Three sought-after titles from Martin's library on the occultist Aleister Crowley. To inc: The Confessions of Aleister Crowley - 'An Autohagiography...' (hardcover, 1986 edition, Symonds / Grant), The Great Beast - The Life of Aleister Crowley by John Symonds (Rider and Company, second edition, damaged dust jacket), The Nightmare Paintings - Aleister Crowley - Works From The Palermo Collection edited by Robert Buratti - signed by Buratti.
Sold for £220
Hammer Price
Three sought-after titles from Martin's library on the occultist Aleister Crowley. To inc: The Confessions of Aleister Crowley - 'An Autohagiography...' (hardcover, 1986 edition, Symonds / Grant), The Great Beast - The Life of Aleister Crowley by John Symonds (Rider and Company, second edition, damaged dust jacket), The Nightmare Paintings - Aleister Crowley - Works From The Palermo Collection edited by Robert Buratti - signed by Buratti.
Auction: The Martin Duffy Collection, 27th Feb, 2024
Dad was a big collector, of all kinds of music, instruments, books, films, crystals. At home he would either be listening to or making music, reading, writing, drawing, going to museums and exhibitions, always on a mission to discover new things. Dad’s creativity was constant - it flowed out of him - he couldn’t turn it off.
The lovely thing about Dad is that he never lost his sense of wonder. He had a unique way of looking at the world, he was drawn to the unconventional but at the same time could be equally fascinated by the smallest everyday things, it was obsessive and usually very funny. When I was a baby he apparently used to play CDs of medieval Gregorian Monks chants to send me to sleep at night!
Our family’s auction reflects his many interests. He was an amazing person and will be forever missed by everyone who knew and loved him, I was lucky to have him as my Dad.
Louie Duffy, Feb 2024
My brother Martin’s deep love and curiosity for music never stopped. He started collecting records as a boy and as a young teenager had his favourite artists but already an eclectic sweep of interests beyond just an ‘indie kid’s or the latest fad. As he got older and became a musician himself, he delved even deeper.
His tastes covered all facets of rock and electronic music but also folk, jazz, classical and spiritual music and artists from many different cultures. It was a privilege if he sat you down at home and put on one of his recent purchases or picked out something he thought you might appreciate. Music was very personal to him but something he loved to share. He’d accumulated a huge and dizzyingly varied collection. No surprise to those of us who had spent any time with him in a record shop.
It’s now being scattered but it’s a satisfying thought that we can all have a little piece of that.
Steve Duffy, Feb 2024
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Viewing by appointment 26th Feb