About Jan's Books
The earliest bound (paper back) collection of Jan'swritings was titled That Certain Hunger, with an introduction dated 11/12/69, from The Enneagram Press. It was in workbook format (8.5 x 11), about 200 pages in length and mostly included short papers written that year. This was compiled by some of his earliest students. As he wrote more papers, he quit using this collection with new students by '73, perhaps earlier. It is out of print.
His next work is The Conditional Machinery of Things, subtitled, The Koray Adventure. (the public name of his efforts at the time, similar to the Paradigm presentations, but without any original material by his students. This small, spiral bound book is basically the first half of Magnus. It is undated, but I believe it to have been published around 1970.
Magnus Machina followed in 1971, first in paper back published by CSA Press, followed soon in hardback. Beside the content of The Conditional Machinery of Things, Magnus included many private papers written for his Work Group.
The JLF archive has notes that indicate two other publications which were never made public. One, a title called Introduction of Introductions, Ennegram Press 1973. This is described as a privately printed collection sourced from several European and Middle Eastern publications which had printed some of his papers in the early seventies. Also indicated is The Conscious Life, Springbrook Press, no date. Termed "a pirated collection of Jan's private papers from England and France circa '73 and '74." (Probably compiled by some ex-students.)
In 1979 he wrote Dialogues of Gurdjieff and immediately revised it in early 1980, adding a chapter chiding earlier readers for missing his clues as to him being the source of those "secret" G papers, and it also included a section of papers prepared for his group in Atlanta.
...and Kyroot Said followed in mid 1980. This book marks the solo debut of Kyroot, Jan's cosmic performer in the heuristic Work tradition of spiritual comedians and psychological assassins. Kyroot has observed human history, and has made a particular study of man's peculiar idea of somehow "Awakening" from his ordinary state of consciousness. He sings, he dances, he makes with the dangerous jokes. He is rude, tender, incandescent and always surprising…The Kyroot materials were all originally used in Jan’s several Work groups, and thus provide insight into modern Work methods of evolutionary escape.
The Death of Gurdjieff in the Foothills of Georgia followed later in 1980.This was the first American book to arise from Real Work, true to its time and place; it provides an unprecedented inside view of Jan’s Work groups and an outline of what is possible for the very, very few. As a companion piece to Dialogues, it is also a modern objective adventure that leads the reader on a conscious excursion from Paris to “the foothills” of Georgia and beyond.
The Gates of Man. This handbook is a privately published summary of Jan’s early talks, including drawings of his initial maps, illustrations, and glossary definitions, as compiled by his original group in Atlanta, from 1981 to 1984. This is a companion piece to Storming the Gates; together these two volumes were intended and used as an introduction to Jan’s maps and methods.
Storming the Gates. In this privately published complement to The Gates of Man, members of Jan’s Atlanta group describe and expand on his early lectures and maps. Thus, this handbook provides more in-depth descriptions as well as unique insights into lessons learned within a Work environment from the point of view of the participants. Together, these two volumes were intended and used as an introduction to Jan’s Work System.
The last six of these are currently available as eBooks on Amazon.
