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Summary: Crowley, the beast, the genius.
Review: People find it odd I include Aleister Crowley as one of the major influences in my life and writtings. My now ragged copy of Confessions has accompanied me on two deep jungle expeditions into the Amazon and one mountain assent to the Sierra Nevada de Cocuy. I never attained the heights Crowley did in his path breaking mountaineering. He had it right as far as altitude sickness. He said it was caused by indegestion. It took the mountaineering community and a hord of scientists nearly eighty years to realize he was correct.
As a writer he is a fair penman but he does know how to spin a remarkable tale as he has a plethora of material to fall back on -- his life.
I had to wade through his majic and skimmed over those sections. Today they seem dated, a bit trite but to a serious student of the occult I'm sure, his studies and scholarship on the subject must be respected.
Crowley, like Michener can be verbose. But given the incredable amount of living he had done he might be forgiven. I have, and I give his Confessions five stars...
Rating:
Summary: Between Fawning Admiration and Extreme Outrage
Review: People's reactions to Aleister Crowley's life (as opposed to their reactions to his actual work) tend to vary from extreme outrage to fawning admiration, with very little middle ground in between. Both these reactions become more comprehensible after reading this 'autohagiography' - Crowley shows himself to be egotistical, spiteful and self-centred - and at the same time, one of the most gifted writers and thinkers of the twentieth century. In one of his novels, Crowley describes a dancer possessed by a glorious genius, the greatest dancer of the era, as a shallow, vicous woman with little conscious understanding of how she inspires her audience. Similarly, Crowley himself seems possessed of (or by) a genius that is much bigger and grander than his own conscious mind. To be fair, Crowley is the first to acknowledge this! An extremely interesting, pshychologically revealing book.
Rating: 
Summary: damn fine stuff...
Review: perhaps the best book by the most famous second rate mage of the twentieth century. read it if you're into this stuff
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Summary: Life Story of Mr. Crowley--Straight from the Horus' Mouth...
Review: Regardless of other reviewers comments about Crowley's mountain-climbing adventures, and other travels, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute detail ! Obviously, his mountain climbing experiences and world travel helped him to develop his "Will," which enabled him to become the most famous Occultist in history. Every time I had a spare moment, I sat down with this "Autohagiography" and poured over the pages until I found myself in a delimma.....only 6 pages until it is finished. More ! More !Two years ago, I would not have imagined I would be reviewing Crowley books. Most of the information about this man seems to have been written by people who took all the myths surrounding Crowley seriously, or preferred to inform the reading public of the Controversial / Tabloid exploits Crowley was *supposedly* involved with. However, despite various Occult Researchers' whimsical attitude toward truth vs. tabloid money-making rumors, this book reveals Crowley as a MAN, not a "Beast." To read the Confessions is to read of a Poetic Young man, who happened to be born into a society Indoctrinated with ridiculous concepts that his level of Intelligence simply could not submit to. The Subversive, Slave-like religion of his birth pushed him to explore other fields of interest and to study Comparative Religion. Reading his autobiography, it is obvious that he was simply too intelligent to be kept down in the mire of "Because." This man thought for himself and lived for himself--despite society's ridiculous posturing and false "morality." Basically, Crowley "tells it like it is," instead of adopting the complacent, indoctrinated attitude of his era and contrymen. There is very little "Occult" information in this book--in fact, he mostly writes about his Mountaineering, Poetry and World Travel throughout most of these "Confessions." The occult-related incidents often seem to be thrown-in as an after-thought, as-if he would much-rather be remembered as a Poet. Personally, I learned quite a lot about Anthropology from this collection of Travels in India, China, South America, etc. It is such a shame that the intellectual level of society (or lack thereof) cannot comprehend Great Men. Crowley was extremely well-educated--therefore, it is unlikely that younger generations will comprehend even a fourth of the material in this autobiography. Well-read individuals will be thrilled to add the Confessions to their library ! Don't be frightened by propagandists and money-mongers--this book was written straight from the Horus' mouth and sets the record straight.
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Summary: Want to know more about the Master Magickian?
Review: The book that brings Crowley's life just that little bit closer - but personally I wouldn't want a mind so excessively awe-inspiring any closer... the book itself is fascinating and enlightening, informative yet questionable, but also hilarious and sometimes frightening. Everything you'd like to ask the self-proclaimed Master Magickian but would be afraid to ask. Well worth the (lengthy & sometimes taxing) read, but watch out for those few inconsistencies that make him not quite the man he seems - if seeming and being can be distinguished in his 'world'. After reading this you'll love him or loathe him. But as we all know, there's a fine line between the two. You have been warned. Don't come crying to me afterwards.
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Summary: Truth for the pornographer, satanist, and the cannibal junky
Review: The greatest Magus (magician) of the 20th century, and he declared himself the Beast whose number is six-hundred and sixty-six. Although todayfs gformal societyh does not consider any significance in him and we cannot find the name gAleister Crowleyh in the gDictionary of National Geographyh; he is known to acquire the greatest influence on the modern Western occultism, through the attainment of his original system which he called the gScientific Illuminationh, indicating eMagickf that could be redefined as gthe aim of Religion, the method of Scienceh.
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Summary: Brilliant insight into a brilliant man!
Review: The notorious Aleister Crowley: The Beast 666. Magician, Mountaineer, Poet, Author, Gentleman, Entrepreneur, etc. etc. This book, written by the Beast himself, will unmask this Sphinx of a man. He will take you along on the ride of his life, from the boy growing up under religious lunacy to the man proclaiming the Word of his Aeon. I shall let Crowley himself be the guide to his story, urging you thereby to buy this book. Everybody should read this book, whether aspiring to the man or not. Between the lines of his life-story he covers his view on just about every subject, giving his candid, arrogant, yet astutely accurate foliage of human behavior. Only one person that I know of has ever dared to step so completely outside the collective consciousness (and folly) of the human race and observe it like his own little science-project, and that is the author of this book. And he will share it all with you, while joyfully always being the first to remind you that he is no less of a fool. All throughout, he invites you to relive his adventures of mountaineering, wordly travels, and Magick experimentation using the most exquisite use of language I have ever witnessed. This work is in no way the ramblings of a man hopelessly lost to drugs. If he truly was the Beast 666, then let me bow and give my sympathies unto Him, for the man who wrote this book was as true to himself and others as they come. If being this sincere and unfettered by hypocrisy is diabolic, then I am first in line to join that family! Sure, Crowley had his fix ideas, not all of them uncontroversial, but he always either admitted his prejustice or backed them up with lucid reasoning. Buy this book, read it once -or better, twice- and judge for yourself. For Do what Thou Wilt shall be the whole of the Law!
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Summary: A Fascinating Trip with a Fascinating Man
Review: There are people who live... and there are people who LIVE. Aleister Crowley was clearly one of the latter. He indulged in sex and spirituality with the gusto of the greatest tantric, wrote with a passion and a flair for the english language matched by few, and has captured the imagination of numerous rebels from mainstream society. And nowhere- NOWHERE- is Crowley's story told better than in his own confessions, the tale of the poet, the mystic, the saint that had the audacity to claim the title of the Beast whose number is 666, the Lion of Light. However, I will clarify my statement- although his autobiography is fascinating and rewarding, it's not something that you can finish in one or two sittings. It's the sort of book that you'll keep next to your bed for months with finishing, yet will felt driven to read on in Crowley's odyssey. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in modern Western spirituality, the world of Imperial Britain and it's quirkier characters, or Crowley and his religion, Thelema.
Rating: 
Summary: I have never read a more boring, worthless book in my life!
Review: there is no insight here, folks. honestly and truly, this is worthless gibberish! tedious, pointless, and dull. this is the only book that i've ever not read all the way though, because at a certain point, you've got to cut your losses! (unfortunately i went as far as a couple hundred pages.)
Rating:
Summary: The Confessions of A. Crowley
Review: This book is unique because it dispels many myths about Crowley. The book is huge and is well worth the read; however, Crowley had a tendency to give his opinions (more magic and less opinions, please!)excessively through the book (which got a little annoying), and if the reader can get past this, he or she will discover a man who was an exceptional magician. Crowley was definitely a trailblazer in the occult. This book is an excellent read on a facinating individual. After I read the book, my opinion of Crowley was forever altered favorably for this magician. Do not just settle for someone else's perception of Crowley in other books (though these do have their usefulness), buy the book and get most of the facts from the man himself, Crowley. All magicians should own a copy of this book for their occult library. A well written book and a must read for the occultist.
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