There is a larger amount of authentic and reliable Theosophical literature available than what is listed below but we have listed what we believe to be many of the main and most important books.
Reading every single Theosophical book on the planet will not in itself help us, for the Path is not travelled by reading but by self-transformation. However, if one were to take even three books from this list and begin to practically apply in daily life the ideas, principles, or teachings contained in them, consciously adjusting and elevating one’s thought, feeling, words, and deeds in the ways suggested, and also reading the books in a careful, focused, meditative way, rather than the casual way of reading ordinary books . . . that would be all one needed, at least for quite some time. For such practical purposes, those books listed in the first category will be found the most helpful. But if one also wishes to understand accurately and in depth the specific Esoteric Philosophy given out by H. P. Blavatsky as Messenger or Direct Agent of the Masters’ LODGE, numerous of the titles in the second category are essential. These groupings are not always exact; for example, although “The Ocean of Theosophy” and “The Key to Theosophy” are extremely valuable as introductory books – and almost no-one can understand anything in “The Secret Doctrine” until they have first understood “The Key to Theosophy” – they are not only for “beginners” but become a recurring source of study and contemplation throughout one’s journey, deeper aspects of their teachings becoming perceptible with each fresh reading.
A lot of the time, we have not specified a publisher for the titles. When no publisher is named, it is because all of those books are usually most readily and affordably available in the editions published by Theosophy Company, which publishes these and many more titles for the United Lodge of Theosophists. In the UK, you can take a look at https://theosophy-ult.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ULT_Book_Price_List_UK_Mar_2025_web-1.pdf and contact the London ULT on that website. If in the USA or elsewhere, visit https://www.theosophyult.com/shop. You may be able to find books most inexpensively by contacting your nearest ULT Lodge direct. The page Theosophy around the World provides these contact details. If you are outside of the UK, it will often be less expensive and easier to order direct from a ULT Lodge more local to you; this will often save a very large amount on airmail costs, especially if placing a big order. A number of the Theosophy Company titles are also published by Theosophical University Press. Please note that when a publisher is named below, this means that book is not published by the United Lodge of Theosophists and you would have to search online to buy a copy. AbeBooks, eBay, and Amazon are usually the most useful places to look and one can sometimes find used copies at extremely low prices.
Quite a few of these books, along with others, can also be read free of charge online in PDF format at https://www.theosophy-ult.org.uk/books/ and in high-quality HTML editions at https://www.ultindia.org/books/texts.html. Some are not online at all and only available in hard copy. We strongly advise against buying abridged, abbreviated, or edited versions of books by H. P. Blavatsky, unless these are your only present option. If HPB had intended for her books to be shorter then she would have made them shorter . . . but she didn’t. The reader of abridged and altered books has no way of knowing exactly what details and content they’re missing out on. One cannot always trust the editor not to abridge the book in a way that serves their own personal view or opinion of things.
Please note that we do not sell any books through this website. We merely recommend some which we consider to be the most helpful as well as informative. The list is not in any way exclusive; all can and should read beyond it.
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DEVOTIONAL/PRACTICAL
The Voice of The Silence – translated by H. P. Blavatsky from the Book of the Golden Precepts
Light on The Path – transcribed by Mabel Collins from the words and teachings of the Master Hilarion
Letters That Have Helped Me – by William Q. Judge (best version is three volumes in one book, published by Theosophy Company)
Bhagavad Gita – rendition by William Q. Judge
Bhagavad Gita – The Songs of The Master – translation and introductory articles by Charles Johnston (published by Kshetra Books)
The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali – rendition/interpretation by William Q. Judge
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – translation with introductory articles and commentary by Charles Johnston (various publishers; check before buying that it includes Johnston’s own material)
Through the Gates of Gold – transcribed by Mabel Collins from the words and teachings of the Master Hilarion
Fragments, Vol. I, II, III – by Cavé (Genevieve Griscom), partly her words and partly those of the Master Hilarion (published by Quarterly Book Department, long out of print & almost impossible to find nowadays; for background see this article)
The Dhammapada (sayings of the Buddha) – translation by Acharya Buddharakkhita (published by Buddhist Publication Society)
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu – translation by Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo (published by Hackett)
The Upanishads – various Upanishads and collections, translated by Charles Johnston (published by Kshetra Books)
The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva – translation by Shambhala Classics/Padmakara Translation Group
Only the Words of Jesus – Verbatim from the Four Gospels – anonymously published, available via Amazon
Meditation – by Henry Bedinger Mitchell (published by Quarterly Book Department, long out of print & almost impossible to find nowadays; for background see this article)
PHILOSOPHICAL
The Secret Doctrine, Vol. I and II – by H. P. Blavatsky
Isis Unveiled, Vol. I and II – by H. P. Blavatsky
The Theosophical Glossary – by H. P. Blavatsky
H. P. Blavatsky Theosophical Articles, Vol. I, II, III
William Q. Judge Theosophical Articles, Vol. I and II
Transactions of The Blavatsky Lodge – by H. P. Blavatsky
The Secret Doctrine Dialogues – by H. P. Blavatsky
Theosophical Writings of Julia Keightley – independently published by Scott J. Osterhage, available via Amazon
Hidden Wisdom: The Collected Writings of Charles Johnston, Vol. I, II, III, IV (we personally consider Vol. III and then Vol. II to be the most useful) – published by Kshetra Books
The Esoteric Character of the Gospels – by H. P. Blavatsky (a 3-part article series in one pamphlet, also in the “HPB Theosophical Articles” listed above)
Forum Answers – by William Q. Judge
Raja-Yoga, or Occultism – by H. P. Blavatsky (a collection of articles, most of which are also in the “HPB Theosophical Articles” listed above)
Conversations on Occultism, I and II – by William Q. Judge, based largely on conversations with HPB (13 short articles in two pamphlets, also in the “WQJ Theosophical Articles” listed above)
Theosophical Articles and Notes – collection of mostly lesser known writings from HPB, WQJ, Damodar K. Mavalankar, the Masters, and others
Index volume to “The Secret Doctrine” (published by Theosophical University Press, compatible with the TUP and Theosophy Company editions of “The Secret Doctrine,” which are identical inside)
INTRODUCTORY
Universal Theosophy – articles by Robert Crosbie
Karma and Reincarnation – by H. P. Blavatsky (compilation in pamphlet form, taken from “The Key to Theosophy,” “The Secret Doctrine” etc.)
Echoes from The Orient – by William Q. Judge (not to be confused with the “Echoes of The Orient” series)
The Ocean of Theosophy – by William Q. Judge
The Key to Theosophy – by H. P. Blavatsky
HPB: The Extraordinary Life and Influence of Helena Blavatsky (biography) – by Sylvia Cranston
MISCELLANEOUS
Five Messages from H. P. Blavatsky to the American Theosophists
The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett – by the Master K.H. and Master M. (published by Theosophical University Press; for background see this article)
Letters from The Masters of the Wisdom, First Series and Second Series – published by Theosophical Publishing House
The Great Master’s Letter – by the Maha Chohan (pamphlet of a few pages, also in “Theosophical Articles and Notes” listed above)
A Master’s Letter – by the Master K.H. (pamphlet of a few pages, also in “Theosophical Articles and Notes” listed above)
The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett (published by Theosophical University Press)
The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts – by Joe Fisher (investigative research into the nature of the entities involved in channelling/mediumship) – published by Paraview Press
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You can also find over 400 articles on all aspects of Theosophy and the Theosophical Movement listed on the Articles page.
~ BlavatskyTheosophy.com ~
T H E O S O P H Y 
I own a first American Edition of The Secret Doctrine by H.P. Blavatsky book 1888. Can u tell me what the value or how much would it be worth today.
Hello Rickey, it would be hard to say how much it might be worth.
It’s quite a rare artefact but because “The Secret Doctrine” itself is not a rare book but is still constantly in print and in demand today, there aren’t likely to be many people wanting to purchase a first edition from 1888.
A mere estimate is that it could possibly be worth a few hundred dollars (presuming you’re in the USA?) but not more than this and it would probably be difficult to find someone willing to pay that for it.
The first editions of “The Secret Doctrine” or any other book by H.P. Blavatsky are only particularly valuable if signed by the author. Such signed copies are extremely rare (the only ones I know of are on Theosophical premises) and would probably be worth a few thousand dollars, perhaps even more.
Any thoughts on the 14 volume set of “Collected Writings of H. P. Blavatsky” that was compiled by Boris de Zirkoff?
Unfortunately, the “Collected Writings” volumes contain numerous alterations from the original texts. The chief compiler and editor was the late Boris de Zirkoff, as you mention, who was a great-nephew of HPB but who seemingly thought that he knew better than her in regard to numerous matters of fact and detail.
Since they were published, de Zirkoff has been shown to have been too hasty in some of his “corrections” and annotations to the writings of his relative. Where he has “corrected” her, altered sentences, and added footnotes stating that she was “wrong” or “mistaken” or “in error” it has been found by some – such as the late Dutch Theosophist Henk Spierenburg – that it was de Zirkoff himself who was mistaken and that HPB had been right all the time.
De Zirkoff also published a new edition of “The Secret Doctrine” as part of the “Collected Writings” but this has been disfigured from the original almost as badly – or perhaps even worse – than the infamous 1893 “Third and Revised Edition” of “The Secret Doctrine” published by Annie Besant and G.R.S. Mead.
So we personally never recommend the purchase of the “Collected Writings,” preferring instead the three volumes of “H.P. Blavatsky Theosophical Articles” mentioned in the book list above. These contain 165 of HPB’s most important articles and are published by Theosophy Company and available from the United Lodge of Theosophists.
One other comment is that there’s also a sort of elitism – or so it might seem – indulged in by some owners of the “Collected Writings” volumes, most probably unconsciously, in that when quoting from HPB articles they only give the source and reference from the “Collected Writings,” such as “CW XI:242” rather than giving the title of the article itself. This makes it difficult and inconvenient for anyone who wants to look up the particular quote or article for themselves to locate it or know what it is, unless they too happen to be owners of this expensive set of books. The unspoken implication seems to be that all Theosophists “ought” to have the “Collected Writings” series.
Hopefully this helps in some way!