Aleister Crowley: The Nature of the Beast

If you can find a copy of this (seems to be out of print), and are interested in Crowley and/or Wilson, GRAB it. Like most books by Wilson, there is almost as much information about the author as there is about the subject. He tells how he became interested in Crowley and the occult, gives his views on other writers' studies, etc. Some readers may be annoyed by that, but with such a controversial subject it is really refreshing, honest, and one has few doubts about where Wilson is coming from. He started as a sceptic but years of study turned him into a semi-believer in occult phenomena. He therefore respects much of what Crowley tried to do while also pointing out the areas where he feels Crowley's personality prevented him from taking his experiments and creative activities further. You may disagree here and there but but will be very entertained, stimulated, and well-informed. Plus the book is rather short, and leaves you wanting more ... and so after reading this (if you enjoy it), you should go on to "The Occult" by Wilson, plus "Perdurabo" by Kaczynski and "A Magick Life" by Booth, two more detailed biographical studies of Crowley, and/or his own "Confessions." Plus Crowley's many magickal studies. But this is a good place to start because it is neither worshipful nor disdainful.