Aleister Crowley, Frieda Harris, Thoth Tarot, 1st ed., complete, Near Fine

Crowley, Aleister, Frieda Harris. Ordo Templi Orientis: Thoth Tarot Cards. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1967. Near Fine,  Box A-1, First Edition. 

First edition esoteric Tarot deck conceived and designed by Aleister Crowley and painted by Lady Frieda Harris. Complete deck with original telescoping gold and cream box measuring 5 5/8" x 4 1/8", intended to be used with Crowley's  1944 book titled, “The Book of Thoth.” There are six major variants of this deck, this being the first colored version with powder blue blank frames around the images. Crowley renamed and re-arranged several of the cards to create a “double loop” in the zodiac-number and letter-number correspondences. Many of the titles were here changed, i.e., The Magician has become the Magus, Strength has become Lust, Justice is now Adjustment, Temperance is Art, and the World is the Universe. The names of the court cards are also changed to reflect a Knight, Queen, Prince, and Princess rather than the traditional King, Queen, Knight, and Page. The Minor Arcana is divided into Wands: The Root of the Powers of Fire; Cups: the Root of the Powers of Water; Swords: the Root of the Powers of Air; and Disks: the Root of the Powers of Earth. 

Lady Frieda Harris and Aleister Crowley were close friends and remained close until his death. She was a student of the esoteric and occult, and encouraged Crowley to incorporate his philosophical and scientific knowledge into the design of the Thoth deck. The deck's original paintings were bequeathed to the Warburg Institute, which has recently restored the fragile watercolors. 

This first edition deck includes the two printing errors that indicate Box A-1. The Ace of Pentacles image is printed upside down, and the 8 of Cups (Indolence) card was printed without the number 8 in the top center. Also includes the original colophon card which states the P.O. Box as 2043, changed in later decks to 1111. In excellent condition aside from shelf wear, mild soiling, and a small label ghost to the top edge, very minor rubbing to edges, and light soiling to exterior. The cards are stiff, bright, unmarked, with no creases. A rare find for the collector of occult and astrology.