Re: Raja
TCF,
I have not read too much written by Swami Vivekananda, but what I have read has really touched me. He wrote with such an openness about the role of women, and even the role of western women in India. I had access to a volume of his complete works some time back, and read only bits and pieces.
This might help:
http://www.vivekananda.org/index2.asp
If you have a "Little India" wherever you live, you will likely find some of his books in a shop there. I like to seek out books published in India on yoga, and imported.
I don't know if you have ever been exposed to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (for Raja Yoga). They are being more widely read here in the west now, so western interpretations are cropping up. The translation and commentary I like best, I could rave on about it is by Swami Venkatesananda, a disciple of Swami Sivananda. The book is published out of South Africa (I believe) and can be difficult to find, but well worth it. It is usually available in the aforementioned Indian shops.
Venkatesananda's daily readings and links can be found here:
http://dailyreadings.com/
Here's the Sutras translation I'm talking about:
http://dailyreadings.com/divine.html
There's also a lot to look at here, including free books which can be downloaded:
http://www.dlshq.org/books.htm
I understand your wariness of the way yoga is presented in the west. Swami Sivananda and Swami Vivekananda are prolific authors and well respected teachers of Raja Yoga. You would find more than enough here. I know, Sivananda cautions that it is important that knowledge of raja yoga not just be book knowledge, that the same wisdom can be gained by practice (ie. karma yoga, bhakti, hatha) and encourages having a balanced practice of jnana (knowledge, reading scriptures etc.) and the other practices.
I hope this helps. I admire your desire to read in a classical vein.
Pranams,
Janaki