Theos-Talk Archives (September 1995 Message tl00278)

Information regarding books is available from either of the libraries listed
below.

OLCOTT@DUPAGELS.LIB.IL.US Olcott Library
TSTEC@AOL.COM Theosophical Library &
Headquarters

The e-mail address of The Theosophical Society in America is available for
people with questions regarding membership. The Olcott Library and The
Theosophical Society in America share the same building.

THEOS@NETCOM.COM Theosophical Society In America

Quest Books is a theosophical book store operated by The Theosophical
Society in America with locations in Ojai, California; New York, NY;
Wheaton, Illinois; Seattle, Washington and Miami, Florida. The Theosophical
Publishing House, Theosophical University Press and Point Loma Publications
market their titles in a wide variety of bookstores.

There may be other e-mail addresses similar in importance to the three above
which are not listed at this time.

Many articles and 'electronic pamphlets' are available at Theosophy Lodge
Online by telneting to theosophy.org. TLO also offers a sophisticated
messaging system and live discussions, both impromptu (by paging the hosts
or other users) and
pre-arranged (every Wed. night at 10pm Eastern). The program of live
theosophical discussions on TLO is posted every month to theos-news@vnet.net.

Here are sources for more articles available through computer networking:

Furthermore, there are a number of articles on theosophy available
on the world wide web:

see URL: http://spirit.satelnet.org/Spirit/mysteries.html
(click on Theosophy keyword)

The theos-l archive also has some articles on theosophy, besides containing
the theos-l log-archive.

Theosophical archive: FTP to char.vnet.net
Login as anonymous
Password: your E-mail account
change directory to: /pub/theos-l
and get the file you want

If you order by mail, publishers also charge postage. Also prices do
change. Here are the phone numbers of the publishers in order to confirm
prices and postage:

The Theosophical Publishing House, Post Box 270
Wheaton, Illinois 60187 1-800-669-9425

The Theosophical University Press, Postoffice Bin C,
Pasadena, Cal. 91109 - 7107 USA tel. (818) 798-3378
email: tupress@aol.com

Point Loma Publications, P.O. Box 6507
San Diego, Calif. 92106 1-619-222-9609

Impossible Dream Publications P.O. Box 1844
Tucson, Arizona 85702. postage for the one book is $2.00.

It is possible to find many of the following titles on sale through any of
the publishing companies. Just because a company publishes the book does
not mean they are the only company to sell the book. They each may have a
different version of the book or at times they may make available another
publisher's work in their own sale catalog. Feel free to attempt to
purchase books from one or all of the companies listed.

Following are three suggested reading lists from subscribers to theos-l.

I recommend the following 6 or so books:

(1) An Introduction to Esoteric Principles by William Doss McDavid
 Paper, $7.50
This is an excellent introduction to HPB's teachings.
Available from The Theosophical Publishing House.

(2) Deity, Cosmos and Man: An Outline of Esoteric Science by Geoffrey A.
Farthing. Paper, $15.00.
Also a good introduction to Theosophy as presented by HPB and the Masters.
Availalbe from Point Loma Publications.

(3) The Key to Theosophy with a Glossary by H.P. Blavatsky. Paper, $10.00
 An introduction to Theosophy in HPB's own words.
The best edition in print is available from The Theosophical University Press.

(4) The Voice of the Silence translated by H.P. Blavatsky. Paper, $5.00.
Available from Theosophical University Press.
Another good edition of The Voice of the Silence is the centenary edition
with a historical introduction published by The Theosophical Publishing House.
 Paper, $5.95.

(5) Abridgement of The Secret Doctrine by H.P. Blavatsky. Edited by
Elizabeth Preston and Christmas Humphreys. Paper, $8.95. A good introduction
to H.P.B.'s best known work. The essence of the S.D. in 250 pp.
Available from The Theosophical Publishing House.

(6) The Divine Plan by Geoffrey A. Barborka. Hardcover, $24.95.
Although not an introductory book, still this book is very helpful to anyone
who wants to understand the basic ideas and concepts of the Secret Doctrine.
This book by Barborka is a commentary on the S.D. and also defines key
Sanskrit words used in the S.D. The index to the Divine Plan can be used like
a glossary to explain key Theosophical and Sanskrit terms used by H.P.B.
Available from The Theosophical Publishing House.

I also recommend two biographical works on H.P. Blavatsky to help round out
one's understanding:

(7) H.P.B.: The Extraordinary Life and Influence of Helena Blavatsky by
Sylvia Cranston. Paper, 18.95; Hardcover; $30.00.
Available from The Theosophical University Press.

(8) The Occult World of Madame Blavatsky compiled and edited by Daniel H.
Caldwell. $13.95, paper.
Available from Impossible Dream Publications

All titles listed above are available from one source:

Wizards Bookshelf
P.O. Box 6600
San Diego, California 92166
Call 1-619-258-0049 for price confirmation and postage.

These recommendations have been compiled by Daniel H. Caldwell.

Another suggested reading list is this one by Naftaly Ramramkar:

LOTS OF REFERNCES AND BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE.

HERE ARE A FEW OF THOSE

1. BASIC THEOSOPHY : GEOFFREY HODSON
2. SELF CULTURE / WAY OF SELF DISCOVERY : I.K. TAIMANI
3. SEEKING WISDOM : N. SRI RAM
4. KEY TO THEOSOPHY: H.P. BLAVATSKY
THERE ARE ALSO LOTS BASIC BOOKS BY BEASANT/ LEADBEATER.

THERE ALSO SOME BY JUDGE.

The next list is provided by Martin Euser.

1. The Key to Theosophy. H.P.Blavatsky.
 An excellent intro to Theosophy.

2. The ocean of Theosophy. W.Q. Judge.
 A concise intro to Theosophy.

3. Echoes of the Orient. W.Q. Judge. (3 volumes)
 Contains many excellent magazine articles (vol. 1 ,2)
 and comments & suggestions about esoteric teachings (vol.3)

4. Theosophy and Christianity. H.T. Edge
 This is one manual out of twelve in a series of small booklets on key
 teachings of Theosophy

5. Esoteric keys to the Christian Scriptures & the universal
 mystery language of myth and symbol. H.T. Edge

6. Fundamentals of the Esoteric Philosophy. G. de Purucker.
 A good introduction to The Secret Doctrine
 (H.P.Blavatsky's masterwork).

7. The Esoteric Tradition (2 volumes). G. de Purucker.
 A thorough work on many theosophical teachings.
 Contains also comments on science in the thirties.

8. Fountain-Source of Occultism. G. de Purucker.
 An advanced book on esoteric topics.

9. The dialogues of G. de Purucker
 Very diverse, but offers valuable insights on practical
 human problems and also profound themes of Theosophy.

10. Man in evolution. G. de Purucker. (TUP)
 A book that analyzes Theosophy in relation to science.

(The favored publisher for Purucker's books is Point Loma Publications.)

11. Blavatsky Collected Writings series

12. The Mahatma Letters (compiled by A.T. Barker)

#1 and #2 of this list provide a good reference frame for Theosophy.
#3 gives many clear thoughts on a great variety of spiritual topics.
These provide an excellent background for the other books, which are
more or less put in order of degree of difficulty.
Also, it could be useful to order a catalogue from the publishers
mentioned in this list.

Martin Euser
euser@xs4all.nl