My Dear Friends

The Letters of Clara Codd

1945-1968

Theosophical Society international lecturer, writer, world traveler, feminist icon.

Clara Codd (1876-1971) was a well-known and beloved Theosophical Society lecturer, writer, world traveler and feminist, who spent time in prison for advocating voting rights for women.  Born in England, she joined the Theosophical Society in 1903, and was appointed the first National Lecturer of the English section in 1906. She eventually became one of the Theosophical Society’s most popular international lecturers, and gave talks and workshops on five continents. She was known to bring a welcome degree of warmth and intimacy to often difficult philosophical subjects, which was also reflected in her extensive correspondence.

Having developed a wide circle of friends around the world, Clara Codd began writing bi-monthly circular letters in order to keep in touch with her many friends and associates. From 1945 to 1968 she wrote 137 letters that included accounts of her personal experiences and observations, along with inspiration, insights and practical advice about treading the spiritual path. Many of the letters are as timely today as when they were written.

More than 300 people around the world received letters every two months, which were typed, mimeographed and mailed to them by volunteers in South Africa, England and the United States. The original letters were scanned by archivists at ther Theosophical Society in America, and were reformatted to MS Word. They were then edited to reflect the format and appearance of the original typewritten letters. Short descriptions of many of the people who Ms. Codd mentioned in the Letters have been added, along with 22 black and white photographs of people and places mentioned in the Letters.

Some of the letters that were written before 1949 were edited and published in Letters to Aspirants, a small book published by the Theosophical Publishing House (Adyar, Madras, India) in 1949 and long out of print. This is the first time that all of Clara Codd’s letters are being published in their entirety in one karge volume.

My Dear Friends: The Letters of Clara Codd.

Gaupo Publishing / Kindle Direct Publishing, September 2026.

Trade paperback edition (8-1/2" x11", 452 pages): $24.00. ISBN 9798171176631.

To order My Dear Friends: The Letters of Clara Codd click here.

You can also view and download digital scans the original letters at Theosophy Wiki.

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