Theosophist, The.
A Monthly Journal Devoted to Oriental Philosophy, Art, Literature and Occultism: Embracing Mesmerism, Spiritualism, and other Secret Sciences.
1879 Monthly
Bombay, and then Adyar, India.
Language: English.
Publisher: Theosophical Society.
Editor: H.P. Blavatsky, H.S. Olcott; Annie Besant.
Succeeded by: World Theosophy (Hollywood, 1930), Adyar Theosophist (1930)—>The Theosophist (Adyar)
Corporate author: Under the auspices of the Theosophical Society
1/1, October 1879-current. 32 pp., 10 x 15. Rupees 8 a year in India, and 10 in Europe and the United States.

During 1930, Annie Besant for financial reasons gave over publication of the journal to Marie Russak Hotchener in Hollywood while continuing the publication of a version of the journal as The Adyar Theosophist (the renamed Adyar Bulletin), resuming the original title and place of publication with the issue of January 1931 with herself as editor. This is a (indeed, the) Theosophical journal, but its aims as set out in its first subtitle was much broader and its pages included so much of interest to spiritualism and occultism generally. Initially edited by, and largely written by, H.P. Blavatsky. Facsimile copies of the first six volumes have been published by the Edmonton Theosophical Society, and the table of contents has been published online by the Campbell Theosophical Research Library of Sydney, Australia, at austheos.org. Harvard University; Eastern Illinois University; McMaster University, and other locations.

Note: Libraries had a tendency, for decades, to strip covers and wrappers off periodicals before binding, either throwing the covers and wrappers away, or binding them at the end of the volume, or including only a sample of the covers and wrappers at the end of the volume. In many cases, this practice destroyed information of significant historical value (advertisements, tip-ins, errata sheets, etc.) and in all cases this practice destroyed information of value to bibliographers: a sense of the gestalt of an issue of the periodical. For a sense of that gestalt in the case of this periodical, at a particular point in its evolution, see Theosophist V42 N1 Oct 1920.

Portions of this collection provided by The Theosophical Society in America.