Shorthand

The world´s largest stenographic heritage concerning the work of an individual is located in the Rudolf Steiner Archive. From about 6000 lectures, around 4000 were taken down in shorthand. The rest is passed on only through reports and notes. The taking notes of Steiner´s lectures was in the beginning only left to individual initiatives.

Later it became official through members of the Theosophic Society. At first Steiner was distinctly against the taking note of his lectures, because he made a distinction between the written and the spoken word. “The taking down was at first against Rudolf Steiner´s advice reproduced privately and contains such nonsense that Steiner could not but appoint the person , who would take notes and direct the transcription into our own hands.... He himself did not have the time to look after it and suffered , because he did not consider  the spoken word suitable for printing...” (Marie Steiner: What are the task of literary bequest
(Nachlassverwaltung)    

The available lecture´s notes originate from more than 80 different auditors. This implies a rich variety of idioms like grammalogues and ciphers (Gabelsberg, Stolze/ Schrey) in different qualities.  The largest part, 2500, we owe to the professional stenographer Mrs. Helene Finckh. Except some special courses, she kept record of all lectures in Dornach and accompanied Rudolf Steiner on almost all his lecturing journeys.