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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to The Mandrake Press
Ivy Cottage, Knockholt, Kent.
Feb. 10th, 1930.
41 Museum Street, W. C. 1.
Attention of Mr. P. R. Stephensen.
Gentlemen:
With regard to the proposed reconstruction of The Mandrake Press, I saw my lawyers on Saturday. As you know, it is Mr. Medley, Sr., of Field Roscoe & Co., 36 Lincolns Inn Fields, W. C. 2., who drew up the contract. He told me that the contract was worth at least £1,000 to me if only because it represented a liability of £1,000 or more to you. In view of the fact that I was led to signing this contract by extravagant promises, which have been deliberately unfulfilled, he does not recommend me to let you out without substantial guarantees that the original plan of the "Crowley Bureau" will be adopted.
Of course I have not only myself to think of in this matter. It would be better policy to wreck the whole business, and emerge from the dead ashes and start a new life with out own money. I have however no doubt that the new firm will be able to satisfy Messrs. Field Roscoe & Co. in every respect.
There is just one other personal point. It is absolutely urgent that I should out over this deal with regard to MAGICK [Magick in Theory and Practice]. We hope to get it away from the French printers, and we have to satisfy our subscribers, respecting already considerable delay about the book. What I propose is that of the £500 required to clear the edition, I should be paid £250 in cash, and the balance on delivery of the edition, which could be arranged in London within a few days.
I regard this book as an essential point of my publicity programme, and I think that it is a good test of the genuineness of the belief in the success of my work that this, the corner-stone of the whole of my occult publications, should be well and truly laid without any further delay.
Yours faithfully,
AC / ir [Israel Regardie]
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