The Varieties of Religious Experience.

JAMES, William.

Published by Longmans Green and Co., New York, 1902

About this Item

1 blank leaf + 1 leaf with book ads on verso + TP + [iii] = Dedication page + [v]-vi = Preface + [vii]- xii = Contents + [1]-534 + 1 leaf with printer information on verso, Octavo. Second American Printing (McDermott 1902-1). With "Nietzsche" spelled correctly at line 11 on page 38 (the misspelling occurred only in the very first issue of the book). This is James' major work on religion, and also one of his most popular books. These Gifford Lectures - delivered in at the University of Edinburgh in 1901-1902 - focused primarily on the nature of religion and the neglect of science in its academic study of religion. They were originally intended to be the psychological part of a much more complete treatise on religion, but that book was never completed. James was primarily interested in direct religious experiences, considering theology and the organizational aspects of religion as completely secondary to his investigations. For him, religious experiences were simply human experiences: "Religious happiness is happiness. Religious trance is trance." He was only interested in the "experience", not the dogma or institutional structures of religion.While he did believe that religious experiences can have "morbid origins" in brain pathology and can even be irrational, he still believed they were largely positive in their overall effects. Using James' pragmatic method, the effectiveness of religious experiences proves their truth, whatever their source. This is an important study in both the psychology and the philosophy of religion and soon after its publication, Varieties entered the Western canon for both of those disciplines and has remained in print for over a century.According to the definitive edition of James's works published by Harvard University Press: "The first edition of The Varieties of Religious Experience was published in England (from American sheets with a special title page) on June 9, 1902, the day of James's final lecture. James received an advance copy on June 2 in Edinburgh. The date of the American publication is not certain. Under A 31018 on April 15, 1902, the copyright was given to James by the Library of Congress, which accepted the two statutory copies on May 26. However, the earliest notice in the Publisher's Weekly was #1586 for June 21, 1902, the book prices at $3.20" (The Varieties of Religious Experience, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1985, pp. 555-6). It must be pointed out, however, that the English edition does not say "First Edition June 1902" on the verso of the TP as does this first American issue. Original green covers lightly sunned and the spine "browned out" by the sun. The fragile paper label is very lightly worn with just three letters undistinguishable. Despite the fading to the binding, internally this is a really lovely copy of this important and fluential work by William James. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. Seller Inventory # 1466

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Varieties of Religious Experience.

Publisher: Longmans Green and Co., New York

Publication Date: 1902

Edition: FIRST EDITION, SECOND PRINTING.