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P. D. Ouspensky was born in Moscow in 1878. His first book, The Fourth Dimension (1909), offered a contribution to mathematical theory; it was Tertium Organum (1912) and A Model of the Universe (written 1914) which revealed his stature as a thinker and his deep preoccupation with the problems of man’s existence. Ouspensky’s search for truth brought him in 1915 to his meeting in Moscow with George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff who revealed to him a system of knowledge which Ouspensky recognised as a vital need for mankind at the present time.

Meetings with Remarkable Men is Gurdjieff's autobiography that tells of his adventures and travels to achieve enlightenment and inner growth. Beginning with his childhood, each chapter is dedicated to one of the remarkable men or women who accompanied him on his journeys to search for hidden knowledge. Among them is his father, a Russian prince dedicated to the search for Truth, a Christian missionary who entered a World Brotherhood deep in Asia, and a woman who escaped slavery to become a trusted member of Gurdjieff's group of fellow seekers.

Gurdjieff refers to it as the first of his writings intended to head the list of his publications. He describes the activities of his organization, "The Institute for Man's Harmonious Development", and gives an outline of his other writings, like "All and Everything", consisting of 10 books in three series.

These lectures were intended by Ouspensky as introductory material for people interested in the work in England. This material is still unmatched as a brief statement of the work's psychological ideas. Designed to be read aloud at weekly meetings of small groups of people interested in the work, they are almost a basic primer of Gurdjieff's psychological ideas on consciousness and spiritual development.