William James

Selected Unpublished Correspondence 1885–1910

Frederick J. Down Scott

 

1986
Literary Criticism / General
603 pp. 6x9



$42.95 paper 978-0-8142-5352-6
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Open Access Text

 

“These new letters from William James round out wonderfully the portrait of the man and thinker. We read in them the ‘practical saint’ in his daily life and the spontaneous, colloquial enlargement of his philosophy—a delight on both counts.” —Jacques Barzun

This selection of William James’s unpublished correspondence emphasizes the continuous and harmonious integration of his talents, interests, and achievements in the fields of science, psychology, and philosophy. The letters provide a vivid, personal, and detailed account of a twenty-five year slice of American European intellectual history, making a major contribution to our understanding of James, the professional and scholar as well as revealing much about James the man.

William James was a man around whom the professional lives and works of many men and women revolved. He was also at the forefront of the rapid growth in the intellectual life of several colleges and universities. The letters shed light on James’s influence upon people and institutions and portray James as teacher, public lecturer, scholar, and literary artist. Dr. Scott provides an informative introduction and annotated chronology to place the letters in context.

Frederick J. Down Scott is professor of philosophy at San Jose State University. He is the author of several articles on William James and Walter Burley’s Treatise de Formis.