The Scholar’s Toolbox I: Primary Sources release 0

The Hugh Lynn Cayce version only ever existed in one volume, the Text volume. While many have stated otherwise, I’ve never seen any evidence, or met anyone who has actually seen any evidence that the HLC ever had more than one volume. That one volume was stored in four physical binders, which may have been the source of the notion that there were “multiple volumes” represented. The Editor’s Notes at the end of that volume contain additional documentation.

The first version to have chapter and section breaks, this was Helen’s final re-typing of the Text volume prior to the editing of 1973-75 which resulted in the 1975 FIP Abridgement. Reports on this vary but all agree that the Text was retyped at least one more time than the other volumes, and that the others were all retyped at least once after the Thetford Transcript.

We do have two typed manuscripts for the Text and only one for each of the other volumes, which according to all accounts means we are missing one typed copy of the original dictation. It’s impossible to be absolutely sure whether we have the first, or second, or even possibly a third re-typing represented in those manuscripts, however.

What we do know of the HLC from Kenneth Wapnick is that this is the version he and Helen abridged into the 1975 FIP First Edition, removing about a quarter of the first five chapters (which had already been severely abridged from the original version) and substantially re-writing much of what they left in. And we know that some time before 1974, Hugh Lynn Cayce was given a copy. Indeed he was given the very copy of which this is a facsimile photocopy.

In addition to a basic MPF “Corrected HLC” e-text, there are additional HLC e-texts in circulation which will be of interest to some students, which are included here.

JCIM: This is the original Course in Miracles Society “first edition” which is a largely accurate e-text of the HLC. There are about 300 genuine typos, as opposed to changes from the manuscript that correct spelling, etc. See the end notes to this edition for a more extensive discussion

The HLC Replica:

This e-text was prepared primarily for proofreading purposes. It seems to replicate the HLC manuscript page for page, keystroke for keystroke, and attempts to make no changes or corrections of any kind. If there are any differences from the manuscript we are not aware of them.

Tom Whitmore’s “Original Edition:”

This is Tom Whitmore’s personal “interpretive edition” of the HLC which is highly original in wording, emphasis and punctuation. While rather loosely based on the HLC it contains over seven thousand undocumented variations from the manuscript, most of which are Whitmore’s original creative input and not drawn from any earlier or later source material. As with the other documents, the end notes attached to this file offer more extensive information and analysis.

HLC editions compared:

This article offers some information about the differences between several editions of the HLC.