Theos-Talk Archives (October 2006 Message tt00237)

Re HPB Letters Editorial Staff


    In the "Letters of H.P. Blavatsky", 
Vol. I (Wheaton) the "editorial committee" 
is given as: D.H. Caldwell, Dara Eklund,
Robert Ellwood, Joy Mills and Nicholas Weeks.


    I don't know much about Dr. Ellwood, 
but apparently he thinks Blavatsky was 
a Plagiarist, according to his article 
"The American Theosophical Synthesis" in 
the book "The Occult in America. (Un. 
of Illinois Press, 1983)  What is someone 
who thinks Blavatsky is a Plagiarist doing 
on the Editorial Staff of the "HPB Letters"??? 
"HPB Letters" was published by a supposedly 
theosophical organization after all, not 
a Un. press.  What is the attitude behind 
asking someone who thinks Blavatsky was 
dishonest to be on the staff - if not 
to appeal to the scholarly "vested interest?"  
Perhaps Ellwood has changed his mind by 
now.  According to Richard Sattelberg's 
review in The Eclectic Theosophist 
(No. 87, May/June 1985):


    ".... Ellwood's somewhat favorable 
analysis of Isis Unveiled is marred by 
his unwarranted reference to the plagiarism 
charges first raised against it in 1895 
by W. Emmett Coleman.  Ellwood seems 
convinced that Madame Blavatsky plagiarized 
extensively, but fails to fully document 
a single instance of plagiarism.  No 
specific pages are cited and no parallel 
texts given."


       And this guy is on the editorial 
committe of Wheaton's "HPB Letters"!

                - jake j.

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