Prologue London, The Mandrake Press, 1929. £325 FIRST EDITION. 8vo. Original sea-green cloth, titles to spine gilt. On half title: with best wishes from Hamood Rahman . A very good copy without dust jacket, just some chipping along cover edges and very light marginal age toning throughout.

Seller: Symonds Rare Books Ltd, London, United Kingdom

CROWLEY, Aleister. Moonchild. A Prologue.. The Mandrake Press, 1929.

Price: US$650.08 + shipping

Condition: Fine

Description: CROWLEY, Aleister. Moonchild. A Prologue London, The Mandrake Press, 1929. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. Original sea-green cloth, titles to spine gilt. Text clean and crisp, flawless. A perfect copy without dust jacket.

Seller: Symonds Rare Books Ltd, London, United Kingdom

CROWLEY, Aleister. Moonchild. A Prologue. The Mandrake Press, London, 1929.

Price: US$1677.81 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: London, The Mandrake Press, 1929 (first edition). Octavo, 336 pages. Green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine; bottom edges of the boards very lightly rubbed; all edges of the text block tanned; endpapers offset; an excellent copy with the dustwrapper (featuring the striking three-colour pictorial design by Beresford Egan) a little worn with minor loss (including where the original price printed on the spine has been hole-punched out), with some old paper repairs on the verso. Crowley's second novel; one of only 2500 copies. 'The Mandrake Press was a British small press founded by Edward Goldston and P.R. Stephensen [an Australian] in 1929. In 1930 the company had financial problems and a consortium led by Aleister Crowley formed Mandrake Press Ltd. The new consortium was equally unsuccessful and the company was dissolved in 1930' (Wikipedia). Contemporary authors published by the press include D.H. Lawrence, Liam O'Flaherty, and Peter Warlock (Philip Heseltine).

Seller: Michael Treloar Booksellers ANZAAB/ILAB, Adelaide, SA, Australia

[MANDRAKE PRESS]; CARTER, Ann Gillmore (illustrator). THE BOOK OF TOBIT. London: The Mandrake Press., 1929.

Price: US$1787.73 + shipping

Description: First edition. Publisher's original cream paper covered boards with pictorial vignette and title in black to the upper board and titles in black to the spine. Printed at the Botolph Printing Works, Kingsway, London. Illustrated with a series of wood engravings by Anne Gillmore Carter. A near fine copy, the binding square and tight with a little marking and toning to the extremities and a slight bump to the foot of the spine and bottom corners. The contents with a touch of foxing to the endpapers are otherwise clean and bright throughout. An excellent example of a rare title. One of the scarcest titles from the short-lived Mandrake Press, forming the Book of Tobit from the third / early second century BC, superbly illustrated with a series of wood engravings by British-Australian artist Anne Gillmore Carter, her work clearly showing the influence of Eric Gill. A small operation, founded by Edward Goldston and P.R. Stephenson in 1929, the Mandrake Press published works by D.H. Lawrence, Liam O'Flaherty, Rhys Davies, Aleister Crowley (notably publishing 'Moonchild'), Peter Warlock and others. In 1930 the company found itself in financial problems; a consortium led by Crowley formed Mandrake Press Ltd., however this was then itself dissolved in December 1930. An exhibition and catalogue documenting the output of the press was curated by Cambridge University Library in 1985. Anne Gillmore Carter, also know as Ann Gillmore Rees (1900-1982), attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London in the mid to late 1920s, where she studied wood engraving with Noel Rooke. Shortly after her marriage in 1937 she moved to Sydney, Australia, where she exhibited with the influential Society of Artists. Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.

Seller: LUCIUS BOOKS (ABA, ILAB, PBFA), York, United Kingdom

CROWLEY, Aleister.. Moonchild. A prologue.. London Mandrake Press, 1929.

Price: US$1815.00 + shipping

Description: First edition, first impression; 8vo; publisher's green cloth, titles to spine gilt, with the Beresford Egan dust jacket, free endpapers browned, bookplate to front pastedown, a very good copy in the dust jacket, which at some point had been folded twice with the attendant creasing, and with a deal of internal repair, partially obscured ink note to front flap with a typed slip of paper pasted over. Moonchild was the second of Crowley's interwar novels - following Diary of a Drug Fiend in 1922. It is a wild fantastical roman-a-clef and incidentally one of the most striking pieces of book design of its day.

Seller: Shapero Rare Books, London, United Kingdom

Aleister Crowley. Moonchild (First Edition). The Mandrake Press, London, 1929.

Price: US$2450.00 + shipping

Description: First UK Edition, preceding all others. One of famed British occultist Aleister Crowley's best-known works, about a magical battle over the soul of an ethereal being. Many of Crowley's contemporaries appear as thinly veiled characters in the story, including MacGregor Mathers, Arthur Edward Waite, Annie Besant, Allen Bennett, Leila Waddell, Isadora Duncan, and Mary D'Este. Very Good plus in a Very Good dust jacket. Boards lightly soiled, with moderately frayed corners. Jacket spine panel is separated from front and rear panels, but has been repaired with cello tape on the verso, with chips on the spine ends and top corners of the rear panel.

Seller: Royal Books, Inc., ABAA, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.

Aleister Crowley. Moonchild. Mandrake Press, London, 1929.

Price: US$2463.82 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: HARDBACK - A very good or better book, free of any previous owner names or inscriptions. A touch of light foxing to the page block, but the inner text is very clean indeed. The books boards are very clean indeed with the gilt lettering to the spine bright and un-faded. The dust wrapper is a very good example with loss to the spine tips, more so to the crown, with light loss to the corners of the front and rear flap folds. A clean example, as is the book.

Seller: West Hull Rare Books - P.B.F.A., Hull, YORKS, United Kingdom

Crowley, Aleister. Moonchild. The Mandrake Press, London, 1929.

Price: US$2500.00 + shipping

Condition: Good

Description: First edition, hardcover, has a shallow skew with a couple thin cracks starting to the binding, which remains solid overall, as well as moderate bumps to the spine ends and cover corners with mild creasing to the upper corner of the first few pages, light sunning to the spine, and uneven toning to the cloth and end pages where the jacket has left shadows. Overall, this is a solid, Good+ copy in a Good only dust jacket, which has a chip to the head of the spine that largely obscures the title, smaller chips and creased tears to the corners and tail of the spine, sunning and a small snag to the spine, toning to the covers, and wear with creased tears and small chips to the edges. The jacket is wrapped in Mylar, and additional images are available by request.

Seller: Fahrenheit's Books, Denver, CO, U.S.A.

Crowley, Aleister. Moonchild / A Prologue (SIGNED). The Mandrake Press, London, 1929.

Price: US$2775.00 + shipping

Condition: Good

Description: Crowley's sought-after novel, freestanding despite the "Prologue" subtitle. Two board corners peeking through the cloth, and some fraying of the blue cloth to top of spine; call this firmly bound 1929 printing "good plus." Signed "Aleister Crowley" to the blank FFE, which (like the RFE) is moderately browned. Then, UNDER his name, the author has inscribed "To Bro Benn" (though the surname trails off, could conceivably be "Bennis" or "Benson," please see scans), "Trusting he will find in these pages the truths he so richly deserves / A" (inscription ends.) The letters "leis" of the author's first name are considerably darker than the rest of his name, and the ink there has bled slightly -- presumably that part of the page was slightly damp when signed. Small, symmetrical nitrate tape marks form a rectangle around this inscription -- possibly a card or piece of paper was once taped there to protect the inscription. Additionally, another previous owner has blindstamped her seal to bottom corner of this page, reading "MDS / Library of Diane Strom." There was a film and television actress of that name, born 1933, but we have no idea if it's the same Miss Strom. A Southern California provenance is certainly possible, however, as the words "Copley Collection" are written in ink in a small hand to top of inscribed page -- a likely reference to San Diego newspaper publishers Helen and James Copley, namesakes of the Copley Library at the University of San Diego.) Occult fiction; two magicians battle for the body of a young woman, whom one hopes will bear an ethereal being -- the Moonchild. 335 pp., "Printed and Made in Great Britain by the Crypt House Press, Limited / Gloucester and London." Reduced from $7,900.

Seller: Cat's Curiosities, Pahrump, NV, U.S.A.

CROWLEY. ALEISTER.. MOONCHILD. A Prologue.. The Mandrake Press. London. 1929, 1929.

Price: US$2925.38 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: FIRST EDITION. Large 8vo. (8.8 x 5.8 inches). Some very mild foxing to fore edges and some light offsetting to the endpapers from the dustwrapper but overall a bright, clean and fresh copy in publishers dark green cloth, spine lettered and ruled in gilt. In the original colour illustrated dustwrapper with striking designs by Beresford Egan to the panels, spine and rear inner flap. A small area of loss to the very top of the spine, which is a bit toned, and some tiny chips to the extremities but overall a superior and un-restored example of this fabulous wrapper. Near fine book in a better than very good wrapper.

Seller: Paul Foster. - ABA & PBFA Member., London, United Kingdom

Crowley, Aleister (Edward Alexander Crowley). MOONCHILD: A PROLOGUE. The Mandrake Press, London, 1929.

Price: US$4500.00 + shipping

Description: Octavo, pp. [i-iv] v-vii [viii] 9-335 [336: printer's imprint], original green cloth, spine panel stamped in gold. A novel about the magical pursuits and feuds of Crowley's day with many recognizable personalities . at times very amusing in its bizarre vituperation, despite formal flaws." - Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, pp. 106-07. ". one of the relatively rare works of fantastic fiction which deserves attention primarily as part of a psychological case study." - Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature III, pp. 1065-67. Barron (ed), Fantasy Literature 3-94. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1756. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, p. 62. Bleiler (1978), p. 53. Reginald 03665. Page edges lightly tanned (much less than usual), a fine copy in very good or better pictorial dust jacket with light wear at upper spine end, 15 mm closed tear at lower rear spine fold with associated internal tape mend, and just a touch of fade to blue ink on spine panel. A lovely copy with striking three-color art deco dust jacket designed by Beresford Egan. (#168640) (29466)

Seller: John W. Knott, Jr, Bookseller, ABAA/ILAB, Laurel, MD, U.S.A.

Crowley, Aleister (Edward Alexander Crowley). MOONCHILD: A PROLOGUE. The Mandrake Press, London, 1929.

Price: US$4500.00 + shipping

Description: Octavo, pp. [i-iv] v-vii [viii] 9-335 [336: printer's imprint], original green cloth, spine panel stamped in gold. First edition. A novel about the magical pursuits and feuds of Crowley's day with many recognizable personalities . at times very amusing in its bizarre vituperation, despite formal flaws." - Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, pp. 106-07. ". one of the relatively rare works of fantastic fiction which deserves attention primarily as part of a psychological case study." - Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature III, pp. 1065-67. Barron (ed), Fantasy Literature 3-94. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 1756. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, p. 62. Bleiler (1978), p. 53. Reginald 03665. Page edges lightly tanned (much less than usual), a fine copy in very good or better pictorial dust jacket with light wear at upper spine end, 15 mm closed tear at lower rear spine fold with associated internal tape mend, and just a touch of fade to blue ink on spine panel. A lovely copy with striking three-color art deco dust jacket designed by Beresford Egan. (#168640)

Seller: Currey, L.W. Inc. ABAA/ILAB, Elizabethtown, NY, U.S.A.