The Focus of Life

A4. THE FOCUS OF LIFE

A4a. The Focus of Life: The Mutterings of Aos: | written and illustrated by Austin Osman Spare. | Edited by Frederick Carter with an introduction | by Francis Marsden. | [illustration] | Printed and Published by the Morland Press | Ltd., 190 Ebury Street, London SW1 MCMXXI
Frontis, title vignette and 11 full page illustrations. Quarter vellum with buckram sides, t.e.g., lettered in gold on the spine “THE FOCUS OF LIFE”. 12.5″ x 10″; 6+44 pp. 50 copies, numbered and signed on the half-title. This edition deluxe was sold for Two Guineas.

Later issues have a slip pasted over the third and fourth lines of the title page reading “With an introduction by Francis Marsden”.

A4b. As 4a. Brown papered boards and white buckram spine lettered in black “THE FOCUS OF LIFE”. 600 copies. This was described as a “limited edition” (and elsewhere as the ordinary edition) and sold for one guinea.

A4c. REPRINTED 1976 – ASKIN PUBLISHERS
Blue imitation cloth casing, 12.75″ x 10″, 500 copies at £12.75. With a new introduction by Stephen Skinner.
Also sold as a microfiche at £2.

A4d. REPRINTED 1982 & 1986 – SORCERER’S APPRENTICE, Leeds
In Collected Works [see A8].

A4e. REPRINTED 1990 – (AS NOW FOR REALITY) MANDRAKE PRESS LTD., Thame.
11.75″ x 8.25″ with nine poems by Aleister Crowley to accompany the plates and an essay by Keith Richmond. One thousand numbered copies.

A4f. REPRINTED c1990.
No publisher or date given. 11.75″ x 8.25″ photocopies in buff wraps with plastic spine clip.

A4g. REPRINTED 1990 & 1993 – BEYOND THE RISING SUN PUBLICATIONS, Glasgow
Red card wraps; 11.25″ x 8.25″; 200 copies. The 1993 impression has grey wraps with red lettering, etc. but is still dated 1990. Copies also found in pale green wraps with no date.

A4h. REPRINTED 1993 – First Impressions
In From the Inferno to Zos [See A11].

A4i. CD-ROM EDITION 1994 – PDSL, Crowborough, Sussex.
Text included as file MYS01339. in MISCOCCU directory, on 2000 Greater and Lesser Mysteries.

A4j. REPRINTED c1984 – AXIL PRESS, Seattle.
Paper wraps; 8.5″ x 5.5″. The text only is reprinted.

A4k. REPRINTED. c1990. TOPY SEXT, Austin, Texas.
Grey card wraps; 11″ x 8.5″.

Omits pp. 37-38 of text, but includes some additional drawings and bookplate designs.

A4l. ITALIAN TRANSLATION, 1997.
Translated by Roberto Migliussi.

Cream card wraps; 11.75″ x 8.25″. 300 numbered copies.

A4m. GERMAN TRANSLATION 1990
Der Brennpunkt des Lebens translated by Michael De Witt published as part of Gesammelte Werke [See A8c] pp 187-249.

A4n. REPRINTED 2000 – I-H-O BOOKS, Thame.
Reset with additional illustrations and embellishments. Printed, buff card wraps 7″ x 9″. Issued at £14.99. Includes “In a Lonely Wood, Astray” an introductory essay by Dennis Bardens and Haydn Mackay’s review from Form, January 1922.

A small number of copies were produced at the Drupa 2000 Media Week exhibition. These have an additional preliminary sheet which gives technical details of the equipment and materials used to produce the book.

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