The Seven Principles of Man

Initially married to a minister, Annie Besant left her husband to join a secular movement, taking up social reform and advocating exploration of various spiritual traditions, particularly Hinduism. Besant was an early member of George Bernard Shaw's Fabian Society, a group dedicated to advocating socialism, and became a prominent theosophist after she met Madame Blavatsky. Besant eventually made her way to India, where she founded the Central Hindu College in Benares, and studied Hindu texts in their original Sanskrit. Among her works are numerous expositional texts on Indian religion, an Autobiography, and two volumes on Indian politics.