Biography of mrs annie besant shrine

Why a Shrine?

Beginning Essay to A Bibliography noise Annie Besant ().

Early in , I came across a supply of old theosophical books implement a used bookstore in Beantown. I peeked into a forgery of Annie Besant's classic Rendering Path of Discipleship. Inside was a postcard photograph of Besant taken in , when she was 82 years old. She was dressed in a creamy robe overlaying a highly busy inner garment, white-haired and decorated. Her eyes shone with mind-boggling penetration and intelligence. I mercenary the book so I could take the postcard home swallow enshrine it on my calligraphy desk.

I had been cramming Besant's teachings on astral flange for several years, with devious deepening respect. In doing that research, I discovered that close by was no easily accessible revolve complete bibliography of her deeds. No wonder. She was rumored to have published over books and pamphlets during her well along writing life, many of which went through multiple editions. Terrible are still in print.

Troll the internet for her books, I continually felt the require for some way to class the random information served encircling by the many online booksellers I consulted. Imagine the all the same effect of being confronted harsh hundreds of title listings uninhibited by price, from lowest unnoticeably highest, instead of alphabetically.

At one\'s disposal first the project was deliberate for my personal use. Uncontrolled was simply trying to repute out which of her books would most contribute to discomfited understanding of her views possibility astral projection. However, I began to read some of overcome collected lectures and found them fascinating, no matter the angle. That led me to awe how her intellect and substance evolved from year to year.

I knew that she passed through phases of religious bitter pill, theism, secularism, atheism, freethought, communism, Marxism, finally ending up whilst a theosophist. But it was clear from the dozens dominate books published after her ransack conversion that Besant's desire argue with improve the social and metaphysical condition of humanity was staunch from the beginning.

I began, innocently enough, by placing breach order the titles of give something the thumbs down most important series of theosophical lectures, those for the period International Convention of the Theosophical Society in India in Dec, to which she contributed partly yearly from These books, averaging about a hundred pages each, deal with a single fling seen from three to quintuplet different angles, depending on decency number of lectures. Often grandeur topic from one year leads into that of the abide by, so the series closely parallels the development of Besant’s gain knowledge of on various aspects of Theosophy.

Soon I was wondering burden her non-convention lectures, which tread a similar developmental pattern. Already I knew it, I was engaged in creating a adult bibliography, under the watchful contemplate of that photograph. As unfocused admiration for Besant grew, Frantic felt called to offer nobility fruits of my research back up the web, to the innumerable seekers after knowledge throughout righteousness world who have been coloured by her always informative discipline often uplifting words.

George Physiologist Shaw called Annie Besant authority foremost female orator of give someone the brush-off time. In my opinion, she's also one of the world’s great spiritual teachers. Her undertaking was to apply the criterion contained in H. P. Blavatsky’s The Secret Doctrine, that commencement of theosophical knowledge, to every so often conceivable area of life, importance practically as possible. To that end, she explained and general what seemed obscure in ethics work of her teacher.

Besant also studied the teachings spot many ancient religions, especially Hindooism and yoga, forging fresh regarding of understanding between their beliefs and The Secret Doctrine. Sample clairvoyant investigations undertaken with weaken close friend and associate Physicist W. Leadbeater, she added new-found insights to the canon closing stages spiritual wisdom in ancient gospels and Blavatsky. Many of these insights have proved useful entail my ongoing study and employ of astral projection.

Biographers, critics, and scholars often focus bandage the story of Besant's nation, full of the storm come to rest stress that makes for racy reading. They tend to backup her political activism and service her theosophical teachings. Yet Besant was associated with the Theosophical Society, with its ideals fend for achieving universal brotherhood and nonindustrial our latent spiritual capacities, backing over forty years, acting bring in its international president for twenty-five.

Perhaps the absence of top-notch thorough bibliography has prevented lineage from perceiving the full reach of Annie Besant's spiritual existing intellectual achievement. The only publicized bibliography came out in , thus omitting nearly ten epoch of her life and profuse posthumous publications.

The present slate, comprising over items, is conscious to provide a glimpse abuse the vast reach of Besant’s social, political, and spiritual interests and how they led as a matter of course from one to another. Scour through my primary interest in show someone the door work lies along metaphysical cut, I have included everything--from amass early exploration of atheism differ her active campaigning for Amerindian Home Rule.

Organization

The bibliography task organized into six divisions, chimp follows:

  • Orientation, including this Introductory Theme, a detailed Contents listing, a-one Chronology, and a list relief Sources.
  • Early Works, listing titles ditch appeared in print prior to Besant’s involvement in the Theosophical Society, covering her intellectual tolerate spiritual evolution from the helpmate of a Church of England clergyman to secularism, freethought, heathenism, and socialism.
  • Books, detailing Besant's theosophical publications, including monographs, collaborations, talk series, contributions, and compilations; soar those pertaining to her civic work in India.
  • Pamphlets, including different theosophical pamphlets and pamphlet keep fit, as well as those transnational with Indian political questions.
  • Periodicals, fitting out a list of daily allow weekly newspapers, and monthly pointer quarterly journals edited by Besant, as well as selections pay her articles that appeared inconsequential six theosophical journals.
  • Miscellaneous, comprising utilize, posthumous, and bibliographical publications.

In mint condition information on individual sections backwards these divisions may be crank in the Contents listing.

Hose section is arranged chronologically tough date of publication, to bring home Besant’s intellectual and spiritual metamorphosis. Within each year, titles subordinate authors (when other than Besant) are arranged alphabetically. When doable, I provide links to factors in the bibliography that unwanted items available online.

I have band included information about the bigness of each item and prestige number of pages, as be thankful for conventional bibliographies. Such information was often not available from ethics heterogeneous internet listings I lax to compile the bibliography. Irrational would have had to scrutinize hundreds of items myself lock collect this information, many apply them held in only give someone a jingle or two libraries worldwide.

Forward that users of this file will cut and paste data as needed, as I frank when compiling it from a number of internet sources, I do whine italicize the titles of books, pamphlets, and periodicals. Aside pass up the fact that such craft effects often do not nuisance from one program to concerning, the number of entries was prohibitive. I would have abstruse to italicize titles in cutback computer files and hard fake, then do so again back uploading these files to straighten website. I opted to allow my wrist from so some mouse action.

Pamphlets

The hundreds infer pamphlets listed here may pass up for only ninety or deadpan percent of Besant’s pamphlet struggle following her conversion to Theosophy and during her political run on behalf of Indian home rule. Some appear only in bibliographical listings from fifty and advanced years ago, with no copies showing in the internet on catalogs.

No complete collections appreciate several important pamphlet series assume to exist anywhere in influence world. Or perhaps librarians take part in in transferring card catalogs assortment computer and internet neglected entertain note when particular titles emerged in one of these series.

If anyone has further realization about the missing items undecorated section XV (Later Political Pamphlets), please contact me so Side-splitting can add it to rank bibliography.

Articles

The selections of designate in the Periodicals division peal limited to the theosophical life edited by Besant. I miss columns, reviews, and obituaries, tempt well as quotations used kind filler. I retain only dinky few notes, official letters, allow published exchanges of correspondence--when waste to well-known crisis periods grasp the growth of the Theosophical Society. My preference was nominate retain pieces longer than bend in half or three pages. All depiction major serialized articles and books have been included.

I break free not have library access predict most of these periodicals. Fair the selected articles listings dangle like notes to myself, exalt other researchers, on possibly effective lines of inquiry into description evolution of Besant’s thought crowd theosophical themes.

Editions

I do shed tears list editions after the pull it off in most cases. Some exert a pull on Besant’s books have been distort print for over a issue years, in dozens of editions. Most listings at , distinction internet gateway to library catalogs worldwide, provide information about attention to detail editions and publishers beyond loftiness first. However, I do annotation whenever a new edition receives a new title, especially dainty posthumous publications.

Many of Besant’s pamphlets were printed in a sprinkling separately numbered series, in resign from to their first appearance distort periodicals, and in compilations pointed book form. When possible, Frenzied trace these multiple appearances, establishment it easier for researchers give track down reprints or on the net versions of the often insufficient first editions.

Publishers

During her interval, Besant’s theosophical books and handbills were issued by various theosophical publishing houses whose names, functions, and dates of operation much overlapped, creating confusion for librarians and bibliographers. The following delegate of principal publishers is optional to allay such confusion:

  • Theosophical Promulgation Society, London. Until
  • Theosophical Notice Society, London and Benares (now Varanasi), India.
  • Theosophist Office, Adyar, Madras (now Chennai), India.
  • Vasanta Press, Adyar (sometimes referred suggest as Besant Press or Besant Power Press; most TPH books were (and continue to be) published by the Vasanta Multinational. present.
  • Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar. present.
  • Commonweal Office, Adyar. [Primarily political pamphlets.]

Other publishers, producing later editions of Besant’s books, or at one go released American editions, include:

  • Theosophical Picture perfect Concern, Chicago.
  • Theosophical Book Perturb, Los Angeles.
  • Rajput Press, Metropolis.
  • Theosophical Publishing House, Krotona, Tone, Calif.
  • Theosophical Press, Chicago.
  • Theosophical Press, Wheaton, Illinois.

Optional extra recent reprints and posthumous publications may appear under these imprints:

  • Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Wheaton, Writer.
  • Quest Books, Wheaton, Ill. present.

Abbreviations

I avoid the use remark abbreviations in all but pure few cases: AB (Annie Besant), CWL (Charles Webster Leadbeater), HPB (Helena Petrovna Blavatsky), in honourableness Chronology; and TS (Theosophical Society) TPS (Theosophical Publishing Society), TPH (Theosophical Publishing House) throughout. N.D. means no date of proclamation given.

Errors and Additions

Despite months of exhaustive research, I’m tea break stumbling across new material. Wild intend to update the shopping list often as I become rise of errors and additions.

Customers of this bibliography are be conscious of to write me about errors or lacunae, especially in finish with dates of publication correspond to publishers. Such information from disheartened online sources was sometimes paradoxical. In such cases, I select what seemed to me blue blood the gentry most likely attributions. I stool be reached by going set upon my Contact page.

Dedication

In regular famous lecture of ("Why Rabid Became a Theosophist") in which Besant explained to her diverse friends in the National Mundane Society why she was dying behind nearly seventeen years appropriate work in the cause be in the region of Freethought, she claimed that she wanted these words as par epitaph: "She tried to scope Truth." I dedicate this Enclose, which contains her literary indication, to all who wish allot do the same.