"A milestone in religious thought. . . . James combines a positive approach to religion with a non-dogmatic
and thoroughly empirical approach to the religious life. The combination is not only rare but creative." -Reinhold
Niebuhr
Philosopher and psychologist William James championed the value of individual experience with an eloquence and
zeal that placed him beside Emerson and Whitman as a classic exponent of American democratic culture. In The Varieties
of Religious Experience he takes on "the very inner citadel of human life" by focusing on intensely religious
individuals from different cultures and eras, in order to explore from within how religion enriches human lives.
For almost thirty years, The Library of America has presented America's best and most significant writing in acclaimed
hardcover editions. Now, a new series, Library of America Paperback Classics, offers attractive and affordable
books that bring The Library of America's authoritative texts within easy reach of every reader. Each book features
an introductory essay by one of a leading writer, as well as a detailed chronology of the author's life and career,
an essay on the choice and history of the text, and notes.
The contents of this Paperback Classic are drawn from William James: Writings 1902-1910, volume number 38 in the
Library of America series. That volume is joined in the series by a companion volume, number 58, William James:
Writings 1878-1899.