Theos-Talk Archives (May 2006 Message tt00738)

Ken, you write:

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Your 'discussion' of this subject did have one benefit regarding a 
point I wanted to get clear – how many mss. of the SD were there ?  
So checking all the refs in the HPB Letters to Sinnett it is clear 
that there were at least 3 complete. One in HPB's handwriting, the 
Wurzburg mss of 1886 in someone elses handwriting AND a typescript 
which HPB paid for and was sent to Olcott to give to Subba Rao (ODL 
4th series p.22) Why is this important ? Well, I do think it 
possible that there was a yet more complete 3rd volume than in the 
1886 copy we have, either in HPB's original handwritten one or the 
typescript she had done.
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Ken, let me make some comments on what you write above.

(1)  H.P.B'S ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT IN HER OWN HANDWRITING

Bertram Keightley tells us that upon her arrival in London in May, 
1887, Madame Blavatsky "placed the whole of the so far completed 
MSS. [of The Secret Doctrine in HPB's own handwriting] in the hands 
of Dr. [Archibald] Keightley and myself....

"We both read the whole mass of MSS.--a pile over three feet high--
most carefully through" (Reminiscences of H. P. Blavatsky and The 
Secret Doctrine, by Countess Constance Wachtmeister et al., Quest 
edition, 1976, p. 78)

It's important to keep in mind that Bertram was reading and 
commenting on HPB's original copy.

Bertram goes on to say that this original handwritten manuscript AT 
THE TIME OF HIS READING IT was divided into three parts or volumes. 

That is, as of May 1887, the breakdown of the volumes were as 
follows:

•  Volume I:   History of some great Occultists
•  Volume II:  Evolution of Cosmos
•  Volume III: Evolution of Man


(2) THE WURZBURG MANUSCRIPT OF 1886 IN SOMEONE'S ELSES WRITING

In 1886, HPB wanted Subba Row to read and comment on what she wrote
in THE SECRET DOCTRINE.  She was in Europe and Subba Row was
in India in 1886.

She certainly would never have thought of sending the original
handwritten manuscript to him.  What if it was lost in transit?!

So she had Countess Wachtmeister, Mary Gebhard and Mrs. Bates (at 
different times) start making a copy of her original.

The Countess did it at first.  But from about May thru Sept. 1886 
the Countess had gone home.  So HPB had Mary Gebhard and
Mrs. Bates do at least some of the additional copying when they were 
visiting and staying with HPB.

All of the above can be documented from HPB's various letters 
written in 1886.  

It was this COPY of Volume I that was sent to India in the latter 
part of 1886, received by Olcott on Dec. 15, 1886 and
is now part of what has been called the Wurzburg Manuscript of the 
SD.

(3)  A TYPESCRIPT WHICH HPB PAID FOR AND WAS SENT TO OLCOTT TO GIVE 
TO SUBBA RAO

Ken, the typescript (that you refer to) belongs to 1887.

When HPB got to England in May 1887, the Keightleys read her
original manuscript and then suggested the new order/arrangment of 
the volumes.

HPB agreed and the manuscript was rearranged/reordered as follows:

•  Volume I:   Evolution of Cosmos
•  Volume II:  Evolution of Man
•  Volume III: History of some great Occultists


When HPB agreed to this NEW arrangement of the 3 volumes, it was
then apparently decided to publish only the first 2 volumes, that 
is, Volume one on the evolution of Cosmos and Volume two on Man and 
to set the 3rd volume aside for later publication.

It would seem that at this juncture [May-June-July 1887], the 
Keightleys decided (with HPB's consent) to actually type a copy of 
these FIRST TWO VOLUMES which (keep in mind) was only at this 
juncture in HPB's handwriting..  The typescript would be easier to 
proofread and revise.

See an example of this typescript in the photograph reproduced in AN 
INVITATION TO THE SECRET DOCTRINE, published by TUP.

See a very poor and small reproduction of this page at:

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/invit-sd/ms2.gif

Readers who have a physical copy of AN INVITATION should look at the 
reproduction in the printed volume of AN INVITATION.  This is on the 
26th page counting from the back of the book!!! 

This  facsimile shows a page from the typescript which the Keightley 
typed with HPB's LATER additions, corrections, etc.

Then apparently HPB wanted another typescript of these two volumes 
sent to Subba Row in India and this is apparently what Olcott in 
ODL, Volume 4 is referring to.

But this (we must keep in mind) refers to 1887 after HPB was in
England, and after the reordering of the volumes was done and the 
Keightley had typed one copy of Volumes I and II for HPB to work on 
and amend.

And in an HPB letter dated Sept. 10, 1887 [NOTICE THE DATE], HPB 
writes:

"I have spent here [pound symbol] 30 to have it typed, on purpose to 
send to him [Subba Row]…."

So probably a professional typist was used to type this SECOND 
typescript, that is the typed copy of SD I and II to be sent to 
Subba Row.

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NOTE:  In my original article on this subject and in all my past and 
future postings it is important to view all the evidence IN 
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER SO THAT THE STUDENT AND READER MIGHT DISCERN 
THE NATURAL FLOW OF EVENTS RELATED TO THE WRITING AND EDITING OF 
HPB'S SD MANUSCRIPT FOR PUBLICATION.

This chronological key IS VERY IMPORTANT.  If not used, much
confusion, I suggest, is the end result.

Daniel
http://hpb.cc