|
JOHN BULL London, England 27 December 1930 (page 13)
Very THYNNE Book Story
“This arch-scoundrel”—Aleister Crowley
From shark-fishing to book-publishing is a far cry, but not too far for the boundless enterprise of the company promoter.
Such men as Major Robin Thynne [Major Robert Thynne], for instance, of Robert Street, Adelphi, and Plymouth, Devon, managing editor of the Mandrake Press, Ltd.; of Museum Street, Bloomsbury.
Major Thynne and his fertile schemes have before now formed subject for comment in these columns.
Our last mention of him was in connection with Marine Products, Ltd., a company formed for shark-fishing, and which ended an inglorious career after securing from the public £85,000, who discovered too late that all the sharks were not in the sea.
The history of that concern possessed all the elements of romance.
The major’s last venture is even stranger.
The Mandrake Press, Ltd., was formed quite recently to take over as a going concern an already established publishing business.
The capital is £12,000, of which about £7,000 has been issued. Glowing accounts of the firm’s prospects and financial position have been prepared and circulated to potential shareholders.
Much play has been made with great literary names, whose books the Mandrake Press, Ltd., says it is about to collect and publish.
We shall be extremely surprised if any of these works ever see the light of day. Our latest information is that it is the firm’s creditors who wish to do the collecting, and they will be hard put to it to achieve their aim.
We would be less sanguine of this did we not know something of the genesis of the venture and the past history of two of those behind it.
Many-thumbed pies
In the first place, Thynne was introduced into the business by that strange and obnoxious character Aleister Crowley.
Crowley had contracts for the publication of his books by the previous Mandrake Press Company. It was in his interest to keep the company alive.
So the ingenious Major Thynne was called on to get the new capital. Our records of his financial history go back a good many years: soap, shark-skins, shipping, waterproof clothing and charity ballots are only a few of his many fields of endeavour.
Exposed
In the official files at Somerset House of the Mandrake Press, Ltd., Thynne describes himself as also a director of Organisations, Ltd. This concern is another company of his which we exposed two years ago.
Associated with Thynne on the board of this weird book company is J.C.S. MacAllan, who describes himself as a civil engineer.
His qualifications for running a publishing business are difficult to find.
The secretary of the company is a man named Regardie [Israel Regardie], who has been acting as the agent in England of Aleister Crowley.
Rumours of Crowley’s suicide were current a few weeks ago. No doubt he thought it was a good time to disappear.
Our exposure a few weeks ago of his renewed attempt to start his money-making “black magic” practices in London and of his foul picture exhibits was a sufficient warning.
Crowley’s pictures were never shown, Numerous creditors are looking for him.
After Thynne was installed at the Mandrake Press, Crowley went back to the Continent and is now in Berlin. After his expulsion from France he is no doubt lying exceedingly low.
Deserted wife
He left behind him in England a young woman whom he married. She is now destitute and abandoned by this arch-scoundrel.
In view of the malodorous careers of the persons we have mentioned as being directly connected with the fortunes of this new company, we cannot believe in the prospects of success held out in its imposing circulars.
We cannot believe that after soap and sharks and shipping the world of books and art is going to benefit by Thynne’s presence in its midst.
We do not doubt, however, that the new venture might prove profitable to Major Thynne, if not to the public who are being called upon to entrust their cash. |
