The Simon Iff stories were written during a visit to
New Orleans in December 1916, primarily as a means of alleviating Crowley's financial hardships. The mystic was verging on bankruptcy, a result of his lifestyle, and extravagant self-publishing, while having never earned a wage. The initial collection of six stories which Crowley penned would be labelled
The Scrutinies of Simon Iff. Crowley would later write twelve more stories under the title
Simon Iff in America, six stories as
Simon Iff Abroad, and two final stories as
Simon Iff Psychoanalyst. The Scrutinies of Simon Iff were first published in 1917–1918 in the New York publication
The International under the pseudonym Edward Kelly (presumably a nod to
Edward Kelley, the Elizabethan alchemist and enochian magician). There is an edition of
The Scutinies of Simon Iff published by Teitan Press; while a 2012 Wordsworth Editions release under their "Tales of Mystery & the Supernatural" line, contains the complete works. Simon Iff also appears in Crowley's most widely read novel
Moonchild (1929). ==References==