XXXI Hymns to the Star Goddess : Who is Not

Québec, Canada: 93 Publishing. Fine with no dust jacket. c.1970s. Facsimile. Hardcover. Thirty-one hymns or poems to the Star Goddess. Although unstated in the book, the Star Goddess is Nuit, the highest deity in Thelema, an esoteric, occult spiritual philosophy defined by Aleister Crowley, an English occultist and writer. The Table of Contents lists the 31, all poems of tribute to and worship of Nuit, but all written in first-person observation of nature and cosmology. Only 1 found in OCLC, this edition is a facsimile of the rare original 1923 edition composed, printed, and published in Chicago by the great designer, typographer, and bibliographer Will Ransom. The original was printed in the second year of Ransom's publishing venture, Will Ransom, Maker of Books, and was an example of his belief that the private press should present new works instead of classic works. This c.1970s facsimile reproduces the original 1923 edition, excepting the colophon. The author XIII, or Achad, is one of the many pseudonyms of Charles Stansfeld Jones, also known as Frater Achad and Frater Jones. He was a follower of Aleister Crowley, a proponent of Thelema, wrote other works on the topic, and carried on promoting the philosophy after a falling-out with Crowley. 93 Publishing, directed by Peter Macfarlane, operated 1978-1995 and published occult, metaphysical, and outsider literature, with the majority of titles written by Aleister Crowley either under his own name or a pseudonym. Reproduces Will Ransom's early, spare design. Set in Garamond, the only type he had at the time, and printed in blue on machine made paper. Paginated 40,blank,[2],blank. Publisher's catalog in the back. Sewn binding in bold, red cloth over boards. On the front cover, the title is framed in a white line drawing of a supernaturally tall Nuit (Star Goddess) her body "white with the Milk of the stars." She stands on the earth, her arched back touches the heavens, and her body bows forward to touch the earth with her fingers. No dust jacket, believed to be as-issued. This is perhaps the only, readily-obtainable edition of an original work not found in institutions or auction records, as well as a facsimile of the scarce, early work of Ransom. In clean, sharp, Fine condition in all ways.; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 40,blank,[2],blank pages .