THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS

Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A.

25 January 1953

(Second section, page 7)

Reviews in Brief.

The Great Beast. By John Symonds, (Roy Publishers; $4.50)

Whoever reads this work by John Symonds will finish the book with conflicting opinions. It is difficult to imagine that such a person as Aleister Crowley, poet, mountaineer and drug addict ever existed and that his life was so fantastic. Yet, the fact he was reviled in the world press, and expelled from Italy and France because of his notorious black magic masses and sexual orgies should be sufficient proof that Crowley did live in the 20th century. The story of his life is set forth by Symonds in a manner which reveals neither the author’s like or dislike. But which tells in detail the thinking of this unbelievable man and the story of the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily, which Crowley founded. It is certainly not a book for teen-agers!