PT Pali Text Society
The Pali Text Society was founded by Thomas Rhys Davids in 1881. Its main object was to translate and edit Pali manuscripts in order to make the canonical texts and commentaries of Theravada Buddhism available in English. It was also responsible for the publication of a Pali-English dictionary, 1921-5, and an annual journal, 1882-1927. A new edition of the dictionary was compiled by Dr Margaret Cone, lately of this Faculty, and published in three parts: Part I, A-Kh (2001, revised 2006 and 2015); Part II, G-N (2010, revised 2013); Part III, P-Bh (2020, revised 2021).
The collection comprises seven boxes of records, spanning the years 1881-1980.
PT/1 Committee minutes and agenda
20 Jul 1923
2 items
PT/2 Council agendas
1978-80
1 bundle, printed
PT/3 Lists of subscribers
1883-9
1 bundle, ms and printed
PT/4 Subscribers' registers
1881-1963
3 vols
PT/4/1
1881-1903
PT/4/2
1917-38
PT/4/3
1943-63
PT/5 Subscribers' address books
undated
2 vols
PT/5/1
undated
PT/5/2
undated
PT/6 Subscribers' vouchers
undated, 1881
1 bundle, ms and printed
PT/7 Prospectuses
undated, 1881
1 bundle, printed
English and French
PT/8 Annual reports and accounts
1972, 1979
1 bundle, printed
PT/9 Cash books
1881-1941
2 vols
PT/9/1
1881-1904
With lists of books lent, Mar-May 1885; manuscripts lent, 1885-8; manuscripts received, 1886-7; and out-letters sent, 1882-8
PT/9/2
1904-41
PT/10 Petty cash books
1904-64
2 vols
PT/10/1
1904-14
PT/10/2
1921-64
PT/11 Order books
undated, 1951-80
2 vols
PT/11/1 Order book for the Pali-English Dicitionary
undated, 1951-2
Mainly blank
PT/11/2
1975-80
PT/12 Stock book
1950-63
1 vol
PT/13 Editorial files
1912-80
4 boxes , ms and typescript
Comprises correspondence and papers about newly commissioned works and reprints
Includes some correspondence with authors
Arranged by series title
PT/13/1 Files about dictionaries, concordances, grammars and journals
With some unnumbered files (2)
PT/13/2 Files about Sacred Books of the Buddhists
Nos. 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 35
With an unnumbered file
PT/13/3 Files about the Text Series
Nos. 1, 12, 18, 40, 47, 50, 57, 58, 64, 81, 88, 117, 118, 127, 135, 145, 159, 167, 171, 172 and 173
With some unnumbered files (9)
PT/13/4 Files about the Translation Series
Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5, 18, 20, 32, 33, 34, 37, 39, 41 and 42
With an unnumbered file
PT/14 Correspondence about funds and fundraising
1894-1977
8 bundles, ms and typescript
PT/14/1 Letter about the British Academy
26 Jan 1976
French
PT/14/2 Correspondence with the A. B. Gomes Trust
1951-61
Includes correspondence with Piyadasa Dharmasiri Ratnatunga, 1951-3 (47)
PT/14/3 Correspondence with the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions, New York
1976
PT/14/4 Correspondence and papers about the Sturdy Fund
1894-1932
PT/14/5 Correspondence with the Templeton Foundation
1975
PT/14/6 Correspondence with the royal family of Thailand
1901-77
PT/14/7 Correspondence with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
1962-70
PT/14/8 Correspondence about the destruction of the Society's book stock in a bombing raid during the Second World War and subsequent attempts to raise money in the United States to replace it
1940-1
PT/15 Correspondence with other institutions
1881-1965
4 bundles, ms, typescript and printed
Mainly comprises correspondence with libraries and universities
English, French and German
PT/15/1 A-C
PT/15/2 D-K
PT/15/3 L-R
PT/15/4 S-W
PT/16 Inventories of books and manuscripts in the Society's library
1890, 1897
5 sheets
PT/17 Dried leaves of the bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa)
undated
2 leaves in an envelope
