The Dennis Wheatley 'Museum' - DW's Library

Dennis Wheatley's Library - modern first editions
Aleister Crowley

DW’s inscribed copy of ‘Mortadello’ with its two titles pages,
of which Crowley makes much in his inscription

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For a transcript of the inscription, Click here

Crowley’s letter to DW, loosely inserted in the book

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For a transcript of the letter, Click here

DW had three books by Crowley in his Library; 'The Diary of a Drug Fiend',’Mortadello’, both inscribed, and his specially inscribed copy of 'Magick in Theory and Practice', which is discussed in a later section.

Nigel Burwood of Any Amount of Books estimates that DW’s jacketed copy of ‘The Diary of a Drug Fiend’ would fetch upwards of £3,500 today (Blackwell’s price £160), while DW’s copy of Mortadello (Blackwell’s price £150) with a laid in letter from Crowley came up for auction at Sotheby’s in 2009, when it sold for £3,000. It was subsequently sold to a Wheatley enthusiast by bookdealer Adrian Harrington for a greater sum.

Somewhat strangely, although DW clearly read it, there was no copy of ‘Moonchild’ in either the May 1964 or the Blackwell’s catalogue.

References : Drink & Ink pp 131-133
Nigel Burwood Jan 2017
Phil Baker page 337

Provenance : Private collection