Publisher's Synopsis
One of the most influential and bestselling of Crowley's many works, with witty, subtle, and provocative paradoxes that challenge and exhilarate the mind--now as part of the Weiser Classics series.
Written by the famed and controversial British occultist Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), The Book of Lies is not a philosophic or mystical treatise. It is, instead, a witty and instructive collection of paradoxes. Crowley was not only a deep well of fundamental knowledge of esoteric traditions but also an even deeper well of symbolic knowledge. The ninety-three chapters, comprised of a single word or as much as several paragraphs, have subjects determined more or less by Qabalistic significance. The commentary following each chapter (unique to this edition) is equally fascinating and at times outrageous.
The Book of Lies was first published in 1913. The 1952 edition included significant revisions, as additional commentary appeared at the end of each chapter. This Weiser Classics edition features a new design and a new introduction by Richard Kaczynski, PhD, author of numerous books on modern magick and a leading authority on the life and work of Aleister Crowley.