Mahatma Letters Trust

Joy Mills with the Mahatma Letters at the British Library

The Mahatma Letters Trust is an English organization formed by Maud Hoffman to take over responsibility for publication and preservation of the correspondence from which The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett and the The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett were compiled.

History

In 1939, Miss Hoffman arranged for permanent preservation of the letters in the manuscripts collection of the British Museum. Subsequently they were transferred to the British Library. She established the Mahatma Letters Trust to maintain the copyright of the letters. Christmas Humphreys and Elsie Benjamin were asked to become the first trustees. Two editions of the letters to Sinnett had already been published, and the new trustees took on the task of producing a new and improved third edition. The third edition was published in 1962 by the Theosophical Publishing House in Adyar, Chennai, India. These editors carefully compared the text to the original letters, and also appealed for and received suggestions for correction and improvement from the worldwide Theosophical movement. A substantial library of relevant materials was collected. Significant assistance came from C. Jinarājadāsa, James Graham who collated and summarized the many suggestions sent in by students, and Boris de Zirkoff.

In 1983, Rex Dutta took over as chairman of the trust upon the death of Judge Humphreys. His magazine Viewpoint Aquarius quoted him on his new responsibilities:

There are two immediate tasks: (1) to copy in color the original letters from the Mahatmas; to make them available to those who cannot go the the British Museum in London where they are kept. Photostat in color does not give a true enough result, and more importantly, might damage the originals. The public cordially is invited to inspect these remarkable writings by visiting the Museum's Department of manuscripts, manuscripts numbers 45284-6, entitled The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett. The printed book will help considerably in deciphering the 'handwriting', i.e. the occult precipitation and impression – the two differing processes by which these were transmitted: one meant that the 'writing' was within the (thin) paper, not protruding above as is normal; the other meant that each individual letter of the alphabet was composed of myriad parallel brush strokes, barely not-touching, and in their totality would have taken 100 scribes scores of years to complete by hand.

(2) the second great task for the Trustees is to get reprinted the companion volume The Blavatsky Letters to A. P. Sinnett.

Readers may like to know that accumulated bequests over the years have given the Mahatma Letters Trust a superb library of rare indeed books; available now to serious students at the premises of Alpha Books, 60, Langdon Park Road, Highgate, London N 6 (01-348-2831). Regular study classes are also held there.

During Mr. Dutta's term as trustee, he did accomplish his two tasks. Excellent color photographs were taken of the letters to Sinnett, and sets of slides were purchased by the Edmonton Theosophical Society, by the Theosophical Society in America, and probably also by the Theosophical Society in Pasadena, California. Colored images of these slides are displayed in this wiki.

The letters are currently housed in the British Library on Euston Road, London. The nearest station is King's Cross/St. Pancreas. A reader pass to see the letters may be obtained by applying to the Reader Registration Office. The collection and number of the manuscript is MSS 45284-6.

Rex Dutta passed away in 1989, and Tony Maddock now heads the Trust.