|
Correspondence from Karl Germer to Philip Kaplan
West Point, Calif. Box 173
October 27, 1959.
Dear Philip:
Well, this is glad news! I can't make myself fully believe it until you write me that the items are really in your possession. Do send me a list with specifications of what you got. Some of the stuff is of great importance.
Your Magick [Magick in Theory and Practice] will go off as soon as I drive to the P.O. I have packed it to-night. Please do not mention anything to "give me in turn". I value your cooperation and devotion to this particular work far too high.
There may be a matter where you might—at some later time—be of help to me. The matter is this: Before I left for the West I sold to Donald Weiser (Samuel W. Inc.) a stock of copies of "The Equinox of the Gods"; I had inherited them as loose sheets for about 900 books in all. I arranged to get them folded by a Washington, N.J. newspaper plant, and put in a nice cream-colored Folder with the title "The Equinox of the Gods" on each. Weiser agreed to take the lot in this form, and paid me, if I remember rightly, $1,00 or a little more for the lot; it was I believe $900 in all. He had them bound and used the Folders for the Facsimile sheets and the "Comment". The arrangement was that I would have the right to pay $3.00 per copy if I wanted to buy any.
(One trouble showed up: there were only 600 sets of the 'Comment' and also some Steles [Stélé of Revealing] were missing. I offered to get some Steles printed in Zürich, but this could not be done. Finally I gave Donald 10 copies of the new "777" free of charge.)
Weiser wrote me last year when they were moving to their new Broadway offices, that they still had a very large stock of the Equinox of the Gods—intimating they would be happy to clear their warehouse. I always maintained that this stock was of very great value and that they would—when the time comes—make a nice profit. That time has not come. But it will.
If I were flush I would ask Weiser this moment to tell me how much they want if I relieve them of the whole stock. Alas! right now I can't. But the matter keeps me worried, lest in a moment of despair they might dump the stock on the market. Remember that theirs is the only remaining stock which contains (apart from the book itself) the facsimiles of the Book of the Law, which would be a costly thing to do again.
Have you any dealings with Weiser? I suppose you know them well. If so, would you occasionally drop in and find out what the present situation is? What I'd like them not to do is to remainder the stock before they contact me. I can offer them deals in non-financial ways: I have a stock of "777 Revised", various books by A.C. which no one else has left for sale.
What a letter ! ! I have rambled on and on without saying anything positive. Still, I'll send it off, but please don't take it as a definite request. I'd have to know whether you know Weiser well enough to intercede. Do tell me what you think.
Yorke [Gerald Yorke]: —yes, there is something wrong in a subtle way. I have not heard from him despite the fact that some months ago I sent him an extremely important manuscript book of Crowley's which he has not even acknowledged, and no answer to my letter of a couple weeks ago asking the reason for his silence.
Incidentally: Zürich publishing has gone on and they published at the Equinox their largest book: Liber Cincti Serpente in German with A.C.'s Commentary of three times the length which has been now published in German for the first time, the Commentary has not yet been printed in English.
All the best,
Sincerely
Karl.
|