The first volume of To Fathom the Gist provided techniques for reading and better comprehending the content of Gurdjieff's masterpiece. The second volume goes much further in its explanation and demonstration of these techniques.
It examines in depth how Gurdjieff wrote Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson, pursuing the idea that "if we know how he wrote the book, we will be better able to read and understand it." And it then proceeds to examine and discuss the three ways of reading the book that Gurdjieff describes and recommends. It gradually becomes clear that Gurdjieff provided extensive advice on how to read his book. The simple fact is that the reader usually ignores such advice, or fails to even see that it is provided. It gradually becomes clear that most of us need to learn how to read this book effectively. Remarkable though it may seem, we really do not know how to read well - and in order to truly appreciate The Tales we need to have that skill.
In the course of the author's discussion and analysis of reading technique, insights into the meaning of different chapters or sections of Gurdjieff's book come into focus and are revealed, often as demonstrative examples and sometimes simply as incidental side notes.
This volume also provides original perspectives on The Tales by examining the 1931 Manuscript (the earliest edition of The Tales) and comparing it to Gurdjieff's final version. In some areas of the book, the differences are revealing.
And, it proceeds further to analyze the 1992 revision of The Tales in depth, providing what is likely to become the definitive analysis of that version of The Tales.
Finally, the book investigates the Arch-absurd; Beelzebub's assertion that our Sun neither lights nor heats. The meaning of this assertion is examined in depth.
In 1988, after drifting through several work groups, Robin Bloor met and became a pupil of Rina Hands. Rina was a one-time associate of J. G. Bennett, a student of Peter Ouspensky's, and later, a pupil of George Gurdjieff. Following Gurdjieff's death, she remained part of J. G. Bennett's group for a while. Subsequently, she formed groups both in London, where she lived, and in Bradford in the North of England - initially in conjunction with Rosemary Nott. She was both an accomplished movements teacher and an inspirational group leader. She died in 1994 and is buried next to Jane Heap in a cemetery in North London.
Bloor was born in 1951 in Liverpool, UK. He obtained a BSc in Mathematics at Nottingham University and took up a career in the computer industry, initially writing software. From 1989 onwards, he became a technology analyst and consultant. He has been an author of a kind ever since. In 2002, he was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Computer Science by Wolverhampton University in the UK. He currently resides in and works from Austin, Texas in the USA.
