Laylah: The Life of Leila Waddell -Darren Francis

Who was Leila Waddell, really? The former muse, lover and companion of Aleister Crowley is given the spotlight she deserves for the first time in the sole biography of a missing chapter of important magickal history.

Professional violinist. Lover and muse to the infamous Aleister Crowley. Though Leila Waddell has become an iconic figure in twentieth century occultism, the precise details of her life are mostly obscure. From her early years in Australia to her career as an international touring musician, her role as paramour and inspiration to the wickedest man in the world, and finally her return to home shores and tragic early death, Laylah: The Life of Leila Waddell is the first and only biography of her to be published.

Darren Francis has provided a seminal work here. Thanks to the dismissive and derogatory account left of her by Aleister Crowley himself, Leila Waddell was condemned to an afterlife in the margins of his biographies. Like almost all the women - and men! - that were important to The Great Beast's life and work, he was characteristically disparaging of her, falsely referring to his onetime muse, lover, and companion as 'a fifth-rate fiddler.'

Francis provides an antidote to this vitriolic account : For the first time, drawing on original research and with great attention to detail, the truth about Waddell's considerable talents, intelligence, and independence of spirit are brought to light and given the acknowledgement and appreciation she deserved.

''This is a valuable work that will appeal to all those interested in the characters, sometimes unfairly forgotten or overlooked, who were pioneers of the modern Occult Revival. Essential reading for Thelemites everywhere!" -- Matthew Levi Stevens, writer, speaker, and author of The Magical Universe of William S. Burroughs (Mandrake of Oxford, 2014)

"In this important work and highly fascinating read, Leila Waddell is remembered not only for her musical talent but also as a seminal muse for Aleister Crowley, whose writings immortalised her spirit and influence within the sphere of early modernist occultism." - Carl Abrahamsson, author of Meetings with Remarkable Magicians and Source Magic.