"Contrary to the established custom, I shall not only permit this first book of mine, as well as the books of the first series, to be reprinted in any country, but, if necessary, I am willing to subsidize it, on the condition of course that absolute accuracy is preserved."
-- G. Gurdjieff

To preserve accuracy we have printed this book exactly as written by Mr. Gurdjieff but have included only one Registration Blank, a sample of the seven originally called for. It is not to be filled out.

During the author's period in the East, he often witnessed ballet performances executed during sacred services in some of the ancient temples. 'The Struggle of the Magicians' reproduces some of these dances, providing an interesting insight into the history of this celebrated art form.

Meetings with Remarkable Men, Gurdjieff's autobiographical account of his youth and early travels, has become something of a legend since it was first published in 1963. A compulsive 'read' in the tradition of adventure narratives, but suffused with Gurdjieff's unique perspective on life, it is organized around portraits of remarkable men and women who aided Gurdjieff's search for hidden knowledge or accompanied him on his journeys in remote parts of the Near East and Central Asia.

This is a book of lives, not of doctrines, although readers will long value Gurdjieff's accounts of conversations with sages. Meetings conveys a haunting sense of what it means to live fully - with conscience, with purpose, and with heart. Among the remarkable individuals whom the reader will come to know are Gurdjieff's father (a traditional bard), a Russian prince dedicated to the search for Truth, a Christian missionary who entered a World Brotherhood deep in Asia, and a woman who escaped white slavery to become a trusted member of Gurdjieff's group of fellow seekers. Gurdjieff's account of their attitudes in the face of external challenges and in the search to understand the mysteries of life is the real substance of this classic work.