Theosophical Press
The Theosophical Press was a publishing house operated by the American Theosophical Society at its headquarters in Chicago and then in Wheaton, Illinois. It was replaced by the Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton.
History
The company was established in 1922 from the Theosophical Book Concern that had in 1916 become an agency of the Theosophical Publishing House in Adyar. After L. W. Rogers became President in 1920, he negotiated with International President Annie Besant to return the book business to the American Section headquarters in Chicago. The name "The Theosophical Press" was suggested by Miss Gail Wilson in April 1922.[1] Mr. Rogers arranged to purchase a headquarters building that would suitably house both the Section offices and the revived publishing business. The house at 826 Oakdale was quickly expanded to accommodate the stock of books received from California when the original Krotona site was sold.[2] The new book business was quickly a success; at the 1923 annual convention, book sales exceeded $1000.[3] Rogers developed a "new book plan" to encourage local book stores all over the country to stock Theosophical Press books.[4]
The company had its own printing presses and bindery equipment. When the American Theosophical Society moved to new headquarters in Wheaton, Illinois in September, 1927, the publishing company moved as well. The Theosophical Press printed books, pamphlets, periodicals such as The American Theosophist, publicity materials, and administrative forms.
In 1947, a New York member named Captain Russell Lloyd Jones financed publication of a new edition of The Essential Unity of All Religions by Bhagavan Das. Fifteen hundred copies of this important work were distributed to "Outstanding people in the business, education and cultural world." One of those copies reached the hands of David Lawrence, editor of U. S. News and World Report, who mentioned it in a 1966 editorial. That led to the work's reissue as the first Quest Books paperback edition.[5]
Reorganization and renaming
...............reorganized and renamed as the Theosophical Publishing House in 1966.
Publications
These are some examples of works published by the Theosophical Press:
Notes
- ↑ Joy Mills, 100 Years of Theosophy in America: 1875-1975. (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 83.
- ↑ Joy Mills, 100 Years of Theosophy in America: 1875-1975. (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 85-86.
- ↑ Joy Mills, 100 Years of Theosophy in America: 1875-1975. (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 88.
- ↑ Joy Mills, 100 Years of Theosophy in America: 1875-1975. (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 88-89.
- ↑ Joy Mills, 100 Years of Theosophy in America: 1875-1975. (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1987), 131.