the service is spot on ,it came in plenty of time very pleased

First Series (a.k.a., Beelzebub’s Tales) is a metaphorical examination of the inner life of those biped destroyers of nature’s good now roaming the surface of the planet Earth. It is an excellent book to read if you enjoy massive, sprawling, beautiful, difficult-to-digest books that are written not in the bon ton literary language to which you are ordinarily accustomed, that you may return to again and again over the course of many years and still find remarkable insights. It contains the keys to help you remember your self, always and everywhere, though not near the locks. Very few would wish to read this work, fewer still to undertake the Work which it elucidates. The Fourth Way is not a way for the many. However, if you are in the Work, or wish to be, this Kindle version is by far the most readable and useful of the several available.

Heads up...the hard cover edition is missing the introduction...the self cover edition has a wonderful introduction that should have been included in a hard cover...especially considering the price. Was this a mistake or what. I will have to get the paper back edition....what a drag....

If you struggle with reading Gurdjieff's books due to his style and the often unsatisfactory result of translation, you will find these very different. The format very easy to digest, the situations very easy to follow. A reading of things pertaining to Gurdjieff's ideas is improved by having a relatable setting and group of people, and ideas presented in the Question and Answer format which was his preferred and more appropriate method. Instead of a linear and often rambling lecture on ideas, we have a discussion of ideas, prompted by genuine questions from his guests. Like those in the room, you may take away points according to your needs and according to your nature. I personally found more applicable ideas in these conversations than in his self authored works, and at the same time found it more interesting and engaging. Understanding the situation under which these conversations took place in occupied France at a time of immense upheaval, anxiety and deprivation makes them all the more pertinent to mankind's confused and perilous condition.

And you have to know about Gurdjieff

Kathryn Holmes just wanted to show us a glimpse of the master who taught her the ‘Work.’ What she unveils about Gurdjieff is astounding. The many places they visit in Europe and the many restaurants where they dine together create a place of excitement for his teachings. She really was a crocodile and led an incredible life that helped many people. I will always remember this book. MW

Extraordinary. Unlimited in it's scope to bring man back to his rightful relationship with himself.

Preserving and disseminating this book in audio form is a valuable service to humanity. The reader’s voice was of good timbre and well-paced. I wish that either the reader or whoever directs the reading could have studied the correct pronunciation of the words in the text. Because this is a book about Gurdjieff, I used the mispronunciations as an opportunity to self- remember, but just a little practice on the narrator’s part could have cleared up many of these errors. Perhaps they were included on purpose to deter those without persistence and commitment to the teachings. With a Gurdjieff-related book, who can say?

Gurdjieff is great... Arrived soon!

So after all the turmoil, he taught his system and fed the people of Paris

No solo el formato de pasta dura del libro esta precioso, sino que el contenido es único. Una joya para los seguidores de Gurdjieff.

I have mixed feelings about this book. In one respect it's an important read for any serious student of Gurdjieff as an eyewitness first hand account. But it's boring and confusing to actually slog through. The writer/s reproduce G's accented pidgin English. Indeed one gets the feeling the whole group started talking this way. It's an interesting approach that brings the reader closer to the experience of living and studying with G. But it's tiresome to read. I get no sense of who is talking and often feel lost in the lingo. Long meandering descriptions of the food they ate ... yet precious few details of their spiritual work or personal struggles. Perhaps they were forbidden to write about the spiritual work? I'm about 75% through the book. I keep falling asleep b/c it gets boring. The Bennetts' diaries give a more thorough account that touches upon the actual spiritual struggles they faced. Women of the Rope seems like it was written by food critics rather than spiritual seekers. Energetically, the book connects me with the 4th Way current ... so there is magic here. But it's missing something. I can't connect with the writers and wonder why they were there?

The form of the publication is more readable than other editions. Chapter layout, font and page size, make it worth the price. This is a serious study document in book form. Students of the 4th way system understand these lectures as the psychological formulary we are all built on. A lifetime of observation and study needing the form of a publication able to support and stand up to frequent use. I was quite pleased to learn that some awake beings went proactive to improve accessibility.

Another tough to understand piece from Gurdjieff, but a necessary read to try and understand his ideas and what his task at large was here

Valuable addition to the Gurdjieff universe of literature

The words of a man who perceived and sensed more than others.

The words of a man who perceived and sensed more than others.

Wanting to know more about this saint that Sadhguru spoke about, I bought this book to read. Honestly, this is a bit of a difficult read

The material in this book belongs to all who seek to make sense of themselves and who wish to find a genuine mode of being in modern life.

This book is loonng overdue. Thank you for publishing. Notes from Mr. Gurdjieff's meetings.

very good

I never leave reviews but this book was fantastic.

Good value

Wonderful collection of Fourth Way wisdom written by the man himself. Also, excellent seller. Product better than described and quick shipping.

Do not be confused by the apparent brevity or incomplete status of this book. The information it contains defines the heart of the Gurdjieff Work.

Who could possibly distribute accurate information about Gurdjieff's masterpiece better than the coworker and editor who gave the world the original edition, the 1950 English edition. Every page surprises with depth and breadth of understanding and many of those shock by bringing insights that would almost be impossible to discover from reading Beelzebub's Tales itself or any of the many other commentaries. This edition is more and better in many ways than anything previous available.

Fast delivery! Amazing quality!!

Hell of a book (pun not originally sourced from a particular intention but left behind now as residue in order to take part in a holy process your three-brained favorites know as "joking" --- hahaharzta!) Try reading a section that really upsets you. For me, it was the man cursing the town at dawn. Then tell the story to a friend. You might be surprised. An incredible achievement of functional psychology -- the book works on you as you read, as part of it's own source-duty -- and world literature as well. Read, read, read. Strive to perfect your being. Fulfill the work in all beings. Amen.

Very brilliant explanation of the book in many frames of reference. Gets one to think in ways that expound the levels of parable in the book.

For students of the Work, this is straight from the horse's mouth, the fundamentals without alteration.

Well written

good

First things first - to the person or persons that published these typescripts ... thank you very, very much. You have done a great service to the Work and to followers of Gurdjieff's ideas. Now, the review: Serious students of Gurdjieff will be seriously interested in these typescripts. As you may or may not know, the published versions of Meetings and Life Is Real were revised prior to publication. This was alluded in a few works (such as those by John Henderson and James Webb) but not widely known. I personally wasn't aware of this revision until reading Henderson's Hidden Meanings book. This is the first time I've ever seen these typescripts made available to the public. Again, thank you for publishing these. When you purchase the typescripts, a side-by-side comparison between these typescripts and the revised versions will reveal the extent to which certain passages were edited. From the severity of these revisions -- sometimes more, sometimes less -- we can then go on to speculate about how much revision occurred to Meetings with Remarkable Men. Anyhow, students familiar with the "revision problem" probably don't need to be convinced how important this text is. We now have a much more accurate, unedited, true version of Gurdjieff's exact words that he intended for inclusion in Life is Real. A final note: If you have already purchased these typescripts - it would help to leave a review. It impacts the book's rankings in Amazon search results. The more positive reviews it has, the more visible it will be to others who are searching, and who may not be aware that the typescripts exist.

Excellent book

Gurdjieff no es para cualquiera, tienes que alcanzar cierto grado de conciencia para poder entender y recibir todo lo que él tiene para darte. Es un libro que te hace esperar bastante para llegar al punto que estabas esperando, sin embargo eso lo hace excitante.

Marvelous. As clear a description of inner Work as can be put in written form.

Item as described, arrived on time.

A memoir by someone who lived at the Prieuré, studied with Gurdjieff, was a friend of Margaret Anderson... Sounds promising, doesn't it? This slim volume is only 105 pages long, and only the last 9 pages (extracts from a diary she kept) are of much interest. Even so, this latter material is very weak. The vast majority of the book is pretty and creative description of the "life of an artist" struggling in New York. The substance of this book is paper thin, and does not add a jot to the rich and wide canon of fourth way literature. I paid about £6 to buy this book from the USA, and at that price I can't really grumble. If I'd paid £15 I'd have felt severely aggrieved!

These transcripts, from late in Gurdjieff's life, are helpful to someone "in the Work." Others might find them perplexing. The Gurdjieff "Work" is shown here to be only for those who can stand the sight of their own blood. His replies are always practical, useful and sometimes direct enough to cause the reader to flinch. This book ought not to be the first one reads about, by or of Gurdjieff. From my perspective, having extensively studied the brain, to a lesser extent the body and been a Work practitioner for many years, Gurdjieff was the greatest psychologist ever to set pen to paper. Not only did he understand his students, he pushed each one in a manner especially suited to that person's nature. Many of us, he said, are "candidates for a lunatic asylum" and, in my experience, that statement is truer now than when he regularly repeated it. Gurdjieff centers may or may not reflect his teachings accurately as it is an easy method to distort and to corrupt. Nevertheless, in Beelzebub's Tales, he commends other spiritual paths still available to a true and sincere Seeker. This book provides a more intimate view of him with students, "Working" under less than favorable conditions, to and for their benefit, providing they could manage to assimilate the feedback he provided. He has shown us, clearly, that "man's ego is not his friend" to quote Swami Rama. What we do about that is up to us but, he says, doing something effective is the only way out of our "prison."

Many words, little actual content, but that’s probably Gurdjieff’s intention on this one. More of an advertisement for his work, with a few words about what needs to be done to rectify man’s fallen state. May be of interest to the most devoted Gurdjieff follower (as I once was), but largely a nuisance to read for 99%.

Must have if you into Gurdjieff! Good that this book doesn't include Patterson's narrative as in "Ladies of the rope"

Great

A must read for all those interested and engaged in the work of Monsieur Gurdjieff - a true master of all and everything!

Je pense depuis longtemps à tout ce qui a pu être collecté directement de toutes les paroles de Gurdjieff de son vivant d'Enseignant (1912 - 1949), matériel qui reste inconnu, non mis en forme et divulgué et à tout ce que ses élèves proches ont pu noter dans toutes les situations. En cela, il y a eu une volonté délibérée certainement justifiée chez les responsables authentiques. Voici donc une bonne surprise, un livre étonnant et très précieux, sans "auteur" identifié, avec beaucoup de matériel inédit en Français (dont les exercices à la fin). On peut s'interroger sur la motivation des "collecteurs-éditeurs", la bonne introduction de Joseph Azize éclairera : "ce travail est pour le Travail". Le premier chapitre "Reflets de la vérité" correspond à "lueurs de vérité" dans G parle à ses élèves, comme certains autres... La traduction en Français imparfaite rend la compréhension difficile. Cela demande un effort particulier qui lui peut-être très intéressant. Pour tout ceux concernés par M.Gurdjieff, voici un don précieux qui peut offrir une possibilité de "Travail" ; plus qu'une simple influence B, une nourriture possible. Il est à espérer qu'il y en ait d'autres. François

It was a remarkable event when Orage came to New York to represent Gurdjieff and this book presents the fullest picture yet available of what it was like to experience Orage. It goes into the presentations Orage made regarding the Gurdjieff work and then later Gurdjieff comes to NYC and upsets the applecart that Orage had been creating. It is a fascinating story with all the inside details.

Compelling transcripts of years of meetings. A unique book.

As expected

A handsome book by Gurdjieff. An unexpected, a kind of tale-summary of his main ideas. Would be interesting for his "fans", as well as for others wishing to familiarize oneself with works of this famous ingenious man

Easy to read but with huge knowledge inside. If you are into GIG, this is kind of an advanced book.

For all who are interested in the mysterious and compelling phenomenon of Gurdjieff, here is an interesting autobiographic glimpse into the life and times of...

The words of Gurdjieff, wherever genuinely reported like in this book have a much higher and different impact than all other books written by those who came after him. And this is an invitation to read Gurdjieff own books before any other in order to get a better picture. Others have just helped building the frame. Now there are too many frames. A great book to open quite often as to remember!

This is the most entertaining of all the 4th way/Gurdjieffs books I've read so far. Gurdjieff was a flame thrower with his students, especially in the beginning of their education. That said, he got results and it was all supposed to happen in 6 months. What I find most hilarious is that Gurdjieff people have a reputation for being 'Spock-like,' people who do not emote. Gurdjieff was outrageous yet disciplined. There are so many hilarious and astonishing episodes. These women felt exhausted, stressed and emotionally stripped to the bone a lot of the time, but they learned and they changed for the better. It reads like a play, but actually it is taken straight from the women's notes during the months that they lived together with Gurdjieff in a French villa. Most of them were lesbians, a fact that does not make any difference in the book. Every day he assigned each one their personal thought exercises. He also dictated their health regime and aspects of their diet. One night he insisted they all had to enemas. It's not very abstract, it is mostly day to day gritty reality. He finds a thousand ways to make them see how stuck in their ruts they are and keep them desperately clawing their way toward liberation.

contains exactly the description, arrived on time as stated

great book

I couldn't tell from the preview, but if this is the book which starts with "THE ACTION takes place in a large commercial town of the East", then it is available for free online. But in that case it would be the Gurdjieff book titled "The Struggle of the Magicians". Why does "About the Author" list "David Kherdian", who is that? It would be good to have more product information, for instance does this come with a musical score? Is there an introduction or other context?

G.I.Gurdieff was a Master. This book is his last in the three series of books he wrote. And it is a summarising book of what's he wrote in his other books. It is concerned to search the fundamental aim of mans life on earth and existence. A very remarkable book written by an enlightened master. Amazon delivered it by the next day 🙂

Excellent

Excellent version!

Eines meiner ersten wirklichen hilfreichen Bücher von Schülern von Herrn Gurdjieff war "Teachings of Gurdjiefff - The Journal of a Pupil" von C.S. Nott. Im zweiten Teil seines Buches waren "Orage's commentary on "Beelzebub" veröffentlicht. Ich fand diese einfachen Hinweise, Reflektionen, Stichworte sehr hilfreich und ermutigend. Später fand ich die umfangreichen getippten Aufzeichnungen von A.R. Orage, Lawrence Morris, Sherman Manchester als "wilde" pdf's irgendwo im Internet. Diese waren optisch von sehr schlechter Qualität und alles etwas zusammen gemischt. Umso mehr freute es mich, dass da ein paar beherzte Menschen sich an die Arbeit gemacht hatten und das ganze Material schön und klar editiert und zusammen gestellt haben. ... und als Sahnehäubchen gibt es einen prima Index am Ende des Buches dazu. Vielen Dank.

Yes, met expectations ......excellent background info ....

These notes taken from life – and death – have been an excellent reminder that high ideas are worth little if not stirred into the pot of daily events – our ordinary life. The words used by both teacher and pupil(s) are plainly printed on each page of human need-aspiring. That this giving-of-necessary-data even to such excellent examples of contemporary humanity could take place is not miraculous – it is utterly arresting. Of course this isn’t a good book in any conventional sense – it probably will not speak to “good” readers either. Frequent examples of “destroying mercilessly” and “providing new material” are to be found, as well as numerous apparently apt (and much enjoyed by their originator) “formulations” of Mr. Gurdjieff. It is a little surprising to note that while almost everyone mentioned in the book is “colored” in a quite specific manner, no one is ultimately painted with any undue sentimentality.

Difficult getting through run on sentences. This felt like a spoken monologue.. It seems a translation that wasn't edited. One can discern the gist although repetitive and a bit redundant. Three stars = disappointing.

For anyone wanting to work on his / her self-growth Gurdjieff is a must.

If you know about Gurdjieff and are interested in his teaching, you'll enjoy this book. I did.

As always pieces of real knowledge if you are able to see.

Excelente texto para los inteteresados en la enseñanza de Gurdjieff verdadero tesoro de ensayos no encontrados en otra parte,recomendado ampliamente

Amazon EEUU: ¡Buen Día! Hoy -05-Octubre-2015-, aproximadamente a las 12.15 P.M.; el libro llegó a su casa -expresión. ¡Muchísimas gracias por ello! Juan R.

Timely arrival, very interesting book

Good stuff as an intro to the 4th Way. You could put on the play and help those around you.

Very nice and good book, must read for every who wants to know more from Belzebub Tales and the system...

Great Book, Good Shape...

If you love Gurdjieff, this is a book you'll want to read!

The best edition I have seen yet of the translations Solita Solano left in her papers at the Library of Congress. Apparently during the meetings of a group in Paris during WWII Mr. Gurdjieff allowed someone to transcribe the proceedings, maybe in shorthand. I presume, on the basis of no real evidence other than they ended up in her material at the LofC, that after 1945 Solita Solano had access to these transcripts, and translated into English for the benefit of her friends, the "Ladies of the Rope." A remarkable portrayal of Mr. Gurdjieff and his French students near the end of his life.

just amazing/Thanks

Some info you might find interesting.

Recommended reading for all interested in George Gurdjieff and The Fourth Way Teachings.

Outstanding autobiography of Katherine Hulme and perspective on Georges I. Gurdjieff as a person and spiritual Master.

A bright star Mr.Orage

Pure genius. Created by the master. It is a small book, but it is a gem. Many of us have wondered for decades what were the details of this rehearsed and prepared production. I got chills as I read it. An inspiring read.

A fascinating selection of entries giving snippets of who Gurdjieff was

Excellent, if you are familiar with Gurdjieff's philosophy.

just great

An exceptional book. Some aspects of the Work are uniquely discussed here. Gives a very clear feel of how Gurdjieff dealt with his pupils in real life situations.

Even though there are new documents now recently discovered because of the 50 year release of political dossiers from America and the Soviet Union Germany and France, these were real meetings where you hear Mister Gurdjeff work with individual people in a way that you wouldn't believe if you just thought of him as a scoundrel or charlatan. He wasn't – he was a master and even though at times he professed that spiritual growth required sexual normalcy he ended up teaching this group of lesbians as a group telling them that they were tethered together like mountain climbers, and by God he worked hard with them. It's evident in this book which is probably drawn from the public record but is very well bound and a book that will last on your shelves. I'm not a fan of Patterson but there are 2 books that he's written that I cannot live without and this is one of them

Interesting insight and casual speaking about working within our lives while in occupied France

Gurdjieff is an interesting person. His writing is what or is and I think there's a lot you can take away from it. That being said, this is as good a version as any and having it in an electronic format lends to rereading periodically without having to carry a book along.

If you understand Gurdjieff a must a reading

This book takes you back to paris in the 1920's and 30's while giving a glimpse of how direct work with gurdjieff changed the lifes of his pupils

Excelente

Very interesting and recommended for any reader of Beelzebub's tale. This is a considerable expansion of the excerpt found in Nott's book (and published as a (short) standalone book). This appears to be the complete set of talks given by Orage.

Gurdjieff is a great Master. Unfortunately we cannot have access to all the material that belongs to this series of books. The book meets my espectations: I have come to know futher very useful informations for my personal growth.

Long awaited and much more complete version of Views From the Real World, primarily talks from sessions at the Priory and later in Paris, often with notes by different students at the same meeting. The end part with the exercises for meditation and self-remembering are very powerful. This is a seminal work for all students. Highly recommended.

Helpful book for anyone following the path to enlightenment.

This short book is very profound and although proposed by Mr. Gurdjieff as a prospectus for the study of his ideas, very much requires some previous background from contact with his own subsequent writings and if possible, contact with people who are already working with the ideas of the Fourth Way, also known as The Work, and The System, to have a practical application for this book.

COMMENT LIRE UN KINDLE, FAUT-IL ACHETER UN LISEUSE ? J'AIMERAIS AVOIR UNE REPONSE A CETTE QUESTION SI POSSIBLE RAPIDEMENT MERCI

Notes of lectures by Gurdjieff made by his pupils have been thin on the ground. We have the books: Views From The Real World and Peter Ouspensky's excellent In Search of The Miraculoius. This useful book contains notes, some of which clearly come from some of the lectures documented in those books - but documented here by a different note-taker - as well as from other lectures which have not, as far as I am aware, been published. If you are interested in Gurdjieff's teaching, It is important to own a copy of these book.

This book, after my study of Gurdjieff in theory and practice for more than 50 years, has managed to open my eyes to many of the beauties Mr. Gurdjieff brought to us. I hope it can take place for many others too. I am thankful for the publishers from bringing this version out; it lacks the editing that was incorporated into "Views from the Real World", and says many things in the raw Gurdjieff-language, and speaks directly to the reader.

'In Search Of The Miraculous' is in itself a remarkable work which can be read many times, yet it is most refreshing after many years to be able to 'hear' some of the teaching presented, as it reached the ears of others present at the same as Mr Ouspensky. To any 'follower' of Mr Gurdjieff there will possibly be no new revelations contained within, yet it is valuable anyway to have concepts redefined and different examples of these presented in differing formats. It is always better I feel to hear from close to the horse's mouth than directly from the donkey's tail - I rather suspect that in the future many donkies will be attracted to Mr G's particular well of wisdom and all of them will probably feel duty-bound to educate the rest of us, thus making the efforts of Joseph Azize particularly appreciated. The book itself is beautifully bound with a soft satin-touch cover and well laid out. It must have been a major task deciding which material should be included, yet the end result deserves full commendation.

Contains the enlarged and unedited Glimpses of Truth and other talks from Views of the Real World plus addition unpublished material. Highly recommended for anyone working on The Fourth Way.

Although this book contains some of the material previously released under the title, "Views from the Real World - The Early Talks of Gurdjieff," it contains much, much more, as well as more complete and unedited versions of some of this previous material. This makes this book an invaluable reference for those still testing the waters, so to speak, as well as excellent ancillary material to participation in the living Work.

If it is possible to get in the rhythm of Gurdjieff there is much to be learned especially about the order of publication of the three series.

I do like the way that the book has been written. The writing style is somewhat lyrical and, in this way, it is one of his more accessible books. For the rest, I also found it to be one of his more superficial books, and I did not find much in the book that enlightened or inspired me. This was sad, as I was expecting a lot more from the book. Did I, perhaps, expect too much?

I really enjoyed this book. It gives a clear window into day to day interactions between Gurdjieff and 'pupils'. Something that shines through is the humanity and humour and obvious egalitarian nature of his relationships with these women. It puzzles me why so many Gurdjieff groups are the opposite of humane and light hearted. Jeez......what happened? If they are all trying to emulate Gurdjieff they are way way off according to these notes. Anyways....whatever. If you are into Gurdjieff then I highly recommend this book. It's a great read and a look into how it really was after he gave up all the headbanging at the Prieure. Only criticism is there are lots of references to exercises but hardly any full descriptions. But I suspect this is more to do with the ladies' papers than the book. Gurdjieff people are soooo secretive. Love to all.

Study is required for this book. You have to work with it, digging deep and pausing long to ponder: what does this mean. And it's worth it!

For the public: This book is NOT for casual consumption. Your money will be wasted & it likely will not be refunded. For the initiates: Only read this book if you are prepared by previous encounters with practical work on attention. For the idiots: Read it thrice.

This copy of 'Life is real only then, when I am' fulfills my needs. My caveat would be that its value lies in completing the writings of G.I. Gurdjieff for the person interested in understanding his teaching.

No one understood or understands the man (Gurdjieff). You must want to understand the message, not the man. Every word has meaning beyound or "ordenary" lives.

When reading C. S. Nott’s book “Teachings of Gurdjieff” for the first time, many years ago, I was fascinated by Orage’s Commentary on Beelzebub, which is a part of the book. Nott called this commentary only a small portion of the whole material. Since this time I have been waiting for the publication of the remaining stuff. Now here it is. Whoever wants to dig deeper in Beelzebub’s Tales can’t avoid to read it. But, as another reviewer already told us, first you have to read Beelzebub Tales by yourself, otherwise you put the cart before the horse and your journey will never begin.

Intriguing comments, very different from originally published Orage Commentaries. Definitely worth having both. Orage was very close to the source making his remarks valuable.

This book of over 360 pages comprises apparently complete and unabridged notes of Orages talks in New York, though edited for readability. (A small part of the notes were edited by and included in C.S Nott's Teachings of Gurdjieff, The Journal of a Pupil: An Account of Some Years With G. I. Gurdjieff and A. R. Orage in New York and at Fontainebleau-Avon.) I would say that these commentaries are essential reading for the serious student of G.I. Gurdjieff's magnum opus and are replete with hints as to the layers of meanings therein. Orage was instrumental in editing Gurdjieff's book into English and these talks clearly demonstrate his deep grasp of the scope of Gurdjieff's allegory, in a way I have found nowhere else, in such detail. It is very important that Gurdjieff's "Friendly Advice", which can be found at the beginning of Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson, is read and acted on, namely to read Beelzebub's Tales three times in the manner prescribed by the author. I cannot stress enough that this should be done before reading Orage's commentaries. To ignore the above advice could greatly reduce the impact and benefit which can be accrued by reading these books in the recommended order and manner.

This book is only to be recommended to those who are already steeped in Gurdjieff's teachings. The advice contained within the pages is aimed at particular students with particular questions, aims and difficulties. Those untutored in the ideas will gain little from the records and those with experience will still need to be alive to the possibility of inappropriate application of specifically-directed counsel.

I regard this work as Gurdjieff's masterpiece, although it at first appears incomplete. I believe this could be deliberate, however. This last in his series, for the astute reader already familiar with Gurdjieff's ideas and methods, and already having some considerable experience with the practice of such ideas, will be able to discern in this book the elucidation of the operation of his two first grade common cosmic laws, the Heptaparaparshinokh and the Triamazakamno, as well as the proceeding of his law of accident, law of fate, and law of cause and effect, as they proceeded in his own life. Such an elucidation was only possible after the elapse of periods of time as could demonstrate the proceeding of all these laws. In this work, he has put himself forward as a living example of the functioning of the principles which he taught. It is a work that needs to be read and re-read until the connections he makes between all the laws and the processes of events in his own life can be discovered.

The exchanges are valuable to one who follows the Gurdjieff teaching because they represent his voice and not the interpretations of others. One has to assume they were accurately recorded, and given the personal nature of the exchanges, it seems they were. A wonderful book ......

Read it and get transported. If you have read other stuff, you know what to expect. This completes much of the earlier work

The book is in a perfect shape. I liked everything about this book from the time of delivery to the last moment of opening it and going throught it. I would recommend it to everyone.

G.I. Gurdjieff's "Life is Real Only Then, When I Am" (over 185 pages) is the last volume of the "All and Everything" trilogy, which is the name of ten books in three series, which this current volume is consisted of four books. The purpose of this volume, according to the author, is "to assist the arising, in the mentation and in the feelings of the reader, of a veritable, nonfantastic representation not of that illusory world which he now perceives, but of the world existing in reality." However, this book is incomplete as it only contains a prologue, the author's description of five of his lectures (delivered on five nights from November 28 up to December 19 of 1930) and a final essay entitled "The Outer and Inner World of Man". It's a fairly quick reading but quite loaded with interesting insights. In the prologue, the author goes into details about his later life as well the core of this book. Personally, I discovered this book to be valuable in exploring the "talks" and his ideas for what they revealed about ourselves as human beings and about "the Work."

Historically important as an introduction, by the Master himself, to his work. Written to attract students, but fundamentally the Work, nonetheless. With the great number of books on Gurdjieff and the Work now, I tend to be rereading the words of the man himself.

... for publishing this book. I have on my bookshelf Patterson's "Ladies of the Rope", and I am very glad I got the chance to read this one first: from the diaries of the women who actually interacted and Worked with Gurdjieff. I feel that I will have a more objective understanding of who these women were, how they thought, and their relationship with G from their accounts. Of the three books Gurdjieff wrote my favorite from him - and one of my all times favorite - is "Meetings with Remarkable Men". It was the book that helped me See Gurdjieff as the man he was, through the people who influenced him in his life. And through his seeing them, I saw him. That's the only way I can express it in the moment. Later, reading Ouspensky's "In Search of the Miraculous", though I got a better understanding of his teaching, I didn't "find" the man I met in his own writings. Neither did I in Patterson's "Struggle of the Magicians", although I am not denying that both books were important in getting the "bigger picture". It was when I started reading the notes of these two women who were part of a small group among other intelligent women whom Gurdjieff taught in Paris in the years before WWII, that I Saw him again. And though for them he was their Master, through their descriptions of Work subjects for the development of an individual I, the cooking, cleaning and the magnificent dinners, the coffee dates and drives through France, the Easters and Christmases they spend with him, but above all, the intimate relationship each had with him, the spirit and humanity of Gurdjieff shines through.

The published version of Life Is Real is a limited selection from the disorganized collection of papers that was left at the time of the author's death. Some changes have been made (bizarrely - including some dates)and this version is introduced as the authorized version, although the editors were apparently coy about using their own names or credentials to authorize. Some whole chapters have been omitted.

A must for everyone interested in Gurdjieff as a teacher and his methods. I waited a long time for this material. A selection of it was already published by W. P. Patterson in his "Ladies of the Rope", but here you get the whole cake, complete without addition or omission. I found a lot of surprising and valuable hints in it, here is one of them - Karpenko, Dr. Ekim Bey and Skridloff represent the astral body of man. But this is not all, to read the intensive talks between these intelligent women and Gurdjieff is an vivifying experience in itself.

I became interested in learning about the teachings of George Gurdjieff (1877? -- 1949) after reading philosopher Jacob Needleman's memoir "What is God?" (2009), a book I admired a good deal.

Some of Mr. Gurdjieff is a struggle for me to read and understand. But the depth and weight of of his Truths deserved as much concentration, attention and patience as I could gather. The effort to reach even some levels of this work, was certainly worth it. It covered the aims of his Institute of Harmonious Development. Mr. Gurdjieff aimed for harmony, and many people are thanking him the remainder of their planetary existence for the jewels he selflessly imparted to his groups. The ruthless attack on "Vanity - Self-Conceit" is obviously well-founded; because they seem to me to be the single greatest source of suffering and confusion since the dawn of mankind. Gurdjieff knew people could not do, nor change themselves. He did teach how to allow something to SEE you, perhaps causing shocks, conscious labor and voluntary suffering needed to wake-up and see Objectively- that did indeed change people miraculously. I appreciate being told what is objective- it's hard on the ego; but that self-loving apparatus cares nothing for me. I keep reading the First Series over and over. His sentence structure, and bizarre discussions had me pull my hair out initially. I wanted to throw it out the window! So I'd retreat to the surgically- clean, often air-tight, intellectually linear, but brilliant works of Ouspensky i.e. 'The Fourth Way', or 'Search'. But the weight and power and multi-leveled 'Objective Hammer' of Gurdjieff's writing has me willing and wishing for deeper understanding. Gurdjieff's writing is in Tiers, Cosmoses, dimensions, parables, and an allegory that make it "All and Everything".

I think it's one of the valuable texts that everyone should own, with certain requirements that it be a fragment not the whole document about the 4th way. The way of the ordinary life. Gurdjieff couldn't write a straightforward sentence. The longest sentence in the HOCG is more than two pages long. In my opinion he's in the same class of 'man' as C. G. Jungs second personality (read the Red Book, or some of it) but a tad below William Blake, Emanuel Swedenborg and P.D. Ouspensky/Rodney Collin/Maurice Nicoll. G. doesn't write in easily readable language and makes the excuse that it's only through extended efforts at self obervation that it's possible to 'remember one's self'. I love this book but I'd read a lot of the previous authors I mentioned, before it fell at my feet one day, literally. So it made sense, a whole lot of sense to me, but only then. It's a book that I believe produces an effect if you do what he suggests, read it three times. I recorded it so I could listen to it and did that several times. I believe Gurdjieffs' real inner life is what this book is about. If anyone gets past the first page, which begins with a couple of precisely timed coincidences, it's obvious he has a lot of hubris. What makes me feel that he was still looking for something but had not found it himself, is that he couldn't use ordinary language. That's the opposite of Ouspensky, without whom Gurdjieff wouldn't have come to my attention. Probably. G.often stated 'facts' that could have been elaborated and clarified but he didn't fill in the details. That's his way to force 'effort' on the reader. It seems to me that's like trying to talk about forests without describing what's in a forest, trees, dirt, animals, bugs, plants of all kinds and ever changing circumstances. Concepts don't tell enough to someone that's new to such ideas as the 4th way, which in my opinion includes the life of the mind but is not limited by it. He says that 'Man's suggestability is the biggest problem' and that's what this and most of everything written by Gurdjieff made very explicit (to me anyway). We do not experience the same 'time' all the time and we have different 'eyes' within, not just different 'I's'. That's not too hard to put into words. It doesn't seem impossible that a man with his intellect and experiences couldn't devote a chapter to the problem of how easily associations are formed, how difficult fixed and rigidly held associations are to dislodge. He demonstrated obliquely how a person's 'main feature' is visible to everyone but 'him'; suggestability doesn't apply there, nobody can tell 'him' what is main feature is. Suggestability and why it's man's biggest problem is somewhat demonstrated too. Swedenborg either was on the same 'wave length' as Gurdjieff or they were related in some other way, even though a couple of centuries separated them. G'.s 'main feature' and Swedenborg's 'ruling love' are in my opinion different names for the same thing. S. wrote that 'man's ruling love' is hidden behind every act and thought in a man's life in the same inner core where the 'real life' is originating and intended. When an idea is to be kept 'alive' moving along in time, there seems to be a plan that accomplishes the life of an idea; ideas being adapted even if they are renamed. Gurdjieff seems to have learned a lot about symbolism but didn't write about it in depth. It doesn't seem to me Gurdjieff wrote enough about the difficulties of language, symbolism and ancient codes but that's just what I think. Other authors take up that slack. Language and how words effect 'us' is very much an issue in our 'now'. The Internet had to happen probably. This book has a lot of timeless thought in it, now it should appeal to more people. I'd recommend reading Rodney Collin's Theory of Eternal Life before HOCG and think of it was being about quantum physics bascially. And I'd continue to recommend Laura de Witt's William Blake and the Tree of Life. William Blake was awake, fully awake in his time because he recognized 'Newton's folly' right away, not a couple of centuries later. He also gave many clues about perception and the 'sweet science of Qabala' and the role it plays in man's life. The fact is that so much new information (mathematics, quantum physics, new geometries, psychiatric ideas) was entering the 'common presences' (that's G. term for the body) of so many other authors in their fields at the same time he wrote. Strangely (to me) it has required 7 decades for 'us' to begin to talk about what he wrote about in 1932. It's not that he's digressing or evasive, he tries to put everything (that he wants to disclose) into context. Sometimes that reveals a lot about what he's really doing: selecting individuals to study, but he doesn't reveal what exactly it is he's studying, nor does he describe exactly the period of 'unnatural for him' life that he mentioned. I don't believe it's possible to see how mechanically our mind processes 'impressions' unless he experienced it himself. It's ironical that Gurdjieff sits on both sides of the 4th way, which I believe is the real path in life, since its the way of the ordinary life. And that's where objective truth may blend, any mind creates uniquely subjective material that requires not only self remembering but real self observation for a long time, of one's 'common presence', (the body and how the mind operates as well as what it produces). Actually good psychoanalysis does that but G didn't have lot to say about the 'new psychoanalysis' that Freud and C. G. Jung were warring about, when HOCG was brewing in his mind. It's hard to learn to 'read' the kind of books that have ideas in them that they (G. especially) believed were meant to be kept secret or very difficult to discern, so as to not throw 'pearls to swine'.

I am a fan of Hulme's (The Nun's Story, The Wild Place), but I felt this book was a muddled account of her spiritual journey. I heartily recommend the factual The Wild Place (her five years helping resettle Europe's millions of displaced persons after WWII)or the Nun's Story (a good nun who left her order and I suspect based on Hulme's relationship with a nun Hulme met in The Wild Place). But this is one book where I skipped here and there, hoping for some clue as to why she wrote it. Hulme evidently found her spiritual place in the universe, but she couldn't take me with her.

Of all the literature written on the subject, this is perhaps most revealing into the methods and teaching of a truly remarkable man. Here we see a warm and sensitive side hitherto unavailable to the reader of other books dealing with Mr. gurdjieff and his methods. Here we see a patient and remarkable understanding of the questions posed him. Remarkable because of his spot-on-insight of the puples real question not spoken, but kept deep inside... Over and over he repeats the essential message: Self Remembering, not accidental but consciously done.

Reading this book gave much insight into the life and teachings of Gurdjieff. It helped make sense out of the 'school' teachings giving kind of a hidden awareness that wasn't quite obvious. A deeper understanding of the man Gurdjieff was presented here exposing some of his humanness and methods of teaching.

A good portion of this book is difficult to read -- not because it contains dense and profound ideas, but because Gurdjieff purposely made his sentences convoluted and confusing. Why? Well, early in the book he mocks the contemporary habit, especially among Americans, of learning and regurgitating things in a glib, shallow, mechanical, and mindless manner. This habit leads to people taking his teachings out of context, misapplying them, and talking the talk but not walking the walk. It also leads to insincere sycophancy by people who praise him without even deeply grokking what he's saying. So when he addressed just such an audience, he employed convolution to ensure that only those actively thinking, and not just mindlessly absorbing, could follow along and reach the next level of his plans for them. Thus you have to read through numerous hundred-word run on sentences if you want to read the whole book. I know this is true because in his final chapter he switches to his normal mode, regular sentences, thus it's not the translator's fault. You have to read (or skip) to the Fifth lecture, and especially the second half of the final chapter, to get at the real meat of the book. That's where he talks about the threefold nature of man, the soul, and most importantly, the vibrations (something like the aura) he gives off and how they intermingle with others. And then guess what? The book ends right then and there! Arghhh... just when it gets good, Gurdjieff stopped in mid-sentence. Maybe he realized the task was too enormous to explain his whole teachings systematically in one book. Overall I'd say this book is worth reading for the few gems, and only after you're already familiar with the basic ideas of Fourth Way, having read at least In Search of the Miraculous by Ouspensky and Views from the Real World.

The other review about "writing better" should understand the value of letters and journaling. Excellent book on interaction and lessons of life given and received from teacher to pupil. If you find a copy keep it and will it to your children.

Gurdjieff may have "recalled" this small book. Read it anyway. As he said, he teaches the way of the "sly man"--the one who sometimes has to "steal" the truth. What I took from the book: Gurdjieff's life prior to the closing of the Prieure was in many ways an intentionally artifical life; he was playing a necessary role. He was experimenting upon the members of the Institute for Man's Harmonious Development. The thought that occurs after reading this is that perhaps many of the "exercises" and "teachings" that pupils from that period have related were actually not intended as exercises or teachings at all; rather, they were tools to create desired experimental conditions. Gurdjieff indicates that he did not get his answers from any religious or monastic orders; rather, he got his answers from his own study of hypnotism and his subsequent experiments (including, but not limited to, those conducted at the Prieure). The book seems to de-emphasize the religious connotations of Gurdjieff's "Work" while emphasizing its psychological nature. The implications given by Gurdjieff are that he gave his "Work" a Theosophical-spiritual garb in order to attract the necessary people for his experiments (Theosophy and spirituality were very popular when Gurdjieff came on the scene). In other words, the "spirituality" apparent in Gurdjieff's teachings is just bait for the fish. Well, be as it may...my recommendation is to read the book and take what you will from it.

Transcriptions of down to earth meetings in G.'s Paris flat. Clean notes without an aura of mystification... Much material for thought in the vein of 'Views From the Real World'... Recommended for those solidly connected with the Work.

Gurdjieff is like so many "gurus" that use symbolism and mystical language which appears so prosaic that it becomes quite difficult to fully comprehend, much less profoundly understand. We truly need positive occult science, which is related to the more formal use of our Aryan mental faculties, as opposed to the emotional-devotional-mystical approach to comprehending what is honestly written (and generally valid, excluding the avaricious charlatans, nefarious disciples of the dark side, and ignorant but well meaning individuals) by so many writers and presenters of "spiritual" topics, but difficult to delve deeply into. The other point is that the language and idioms used are of the period that the writer lived, which is generally far from recent. The next point of difficulty relates to the language translations we encounter. Some are very literal and some are not done by those who fully dominate the two languages. The final difficulty is our own belief-biases that we need to transcend when approaching the subject of esoteric spirituality and the much more concrete POSITIVE occult science (not the same as christian science). We need to make sure that we avoid the more negative and evil occult sciences that appear to dominate 70% of this planet at this time; although that figure is being reduced slowly over time as the strongly positive occult science (of will, love & intelligence) continues to make inroads. All this unfortunately needs to be considered when reading this type of literature, and with an unbiased mind, extract our own intellectual comprehension and a modicum of intuitional understanding, Any belief biases will totally ruin the effort. Gurdieff gives a great deal, but you will have to work to comprehend it all.

This book is the first attempt that Gurdjieff made to express his system. It is not very comprehensive and reads like a series of ruminations and notes by Gurdjieff. If you want to get a feeling for his system as a whole, THE FOURTH WAY and IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS by P. D. Ouspensky are superior and were approved by Gurdjieff as an accurate rendition of his system. THE DRAMATIC UNIVERSE by John Bennett fills in some of the missing pieces of what Ouspensky leaves off (like going into all the laws in the ray of creation) and Rodney Collin in THEORY OF CELESTIAL INFLUENCE covers the next higher level of self remembering. But HERALD OF COMING GOOD is interesting to read for a few reasons. One is that it is more "raw" than the other writings that came out and this is its charm. It is like seeing part of the foundations of a house before it is covered over. There are also some historical notes in this writing that give clues to when and where Gurdjieff learned parts of his system and these notes do not appear easily in any of the other writings. John Bennett seems to have used some of these notes to actually find some of Gurdjieff's teachers. The book can round out the reader's familiarity with the historical context of the system.

This book, as all of Gurdjieff's works, are meant to make you 'think'. There are a many great gems in this book. However, like a great 4th Way teacher, he doesn't just hand them out like candy. You have to have the eyes to 'see'. This book answered many questions for me, it was a great read.

For some reason Herald seems to get a bad rep in Gurdjieff biographies for being both mad and incomprehensible. I disagree with this. I found it just as interesting and challenging as G's other writings. It's written in the same deliberately convoluted style as Beelzebub's Tales which means you have to work at understanding it; but at the same time this is a rewarding process. G figured he had to make his writing difficult in order to jolt the reader out of his rut. The content of the book is basically an announcement of the forthcoming publication of Beelzebub, Meetings and Life is Only Real which he had spent the last decade working on, as well as a short history of his teaching the Work. As with Beelzebub it's probably better if you already have a familiarity with G's philosophy from someone like Ouspensky.

First part of this book is okay - reveals the mystical part of G. Rest is difficult to follow, probably because of the rigid translation. If someone who is familiar with G attempts to translate this book again, that will be a great service to humanity. I could tastefully swallow G through "Views form the Real World" and "In Search of the Miraculius" than any of his books although "Belzebe" and "Meeting with.." are lot better than this "I am..". G has a great influence in moulding my spiritual journey and I hate to see a book that's so badly translated and presented.

Gurdjieff as Black Magician In Herald of Coming Good Gurdjieff portrays himself as a black magician in contrast to his role a white magician in Life is Real Only Then When 'I am'. In terms of Gurdjieff's Law of Three, these books convey two opposing results of the processes expressed in his other two books, Beelzebub's Tales To His Grandson, which expresses a negative or destructive force, and Meetings With Remarkable Men which expresses a positive or creative force. Herald is the expression of a negative result, or in Gurdjieffian teaching terms, a negative third force leading to devolution, while Life expresses the result from a positive or evolutionary third force. Seen in this way Herald should be included as an important part of Gurdjieff's writing, and though he 'exiled' this book, echoing Beelzebub's exile from the Sun Absolute, readers should ignore Gurdjieff's instructions not to read it. Herald should now be re-embraced back into the sequence of Gurdjieff's writings where it belongs, just as Beelzebub was himself pardoned and allowed to return to the Sun Absolute. All four of Gurdjieff's books have themes related to time. The Tales shows a continuing devolution from past to present, while Meetings shows Gurdjieff and the Seekers 'reversing time' by returning to the past sources of ancient wisdom via teachings in texts and monasteries. The title of Life is Real Only Then When 'I am', emphasises the eternal present while the Herald Of Coming Good suggests the unreality of the future. If we look at Gurdjieff's books in this way it makes sense to follow his instructions to read three of them in the order he prescribes, and to disobey his instruction not to read Herald.

I would have to recomend that you skip this installment of the Guirdjeff triology. If you have read Beelzebub or Remarkable Men then there really is no need to waste your time lumbering through what can only be described as disjointed and stuttering translation. Perhaps the worst translation ever - which is saying alot considering Penguin's long lineage of word butchery. If you must read this - learn French and read the original or skip to the last third of the Penguin version. The last third is really the only information worth reading in either language. The first 100 or so pages has Gurdjieff is a rather false humility trying to matter a factly self grandize his life and work. Not the last taste of his remarkable ideas and life that you want on your lips.

Gurdjieff was certainly a man ahead of his time and shares with us terrific insights and exercises that could possibly help raise one's consciousness. And I have no doubt that there are many people who have found a path of discovering about Self through his teachings. I can understand why Gurdjieff's teachings are taught directly from teacher to pupil. Be sure to do research about the groups of people around the world who pass on G's teachings. This book does not do justice to those teachings. It is only a glimpse of it. Whats more, this book makes for difficult reading. Probably because the translation from Russian is not in the most concise and clear manner. In many instances, you will find that the parts of a normal english sentence now come in a very different order, and that one sentence can be full of interjections and are so long as to make one paragraph. I have an easy time conversing with people whose foreign accents and awkward english translation permeate their words. But I didn't have such an easy time of it when reading a translated version from Russian such as this. If you are used to reading books that are written in easy-to-read english, and find dialectic tones difficult to read through, than this book will indeed be a hard read. If you want to learn a bit more from Gurdjieff's wisdom---his philosophy and cosmology, than try other books by Gurddjieff and/or his pupils. Search the web on his biography to know more about him. Choose your purchase well.

There are some pretty good reviews of this book, which somewhat surprises me given the nature of it and how poor some reviews are of Gurdjieff's first series or, for example, of Pentland's book. I wish to add that Gurdjieff himself, as many of you probably know, requested the reading of his books in sequence, and the third series in particular was to be reserved for his experienced pupils. Perhaps it is too strict to keep to this request - I don't presume to be the best judge. But in spite of being incomplete, this book - as others have indicated - has a depth to it that a superficial reading may not succeed in discriminating. I can vouch for that first hand: The first time I read this book was many years ago, and I was dissappointed. Fifteen years passed and I read it again. My being had changed some in the interim, even if not impressively. Yet it was a "different" reader, and it proved to be a different book. This time I was amazed that I had been so unimpressed the first time. I think it is a mistake to read this book only with the thinking center. This book cannot be understood that way. One must read it with the emotional center actively engaged. I do think Gurdjieff's request was not frivolous, and is worthy of respect and consideration. Like many fourth way books that are among the best, this book can be a mirror in which the being of a reader is more on display from a review than the merits - or lack of merit - of the book. These books are not always easy to review. Fortunately this one has not yet, as I write, suffered the kind of severe abuse and foolishness that some of the others have received from egos with exaggerated perceptions of their understanding.

Back when the Third Series was hard to come by, people imagined --- based on rumor and hype, not the least of which from Gurdjieff himself -- that this volume would contain Gurdjieff's most significant teachings. You know, the stuff that SERIOUS and ADVANCED students of esoterica, like you, were looking for. The powerful methods that would enable you to do or be whatever it is you think you ought to do or be, other than what you already are (anything but that!) Well, keep looking, because the Third Series is pretty tame. No secrets. No mind-blowing methods. You won't be able to kill a yak at fifty paces after you read it. You'll just be back looking for that one book that will save you the trouble of self-remembering, not expressing negative emotions, etc., etc. Better to read Beelzebub's Tales that third time. Yeah, that'll do it.

Another uncompleted master work - where have we encountered this before? Let's see, Plato's Timaeus, Edmund Spenser's Faeire Queene, James Joyce's projected (and unwritten) fourth major volume after Finnegans Wake, Joseph Campbell's Atlas of World Mythology... Are we detecting a pattern here - that authors procrastinate? Though "incomplete" this book is important reading for anyone interested in the Gurdjieff Work. For example, Gurdjieff gives a representative psychological exercise: Pay attention to your right hand. Lay it flat. Begin to count to ten with one finger, while you observe the emotional state of a second finger, while simultaneously observing the physical sensations of a third. (What exactly *is* the emotional state of a finger, I still ask myself.) The book's biography is interesting but Meetings with Remarkable Men is better in that regard, and Views from the Real World covers more psychological ground.