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This is the first in a series of three books that provide the reader with the ability to directly compare the text of Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson with the text of its earlier draft, The 1931 Manuscript.
Despite the differences between the two versions, the text of both bear the mark of Gurdjieff. They are permeated with his rhythm and style. In some chapters, the text of the two versions is very similar, while others show clear and revealing differences.
If you have not met with The 1931 Manuscript before, when you read some of its distinctly different chapters, you can get the impression you're reading a book of Gurdjieff's you haven't encountered before. The subject matter may be familiar, but the text feels "new."
There are two main reasons why someone would choose to acquire this book.
1)Those who have not read The 1931 Manuscript may acquire it as an interesting way to access this book.
2)As part of an effort to "try and fathom the gist" of The Tales.
Naturally, it's the second of these activities that this book has been designed to facilitate, making the direct comparison of the two texts as easy as possible. To that end, the text of the two books is, where possible lined up paragraph to paragraph and line to line.
