Gary Lachman, "Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World" (2014)

I liked this book much better than the other "reverential" (in the words of John Preston, a reviewer for the Telegraph) Crowley biography (by Tobias Churton) which I tried to tackle in February 2014.

Lachman approaches Crowley with just the right amount of gentility to make his judgements not seem like the type of potshots that are easy to level at such a character. He provides an informative survey of Crowley's life from birth to death, addresses the evolution of (and with) Crowley's philosophies, and ties these developments nicely to events in his life, whether use of drugs, fallout with a partner (sexual, financial, or spiritual), or financial (it seems Crowley was profligate with his money and perpetually running from debt to debt).

I think what was best about Lachman's book is that he did not exaggerate Crowley into something larger than he was. The man was a creation of his times - on the margins of those times, perhaps - but also exemplary of a number of trends: the turn to esoteric mysticism, wider publishing of 'fringe' ideas, challenging of Christianity, etc.

A final chapter explores Crowley's influence on contemporary culture, particularly in the realm of rock music.

You can read the introduction to the book here, via Lachman's publisher.
The author also maintains a blog: http://garylachman.co.uk/tag/aleister-crowley/. I've linked to the Crowley references.