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Correspondence from Robert Lund to Gerald Yorke
8503 Hartwell Street, Detroit 28, Michigan
March 31, 1958
Dear Mr. Yorke:
Thank you for your letter. I was very pleased to hear from you, as I am well acquainted with Symonds' [John Symonds] The Great Beast and your contribution to it. It is one of the few books I have read twice.
The newspaper story about my acquisition of the Crowley material has been a great nuisance to me, as I have been plagued with inquiries from people wanting to buy the material, wanting to see it, wanting to know more about Crowley. I should tell you that I actually have little interest in Crowley except in regard to his activities as a "black magician," if I may use so vulgar a phrase, and as a curious personality. My main interest is conjuring or stage magic, on which I have a library of nearly 3,000 volumes.
I knew little about Crowley until a few years ago when a magician friend of mine who met Crowley in the thirties recommended Symonds' book as interesting reading. I obtained the book immediately (th New York reprint) and, as I said, have read it twice.
But to reply to your questions. . . .
Except for a few items I held out for myself, most of the material I acquired has already been sold, or will be sold by the time this reaches you. I cannot give you the name of the buyer at this time, as the transaction is being handled by a book dealer, but I will obtain the name and address for you, if you like, and you can then contact the new owner. The one item in the batch of material I disposed of that will be of particular interest to you is a manuscript entitled The Vision and the Voice. It is not in Crowley's hand and I believe the writing is that of J.F.C. Fuller, although I am not expert enough on Capt. Fuller to say definitely that it is his writing.
Two of the items I held out for myself will be of interest to you. Both are original manuscripts in Crowley's hand and, so far as I have been able to determine, unpublished. One, a diary of "a great magical retirement," is entitled John St. John. The other is a work entitled Lines to A Young Lady Violinist (Edith Y?) and Energized Enthusiasm.
I do not have any of the other material you mention in your letter.
You ask about copying the unpublished material and perhaps this can be arranged. I would like to know whether you want to copy the material—I am speaking here only of the two unpublished manuscripts in my hands—for your own library or if you intend to publish it or supply type-written copies to others. I would like to know how many copies you propose to make if you intend supplying the material to others. I am eager to oblige you, as I admire Symonds' book and your great contribution to it, but frankly I am not anxious to see the manuscript material broadcast far and wide, as it will diminish its value should I decide to sell it at some future date. I am sorry I have to take so commercial a view, but as I say, my main interest is conjuring, not Crowley.
Thank you very much for your kind offer of typescripts of your material, but I decline on the grounds that Crowley is somewhat foreign to my main interest. I do appreciate the offer, however.
The one item which you have in duplicate that I would like to obtain is An Open Letter to Lord Beaverbrook. Please let me know the price of this, if it is for sale, and I will forward the necessary amount or ask one of my British contacts to pay you for it.
I have another favour to ask of you, if I may. For many years now I have sought to obtain the autographs of all contemporary authors, illustrators, etc. represented in my library. I would like to know if Mr. Symonds is still alive and, if so, would you have a letter or note or something on which his signature appears which I could purchase from you? I am pleased to have your own signature on your letter, as I can tip the letter in the book. [ . . . ]
As a final favour, may I ask that you do not disclose my name or address to others. I have a tremendous correspondence with magicians—of the hocus-pocus variety—throughout the world and it is all I can manage to write to them. I have tried to reply to all the people who have written me about Crowley, but it takes more time than I can afford to give the matter.
Thank you for writing me.
Sincerely,
Robert Lund
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