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--.^Js
Publishers Preface.
Inaddition tothelarge numberofvolumes which
standinthenameofAnnieBesantinthecatalogue
oftheBritishMuseum,thereisagreatquantityoflitera-
ture,forwhichsheisresponsible,thathasappearedin
morefugitiveformasarticles,pamphletsandpublished
lectures,issuednotonlyinGreatBritianbutinAmerica,
IndiaandAustralia. Muchofthis work isof great
interest,butisquiteoutofreachofthegeneralreader
asitisnolongerinprint,andinquiriesfor manysuch
itemshavefrequently tobe answeredinthenegative.
UnderthesecircumstancestheT.P.S.decidedtoissue
aneditionofMrs,Besant'scollectedwritingsunderthe
title EssaysandAddresses. It wasoriginallyin-
tendedtoarrangethe matterin chronological order,
commencing with the writer's first introduction to
Theosophy as reviewer of Mme. Blavatsky's Secret
Doctrine, but several considerations determined the
abandonmentofthisplaninfavouroftheschemenow
adopted, whichis the classification of subject-matter
independentof chronologicalorder. The Publishers
feelsurethatthisarrangementwillespeciallycommend
itselftostudentswhodesiretoknowwhattheAuthor
or^r~krf^-^/^>L.4»-