Blavatsky H.P. - The Secret Doctrine

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Comprehensive Theosophical Dictionary

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The Secret Doctrine

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

Announced in January 1884 as a new version of Isis Unveiled; the first instalment promised for March did not appear. In December 1884 the introduction and first chapter were reported to be in type. H. S. Olcott’s diary records receipt of a new plan for the work on 9 January 1885. (B. de Zirkoff, BCW 6:184-186, BCW 6:xxxvii,xl) The first volume came off the press on 20 October 1888, as recorded in R. Harte’s copy. Mailing to American subscribers began on 3 November. The second English impression used the same plates and was not a revised second edition; the advertised glossary was not included. (B. de Zirkoff, BCW 10:157-159, BCW 10:13, BCW 10:344)

CTD entry in Russian: Блаватская Е.П. - Тайная доктрина

DATA

Title for references: Blavatsky H.P. - The Secret Doctrine
Short description: Announced in January 1884 as a new version of Isis Unveiled; the first instalment promised for March...

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

The Secret Doctrine

SD editions

There are several editions of The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky:

• Würzburg manuscript of the book, which is a version of the book after HPB wrote it and before it was edited and altered for publication.
• First edition – the first original edition, 1888 (volumes 1, 2) and 1897 (vol. 3).
• Second edition is really a reprint of first edition with minor technical alteration; it was just an issue of additional copies of the book
• Third edition – third edition by A. Bezant and J. Mead, 1893

See Theosophy Wiki for more information.

SD online

There are several other online resources with The Secret Doctrine text:

• Teopedia has first verbatim edition.

• Universal Theosophy – Text has been updated from the 1888 first edition for spelling corrections, typographical errors, styling updates, and transliterations. Updates are traced by highlighting text and Table of Updates.

• Theosophical University Press Online – Obvious errors, such as missing letters, have been corrected against the facsimile edition of 1888, diacritical marks have been left off. Updates are described but not highlighted.

• Internet Sacred Text Archive provides the text without diacritic marks.

Third volume

A third volume was compiled by A. Besant and published in 1897 after H. P. Blavatsky's death (1891). Text belongs to H.P.B., but she did not arrange nor approve this volume.

• The Myth of the "Missing" Third Volume of The Secret Doctrine by Daniel H. Caldwell

Files

• Teopedia Storage accumulates files with different editions of The Secret Doctrine and additional information, such as referenced books, articles about SD, etc.

See also

• The Writing of the Secret Doctrine. A Chronology by Daniel H. Caldwell (PDF)
• SD page info to find out where reference volume:page (f.e. SD 1:45) leads to.

Additional references

Early preparatory work dates from May-June 1879: according to H. S. Olcott’s diary, H. P. Blavatsky began the new book on 23 May and work on its preface continued until 4 June. The plan then involved recasting Isis Unveiled. (B. de Zirkoff, BCW 2:46, BCW 2:xxvii)

On the Infallibility of the Jewish Scriptures (BCW 2:46); Chronological Survey & Key to Abbreviations (BCW 2:xxvii)