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Correspondence from Dion Fortune to Gerald Yorke
3, Queensborough Terrace, W. 2.
June 19th. [19]28.
Dear Mr. Yorke.
I have just got back from seeing Mr. Strutton of Rider and Co. We had a long talk over the Crowley MS. [Magick in Theory and Practice], and went into it in some detail. He tells me that he thinks from what I tell them that this MS was submitted to them before, In Mr. Shirley's [Ralph Shirley] time. Shirley objected too strongly to Crowley to have anything to do with it, but Riders under the new regime may be more amenable.
He says, however, that it's advisable that the MS should be presented in such a condition as to be ready for immediate publication, for, apart from the printer's feelings in the matter of alterations and corrections, it will pass from his hands to those of the business manager for a final decision, and it would be most inadvisable for him to see A.C.'s ribaldries, even if crossed out. He also says that it would not be acceptable to his firm to have a multitude of footnotes, referring to other works not published by them, and that references to his school should also be eliminated.
Would you care for me to go through the MS and cut out the unaccceptables, and then have it re-typed? The eliminations would be quite a minor matter, nothing relevant to the text. Mr. Strutton suggested this, as I have done a good deal of work for them and know what they want.
I am much interested in the other MS [Liber Aleph] also; it is not as valuable as the first, and I doubt its obtaining a publisher. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that a great deal of what he says is perfectly true. Of course, if the other book made a success, it is possible that this one might be accepted, but it would have to be extensively cut. Probably private printing would be better.
Yours sincerely,
Violet Evans [Dion Fortune]
[The following has been written in the hand of Crowley]
Shirley's business relations with me were uniformly cordial. We dined or spent the evening together frequently. He often dropped in to see me for a shout spontaneously.
My "ribaldries" serve the excellent purpose of getting rid of prigs and [illegible] and people (generally) who want the Universe to conform with the standards of Bayswater.
It would be absurd to cut out footnotes. The objection is ridiculous. Also dishonest.
I object (in general principle) to firms which allow other than business considerations to enter into business.
I am disgusted by petty minds who can produce nothing of their own and are always wanting to butcher the works of masters. "Shakespeare for Morons"
666.
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