The Esoteric World of Madame Blavatsky
The Esoteric World of Madame Blavatsky: Reminiscences and Impressions by
Those Who Knew Her Compiled and edited by Daniel H. Caldwell
2nd
edition, preprint
© January, 2001 Theosophical Society in America
Warning: This material is protected by copyright law and international
treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or distibution of this material, or any
portion of it may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and prosecution
to the maximun extent possible under law. For additional information contact:
[Publisher’s Note: This electronic version is a
preprint of the second edition of The Esoteric World of Madame
Blavatsky, by Daniel H. Caldwell. The print edition with expanded
text, illustrations, biographical notes, index, and other helpful editorial material is
available from the Theosophical Publishing House, Quest Book Shops, and
other book stores.]
Introduction
Here for the first time is the story of H. P. Blavatsky's
life in the words of her contemporaries. Although not a biography per se, this
collection tells the story of Madame Blavatsky's eventful life with a
special look at the "Esoteric World" in which she lived. These
reminiscences by her relatives, acquaintances, friends, co-workers, and
enemies allow the reader to enter into the historical milieu of HPB's
time and give a vivid portrayal of Madame Blavatsky's personality. The
narratives are arranged in chronological order and include
- striking word portraits of HPB;
- reminiscences giving insight into HPB's enigmatic character;
- incidents that are sometimes humorous and witty;
- accounts of psychic phenomena performed by Madame Blavatsky; and
- descriptions of encounters with HPB's Masters.
At the beginning of each installment, a brief sketch of HPB’s life
during the period it covers is given. At the beginning of each narrative, the author,
time-period, and place of the account are given. The narratives have been transcribed from
the original sources but spelling and punctuation has been modernized. For people's names,
the spelling used in HPB's Collected Writings has been adopted.
Material not relevant to the narratives has been silently deleted. The original texts,
however, can be found from the bibliographical references. Explanatory notes added by the
editor are enclosed within brackets.
Contents
| Chapter 2 | Travels around the World and Home to Russia, 1849-1865 |
| Chapter 5 | New York and Ithaca: Writing Isis Unveiled |
| Chapter 6 | The Founding of the Theosophical Society and
the Writing of Isis Unveiled |
| Chapter 7 | Marvels in the Lamasery and Departure from New York |
For more information, go to the
Blavatsky
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