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'''Eugene W. Munson''' was a member of the [[American Theosophical Society]] and lecturer for the [[Krotona in Hollywood|Krotona Institute of Theosophy]].
[[File:WIZARDS - Mythical Monsters and other works.jpg|right|240px|thumb|Books by Wizards Bookshelf]]
'''Wizards Bookshelf''' was a publishing house operated by [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Blavatsky]] scholar Richard Robb. The company was founded in Minneapolis in 1972, and later moved to San Diego, California. It continued producing books until 2006[?].  


== The Secret Doctrine Reference Series ==


=== History of the series ===


== Personal life ==
Mr. Robb wrote about the beginnings of Wizards Bookshelf in ''Sunrise'' in November 1975:
 
<blockquote>
On [[November 9]], 1877, Eugene Munson was born in Marshall, California to Miron Munson and Fannie Aldrich Munson.<ref>1926 Passenger list...........</ref> He had two older sisters and one younger brother. By 1880, the family had moved to Spokane, Washington.<ref>1880 United States Federal Census.</ref> Little is known of the life of Miron, but by 1900, Fannie had remarried to Joseph E. Cohenhour. They lived in Chicago with three of the children, including Eugene, who at age 23 was working as an electrician.<ref>1900 United States Federal Census.</ref>
''The Secret Doctrine'' was written for the Western world to stem the tide of abject materialism. No messenger made his appearance in glowing aura to impress the multitude and, if he had, he would probably have been completely ignored. Instead, we have a book designed to gain acceptance in the minds of thinking men for many long years to come. The form and content of the S.D. is such that the student is constantly referred to the thoughts and ideas of hundreds of authors, all of whom are generally tending in the same direction.
 
At some point Eugene moved to Roswell, Idaho, a small town near Boise, where he was part owner of a general store, and regarded as "one of the  substantial citizens of that community."<ref>"A Roswell Wedding" ''Caldwell Tribune'' 29 (August 1, 1908): 2.</ref> On August 1, 1908, he married Mattie Doll of Saugatuck, Michigan, and they moved into a well-furnished bungalow.
 
Mr. Munson died on [[October 31]], 1952 in Los Angeles.<ref>1952 California, U.S., Death Index, 1940-1997.</ref>
 
== Theosophical Society activities ==
 
Munson joined the San Buena Ventura Lodge of the American Theosophical Society on October 10, 1904. He wrote articles for Theosophical periodicals, such as "Tesla's Wireless Power and Mr. Leadbeater's Prophecy"<ref>"Eugene W. Munson, "Tesla's Wireless Power and Mr. Leadbeater's Prophecy" ''The Messenger'' 3 no. 6 (November, 1915): 164-165.</ref> He demitted to the Krotona Lodge in 1917.<ref>Membership Ledger Cards roll 5. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> During the years 1917-19xx he served as treasurer of the national Society.<ref>Eugene W. Munson. "Treasurer's Report" ''The Messenger'' Statistical Year Book supplement 5 no. 4 (September, 1917): 4.</ref>
 
When the Besant Lodge of Krotona was established in October 1920 with 56 members, he was a charter member and vice president, with [[Marie Poutz]] as president.<ref>"Besant Lodge, Krotona" ''The Messenger'' 8 no. 7 (December, 1920): 577.</ref>
 
=== Lecture tours ===


After Krotona had become established in Hollywood, Munson was more active in the national organization. George H. Hall, Manager of the Krotona Estate, wrote:
Some people have claimed that the 750 and more books cited are merely proofs. But what are proofs? If these references are by sheer weight of numbers designed to force people to believe the validity of the teachings developed in the S.D., then surely the exposition could have been far more explicit and detailed, thus removing from the mind of the inquirer any chance of doubt. But this is not the case. As stated in the Preface, there is simply not room enough to explain the complete scheme of nature in two volumes. It would take a thousand volumes. Moreover, the ideas expressed are often obscure to the Western mind, because we have no background. Background in these areas is best supplied by the very sources that are used, and the reader will discover that there are perhaps 40 or 50 out of the 750+ books referred to that are mentioned with regularity.
<blockquote>
When I first became interested in The Secret Doctrine, an interest that was fostered by happenstance — an encounter with a copy of The Mahatma Letters in a small bookstore in New Orleans — I felt the work was utterly impossible, that there was little chance that I would ever be able to understand it. However, I found parts so interesting that I continued to read. Whole paragraphs passed without the least bit of comprehension, but occasionally a page really made sense to me.
Later he entered the service of The Theosophical Society in America as a National Lecturer, and traveled throughout the United States lecturing and organizing study classes and lodges. He was one of the best lecturers for the Society and made many friends all over the country. It was from this work that I called him in 1923 to help me at Hollywood before we moved to Ojai. When we sold the Hollywood property, he and Mrs. Munson were the first to move to Ojai, and for nearly thirty years we have worked together to build the new Krotona in the Ojai Valley.<ref>"Mr. Eugene W. Munson" ''The American Theosophist'' 40 no. 12 (December, 1952): 240.</ref>
</blockquote>


During the years 1916-1922, Munson worked as a National Lecturer of the [[American Theosophical Society]], touring for months on end. His presentations received excellent reviews from local newspapers. After speaking in Pueblo, Colorado, a reviewer wrote:
That was in 1965. Several people told me that the S.D. could not be read per se, but used only as a sort of dictionary or reference work. Be that as it may, I started and read the entire two volumes all the way through. When I had finished, two things were uppermost in my mind: first, that I was utterly ignorant; and secondly, that my education had left me totally unprepared for the study of The Secret Doctrine. Here was a range of knowledge that required effort and scholarly endeavor, books that I had never heard of before, whole subject areas that were foreign to me. As it turned out, I really was motivated to begin my education over again. And in so doing I set out to find some of the books quoted or referred to in the S.D. Of course, these were rather scarce and I didn't locate them immediately. However, after a time I discovered a copy of ''The Source of Measures'' on a used book list and sent away for it. The parts of [[J. Ralston Skinner|Skinner's]] treatise that I did understand were an absolute revelation to me. "Why," I thought, "hadn't the Masons made a point of preserving this text, so rare and valuable as it is?" Inquiries of local Masons indicated that they possessed little knowledge of the subject matter. At length, I became convinced of the absolute necessity of preserving the text of ''The Source of Measures'', regardless of cost or its public acceptance. Some day, somewhere, there would be men who would fasten upon these ideas. Though utterly unacquainted with the publishing industry, I did finally succeed in reprinting 535 copies. Response to advertisements was nonexistent. However, a few copies were sold, and I was encouraged to the extent that I considered a second title — ''The Book of Enoch''. Since then the list of titles has steadily grown.
<blockquote>
Mr. Munson has just competed a very successful course in Denver, speaking to capacity houses. He is a pleasant speaker  and uses anecdotes, stereopticon and blackboard illustrations freely in demonstrating the more unfamiliar phases of his subject.


He appears practical and level-headed, being an engineer by profession.<ref>"Lecture Course in Theosophy" ''Pueblo Chieftain'' (March 12, 1922): 6.</ref>
Thus the "Secret Doctrine Reference Series" (published by Wizards Bookshelf) came into being. It is fundamentally designed to guarantee future generations access to the ideas contained in the already rare and difficult-to-obtain titles of past centuries. These works, if hard to find today, will be impossible to locate a hundred years from now.
There are many whose spiritual longing and philosophical inquiry are too sacred to be exposed among strangers or even among friends who they suspect may have entirely different views. The fact is, it is the written word that allows the student the privacy of his own thoughts, that gives rise to the most profound aspirations and the most intuitive insights It is literature, then due to its impersonal character, its relative permanence and its very silence, that has motivated us.
</blockquote>
</blockquote>


During the First World War, he often lectured about topics related to current events, such as an occult view of the war and the rebirth of those who died in wartime in his lecture "What Comes Out of the War;" "The Occult Relations of France, Great Britain, and the United State;" and "The New International Ship of State" [referring to the League of Nations].
Richard Robb wrote of [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's]] work '''[[The Secret Doctrine (book)|''The Secret Doctrine'']]''':  
 
Usually Munson spoke more directly about Theosophical subjects, using the stereopticon slides of [[Thought-Forms|thought forms]] and the [[Astral Body|astral body]] developed by [[C. W. Leadbeater]]. Titles included "How Many Lives Have You Lived?," "Do the Dead Return," "The Path of Achievement," "The Inner Gates of the Soul," and "The Science of the Borderland" [Theosophical explanations of spiritualistic experiences]. A reviewer in Great Falls, Montana, wrote of "The Hidden Side of Things":
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
In the course of his address, which was heard by a large gathering of interested men and women, Mr. Munson described how telepathy is possible, explained what thoughts are, showing them as tangible objects, with shape and color visible to the occult eye. Mr. Munson also dealt somewhat at length on the evolution of the soul toward perfection.
''The Secret Doctrine'' is a timeless synthesis of philosophy, science, religion, history and metaphysics; its bibliography of over 1,000 books and journals draws upon many languages, and it has been called the most abstruse work in English.<ref>Richard Robb email to Michael Conlin. October 29, 2023. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref>
 
The lecture was the first of a series of four to be given here... The purpose of the lectures is to arouse interest in the science of theosophy with the idea of perfecting an organization in this city.<ref>"Theosophists Plan to Organize Here" Great Falls Daily Tribune (September 12, 1921): 9.</ref>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>


=== Work at Krotona Institute of Theosophy ===
{|style="margin: 0 auto;"
 
| [[File:Wizards_Bookshelf_MEC_set.jpg|400px|center|thumb|SD Reference Series with Blavatsky books. Owned by Michael Conlin]]
At the time of his death in 1952, Munson was a member of the Krotona Board of Trustees.
|}
=== List of titles in the series ===


== Other activities ==
* '''''The Divine Pymander of Hermes''''' translated from Arabic by John Everard.
* '''''The Virgin of the World: Hermes''''' translated by Dr. Anna Kingsford.
* '''''The Book of Enoch the Prophet''''' translated from Ethiopie by Richard Laurence.
* '''''Esoteric Budhism''''' by A.P. Sinnett. 1885 edition with annotations.
* '''''The Origin & Significance of the Gt Pyramid''''' by C. Staniland Wake.
* '''''The Eleusinian & Bacchic Mysteries''''' translated by Thomas Taylor, notes by Alex Wilder.
* '''''The Chaldean Account of Genesis''''' translated from Cuneiform tablets by George Smith.
* '''''Sacred Mysteries Among the Mayas & Quiches''''' by Augustus LePleongeon.
* '''''The Theosophist: Volume I''''' edited by H.P. Blavatsky. 320p.
* '''''On the Mysteries: Iamblichus''''' translated by Thomas Taylor.
* '''''The Desatir''''' (1818) translated by Mulla Firuz bin Kaus.
* '''''The Pythagorean Triangle''''' by George Oliver.
* '''''Key to the Hebrew-Egyptian Mystery in the Source of Measures, + index & notes''''' by J. Ralston Skinner.
* '''''The Gnostics & Their Remains''''' by Charles W. King.
* '''''Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients Demonstrated''''' by Samson Arnold Mackay. Revised 2nd edition 1826.
* '''''The Zohar (Bereshith)''''' translated by Nurho de Manhar
* '''''Theon of Smyrna: Mathematics Useful for Understanding Plato''''' translated by Robert & Deborah Lawlor.
* '''''Surya Siddhanta (Hindu astronomy)''''' translated by E. Burgess & W.D. Whitney.
* '''''New Platonism & Alchemy''''' by Dr. Alexander Wilder.
* '''''The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac''''' by T. Subba Row.
* '''''Plato: Cratylus, Phaedo, Parmenides, Timaeus, & Critius''''' translated by Thomas Taylor. (1793 edition, reset).
* '''''Ancient Fragments of the Egyptian Phoenician, etc.''''' translated by I.P. Cory. 1832 edition.
* '''''Posthumous Humanity''''' by Adolphe D'Assier translated by Henry S. Olcott.
* '''''The Anugita''''' translated by K.T. Telang.
* '''''Mythical Monsters''''' by Charles Gould.
* '''''Life & Teachings of Paracelsus''''' by Dr. Franz Hartmann.
* '''''The Qabbalah''''' by Isaac Myer, intro by H.P. Blavatsky.
* '''''Sepher Yetzireh''''' translated by W. W. Westcott.
* '''''Sod, the Sun of Man''''' by S.F. Dunlap.


George Hall wrote:
== Other books published ==
<blockquote>
In addition to his interest in Krotona and its activities, he took a keen interest in public affairs, and was always generous with his time and contributions to many outside interests. He did much to acquaint the people of the Valley with Krotona an to win for us the respect and friendliness of the community.<ref>"Mr. Eugene W. Munson" ''The American Theosophist'' 40 no. 12 (December, 1952): 240.</ref>
</blockquote>


Eugene Munson was a 32° [[Co-Masonry|Co-Mason]].
* '''''Astronomy & Astrology of the Babylonians''''' by A.H. Sayce.
* '''''Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on H.P. Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine'''''.
* '''''The Lost Fragments of Proclus''''' translated by Thomas Taylor.
* '''''The Books of Kiu-Te in the Tibetan Buddhist Tantras''''' by David Reigle.
* '''''H.P. Blavatsky and the Secret Doctrine''''' by Max Heindel.


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
<references/>
<references/>


[[Category:Lecturers|Munson, Eugene]]
[[Category:Publishing companies|Wizards Bookshelf]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Munson, Eugene]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Munson, Eugene]]
[[Category:Krotona Hollywood|Munson, Eugene]]
[[Category:Co-Masons|Munson, Eugene]]
[[Category:People|Munson, Eugene]]

Latest revision as of 16:23, 26 April 2024

Books by Wizards Bookshelf

Wizards Bookshelf was a publishing house operated by Blavatsky scholar Richard Robb. The company was founded in Minneapolis in 1972, and later moved to San Diego, California. It continued producing books until 2006[?].

The Secret Doctrine Reference Series

History of the series

Mr. Robb wrote about the beginnings of Wizards Bookshelf in Sunrise in November 1975:

The Secret Doctrine was written for the Western world to stem the tide of abject materialism. No messenger made his appearance in glowing aura to impress the multitude and, if he had, he would probably have been completely ignored. Instead, we have a book designed to gain acceptance in the minds of thinking men for many long years to come. The form and content of the S.D. is such that the student is constantly referred to the thoughts and ideas of hundreds of authors, all of whom are generally tending in the same direction.

Some people have claimed that the 750 and more books cited are merely proofs. But what are proofs? If these references are by sheer weight of numbers designed to force people to believe the validity of the teachings developed in the S.D., then surely the exposition could have been far more explicit and detailed, thus removing from the mind of the inquirer any chance of doubt. But this is not the case. As stated in the Preface, there is simply not room enough to explain the complete scheme of nature in two volumes. It would take a thousand volumes. Moreover, the ideas expressed are often obscure to the Western mind, because we have no background. Background in these areas is best supplied by the very sources that are used, and the reader will discover that there are perhaps 40 or 50 out of the 750+ books referred to that are mentioned with regularity. When I first became interested in The Secret Doctrine, an interest that was fostered by happenstance — an encounter with a copy of The Mahatma Letters in a small bookstore in New Orleans — I felt the work was utterly impossible, that there was little chance that I would ever be able to understand it. However, I found parts so interesting that I continued to read. Whole paragraphs passed without the least bit of comprehension, but occasionally a page really made sense to me.

That was in 1965. Several people told me that the S.D. could not be read per se, but used only as a sort of dictionary or reference work. Be that as it may, I started and read the entire two volumes all the way through. When I had finished, two things were uppermost in my mind: first, that I was utterly ignorant; and secondly, that my education had left me totally unprepared for the study of The Secret Doctrine. Here was a range of knowledge that required effort and scholarly endeavor, books that I had never heard of before, whole subject areas that were foreign to me. As it turned out, I really was motivated to begin my education over again. And in so doing I set out to find some of the books quoted or referred to in the S.D. Of course, these were rather scarce and I didn't locate them immediately. However, after a time I discovered a copy of The Source of Measures on a used book list and sent away for it. The parts of Skinner's treatise that I did understand were an absolute revelation to me. "Why," I thought, "hadn't the Masons made a point of preserving this text, so rare and valuable as it is?" Inquiries of local Masons indicated that they possessed little knowledge of the subject matter. At length, I became convinced of the absolute necessity of preserving the text of The Source of Measures, regardless of cost or its public acceptance. Some day, somewhere, there would be men who would fasten upon these ideas. Though utterly unacquainted with the publishing industry, I did finally succeed in reprinting 535 copies. Response to advertisements was nonexistent. However, a few copies were sold, and I was encouraged to the extent that I considered a second title — The Book of Enoch. Since then the list of titles has steadily grown.

Thus the "Secret Doctrine Reference Series" (published by Wizards Bookshelf) came into being. It is fundamentally designed to guarantee future generations access to the ideas contained in the already rare and difficult-to-obtain titles of past centuries. These works, if hard to find today, will be impossible to locate a hundred years from now. There are many whose spiritual longing and philosophical inquiry are too sacred to be exposed among strangers or even among friends who they suspect may have entirely different views. The fact is, it is the written word that allows the student the privacy of his own thoughts, that gives rise to the most profound aspirations and the most intuitive insights It is literature, then due to its impersonal character, its relative permanence and its very silence, that has motivated us.

Richard Robb wrote of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's work The Secret Doctrine:

The Secret Doctrine is a timeless synthesis of philosophy, science, religion, history and metaphysics; its bibliography of over 1,000 books and journals draws upon many languages, and it has been called the most abstruse work in English.[1]

SD Reference Series with Blavatsky books. Owned by Michael Conlin

List of titles in the series

  • The Divine Pymander of Hermes translated from Arabic by John Everard.
  • The Virgin of the World: Hermes translated by Dr. Anna Kingsford.
  • The Book of Enoch the Prophet translated from Ethiopie by Richard Laurence.
  • Esoteric Budhism by A.P. Sinnett. 1885 edition with annotations.
  • The Origin & Significance of the Gt Pyramid by C. Staniland Wake.
  • The Eleusinian & Bacchic Mysteries translated by Thomas Taylor, notes by Alex Wilder.
  • The Chaldean Account of Genesis translated from Cuneiform tablets by George Smith.
  • Sacred Mysteries Among the Mayas & Quiches by Augustus LePleongeon.
  • The Theosophist: Volume I edited by H.P. Blavatsky. 320p.
  • On the Mysteries: Iamblichus translated by Thomas Taylor.
  • The Desatir (1818) translated by Mulla Firuz bin Kaus.
  • The Pythagorean Triangle by George Oliver.
  • Key to the Hebrew-Egyptian Mystery in the Source of Measures, + index & notes by J. Ralston Skinner.
  • The Gnostics & Their Remains by Charles W. King.
  • Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients Demonstrated by Samson Arnold Mackay. Revised 2nd edition 1826.
  • The Zohar (Bereshith) translated by Nurho de Manhar
  • Theon of Smyrna: Mathematics Useful for Understanding Plato translated by Robert & Deborah Lawlor.
  • Surya Siddhanta (Hindu astronomy) translated by E. Burgess & W.D. Whitney.
  • New Platonism & Alchemy by Dr. Alexander Wilder.
  • The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac by T. Subba Row.
  • Plato: Cratylus, Phaedo, Parmenides, Timaeus, & Critius translated by Thomas Taylor. (1793 edition, reset).
  • Ancient Fragments of the Egyptian Phoenician, etc. translated by I.P. Cory. 1832 edition.
  • Posthumous Humanity by Adolphe D'Assier translated by Henry S. Olcott.
  • The Anugita translated by K.T. Telang.
  • Mythical Monsters by Charles Gould.
  • Life & Teachings of Paracelsus by Dr. Franz Hartmann.
  • The Qabbalah by Isaac Myer, intro by H.P. Blavatsky.
  • Sepher Yetzireh translated by W. W. Westcott.
  • Sod, the Sun of Man by S.F. Dunlap.

Other books published

  • Astronomy & Astrology of the Babylonians by A.H. Sayce.
  • Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on H.P. Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine.
  • The Lost Fragments of Proclus translated by Thomas Taylor.
  • The Books of Kiu-Te in the Tibetan Buddhist Tantras by David Reigle.
  • H.P. Blavatsky and the Secret Doctrine by Max Heindel.

Notes

  1. Richard Robb email to Michael Conlin. October 29, 2023. Theosophical Society in America Archives.