OLD DIARY LEAVES: THE ONLY AUTHENTIC HISTORY OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Book Details + Condition: The Theosophical Publishing Society (London). Scarce First Edition, 1904. Hardcover. Blue cloth cover with embossed gilt text. 444 pages. The third volume of the series of six, on the history of the Theosophical Society by Colonel Henry Steele Olcott (1832 - 1907), American military officer, journalist, lawyer and the co-founder and first President of the Theosophical Society, a position which he held until his death. From Olcott, this volume moves forward "to the month of May, 1887... Accounts are given among other things of my meetings with several of the 'Masters' in the course of my travels, and of the results of the same, of our removal of the Society's Headquarters from Bombay to Madras, of H.P.B.'s last departure from her beloved Indian home into the exile of an European residence. The troublous times of the Coulomb conspiracy are dealt with in this volume, and the true story of the S.P.R. Report is placed on record, so that each member of our world-wide organisation may be via OLD DIARY LEAVES in a position to refute the slanders which, even at this date, echo in some quarters round the name of Mme. Blavatsky. The building and formal installation of the Adyar Library, with ceremonies of an unprecedented character... are described, and numberless details of the growth of the Theosophical movement, and of our Society in particular, are given. The story takes us to Europe as well as through Eastern lands, the intelligent reader being afforded the chance of watching the gradual outworking of the plan of the unseen Founders, whom, their visible agents know to be at work through this channel in spreading throughout the world a knowledge of the principles which were taught by the Ancient Sages, and the general understanding and adoption of which would cure most of the evils which now afflict mankind." Contains several black and white plate illustrations. Firm binding; rubbed corners and edges; wear to original boards; "Property of Theosophical Society" notes on front endpaper, with some penned notations; binding tape to inside hinges; curiously, many pages have a check mark in their upper right-hand corners; approximately 5-10 pages with pencil (and blue pencil) notations in margins and underlining. Please see our other first edition OLD DIARY LEAVES - the first, second and fourth series.
