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About Manly P. Hall



MANLY P. HALL (March 18, 1901 - August 29, 1990) was an acknowledged international authority on the kindred subjects of comparative religion and ancient philosophy, his library constituting a unique collection of original manuscripts and early editions pertaining to these subjects. He traveled in all parts of the civilized world and delivered public addresses to audiences totaling millions.

A student of over forty great religious and philosophic systems, Mr. Hall sought and discovered those universal principles common to them all. Having no particular cult to promulgate, he did not attempt to interpret the ancient doctrines according to preconceived notions. This freedom from personal bias eminently qualified him for the task of religious and philosophic comparison.

Mr. Hall was fundamentally a philosopher and an aesthetician. He believed that in the ancient orders of learning was the solution to the apparently hopeless complexities of modern life. He brought no cherished theories of his own, but substantiated his viewpoints with the opinions of the world's most eminent thinkers of all times. He was primarily concerned with the education of the public mind as to its opportunities and responsibilities. He believed that philosophy is the hope of the world and, therefore, brought the essence of the great schools of thought within the reach of every individual who desires to improve the quality of his or her own thinking and living.

His concise "My Philosophy of Life" may be read [page 1] as well as listened to.

Mr. Hall published the large-format and highly regarded book The Secret Teachings of All Ages in 1928. In 1934 he founded the Philosophical Research Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of useful knowledge in the fields of philosophy, comparative religion, and psychology. In his 70-year career of dynamic public activity, he delivered thousands of extemporaneous lectures in the USA and abroad, authored over 200 books, and published 268 journals (1923-1990), which are magazines of around 80 pages each, containing articles mostly of his own writing.

Mr. Hall's books and lectures (both audio and printed) are widely available and well known, but his journal issues until recently have been scarce and expensive in print. Through this site you can download any of them from a PDF archive.

Also little known and scarce are his 60 Monthly Letters to Students (1934-1941), available here in PDF format.

An extensive article on Manly P. Hall's life and publications can be read at Theosophy Wiki.

A contemporary video collection of lectures on Manly P. Hall's writings and philosophy, created by Alexander Sachon, is available online.

For a biography about Mr. Hall's outer life, see the book Master of the Mysteries by Louis Sahagun.


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