The ONLY English version of the book approved by Gurdjieff, who was merely the AUTHOR, was the 1950 edition edited by A.R. Orage. Warts and all, its English reflected most precisely Gurdjieff's intent; the author had the book read, re-read, read aloud in groups in his presence, and revised painstakingly. Gurdjieff was not, no matter what the neo-editors of this bungled 100-odd-page-less version think, striving for 'clarity' or 'ease of reading,' in the commonly accepted sense.

This revised version was neither wanted, needed, nor asked for. The pretty cover is not worth the maiming you will incur by trading off the original text for the hobbled contents inside.

If you are going to buy this important book, buy the Penguin/Arkana version available in softcover (also sold through Amazon) which is the intended 1248 pages, or buy the Two Rivers Press hardcover facsimile of the original 1950 edition with the Errata listed as an appendix, available from better bookstores online.