|
Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Gerald Yorke
55 Avenue de Suffren, Paris, VII
January 17th, 1929.
Care Frater:
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
I have not had the time before now to answer your letter dated 12/1/29, which refers to mine of the 29th. I do not know what you mean.
I am having the Simon Iff stories typed for Reeck in Paris. My arrangement with him was that I should have 50% of all sums received by him on account of any translations; the selling expenses fall on him.
The point about Goedel is that we don't want two men translating the same book, and that we cannot give anyone exclusive terms.
The rest of your letter is very puzzling. I shall have to wait for your arrival to discuss the matter properly. From your letter I cannot discover even what the matter is.
From the hasty note that I dictated yesterday, you probably gathered that I was enraged by the way you were handling things. This assumption is largely correct.
The final proofs of the prospectus [for Magick in Theory and Practice] have arrived to-day, and we should be able to get delivery of a good bunch by Monday. But there the matter will have to stop. I cannot even begin to formulate plans for the distribution of this prospectus, unless I know that there is money available for that purpose. This is a matter of prime importance. Incidentally, my salary is still two weeks in arrears, and this fact keeps me in constant difficulties. No money is being saved, but a great deal of time is being lost.
Also I don't think it is quite fair; even the most patient lady expects to be able to go to the hairdresser at least once a month. This woman has behaved damned decently, helping us in every way to save, and is not making any kick, so I have to kick for her.
I assume that you will be here on Friday the 25th. I should advise you to put up at the Hotel Bourdonnais; it is a very nice little pub, and not dear. It is just across the garden from here. But please let me know two or three days beforehand, so that I can make arrangements for you.
I have a letter from Holroyd Reece. He had to go to Germany, but will be back at the end of the month. I hope that his return will coincide with your visit. He did not have time to read The Net [Moonchild], but ran through the Synopsis of the Memoirs [The Confessions of Aleister Crowley], which he found very interesting.
If he succeeds in his present plans, he might very well put this on his list.
In the meanwhile, I hear nothing of Og [C. K. Ogden] and "Spike" Hunt, whom I thought you were going to meet last week.
I am writing to Aumont [Gerard Aumont] to get here on the 26th.
I had a letter from Montgomery Evans. He seems to be settling in New York till May. I think he is ideal to handle the prospectus, provided that I can get him to stick to the job. Luckily I now have someone that I can keep going after him.
Millage [Chas. de Monmouth Millage] sent a Madame Sédir yesterday. She is the widow of a well known French writer and occultist. We can probably enlist her in the Cause. The main thing is to get Aumont [Gerard Aumont] in touch with her, and of course, to arrange for Aumont to settle down seriously to the French translation of Book 4.
I seem to remember having told you that it is illegal to cancel a cheque. It can only be cancelled by the recipient, and if it has been presented at the bank, and not paid, the whole account is automatically blocked. This is the case if the cheque is for 1 franc, and your balance 10,000,000 francs.
Love is the law, love under will.
Yours fraternally,
666.
P.S. The enclosed cutting will show you how badly "Magick" [Magick in Theory and Practice] is needed in the United States, and, incidentally, how well it ought to sell.
P.P.S. Since writing this, trouble, possibly very serious, has arisen—will know more on Saturday. But please don't leave us penniless to fight it. It's the whole silly story, and the cop complains that, for the first time in his life, he can't understand!
666.
Gerald Yorke, Esq., 9 Mansfield Street, London, W. 1.
|