Aleister Crowley was a blustery coward, an arrogant, misogynistic racist with fascist leanings, and a callous user, as often threatened by his sexuality as he claimed to be liberated by it. But he was also a groundbreaking poet and an iconoclastic visionary whose literary and cultural legacies extend far beyond the limits of his reputation. This controversial individual, a frightening mixture of egomania and self-loathing, has inspired passionate--but seldom fair--assesments by historians. Sutin, by treating Crowley as a cultural phenomenon, and not simply a sorcerer or a charlatan, convinces skeptic readers that the self-styled ""Beast"" remains a fascinating study in eccentricity.

""Sutin's perceptive study restores this controversial figure to his proper place in the history of modern spirituality.""—Publishers Weekly (Starred review)

""A rich narrative . . . This is certainly the biography against which to measure the lurid claims and devout counterclaims prompted by the Crowley legend.""—Kirkus Reviews

""Sutin wonderfully details the eccentricities of this puzzling man . . . The result is a fascinating, easily readable narrative about one of the most interesting cultural phenomena of the late Victorian period.""—Library Journal

""The definitive biography . . . Sutin's work will remain a benchmark against which all future biographies of Crowley will be measured.""—James Wasserman, author of Art & Symbols of the Occult and The Militia of Heaven