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Out of the Trap: Selected Lectures of Alan W. Watts

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Subtitled "Selected Lectures of Alan Watts," Out of the Trap is not so much a book as it is a transcript of recorded lectures Mr. Watts gave in the 1960s and early 1970s. Edited and published as it was in 1985 by its creator's son, Mark Watts, this printed version of spoken words might best be titled "Things Better Said Elsewhere."

This is not one of the better representation of Watts' extensive works for the simple reason that the presentation doesn't survive the translation from the spoken to the written word. There are passages here that go on and on ad nauseam only to make a minor point which was better explained in one of Watts' written works.

On top of this the editor, in preparing these lecture transcripts, let go some awkward wording and phrases in favor of preserving "the flavor and content" of the original talks. Unfortunately, all this accomplishes is to further engage the reader to reread some sections in an effort to try to recover the meaning in which they were originally spoken. This not only slows down the reading process but ads to the growing frustration the reader has in slogging through this material.

For the reader who is familiar with Watts' work, these transcripts cover little new ground, and in the end manage to restate, in a not altogether easily understandable colloquial language, favorite themes and topics Watts has covered elsewhere.

If you happen to come across this book in a library and you're wondering which of the seven lectures to dig into first, the last three are perhaps the best. These include "Historical Buddhism," "Philosophy of Nature," and "Tribute to Carl Jung."

For those of us who are Watts enthusiasts, we enjoy reading his works for his unusual ability to get to the essence of a point in an enlightening and sometimes entertaining way. Out of the Trap, however, provides few of these reading experiences.

These transcripts of Watts' talks would have been best left in their original form, as taped recordings, than to have been put on display in black and white where the flavor of the original presentation is missing as well as, perhaps, some of the fun.

I've read countless accounts of the path(s) to enlightenment, but no other book has made me reconsider more about my view on life. While I can see why some may say that the Alan Watt's lectures tranformed into written word seems to go on ad nauseum, I feel that the ad nauseum approach is rather appropriate for the sorts of mind-changing concepts offered. With a brisk sweep of the concepts, I may not have had the same deep understanding (or divorce from prior understandings) that I may have had otherwise. Notwithstanding, I have read this book from cover to cover on several occasions, and each time, I find myself a new person.

I was told that "Out of the Trap" was not as good as some of the other books Watts wrote, but i found it totally enlightening. Watts had done more for me than any number of so called "gurus" (I dont think Alan liked being called a guru) but if the shoe fits (its probably ugly hahahaah)i would recommend the purchase of this book to fill out your watts library, if you have one going, like me..unfortunaley some of Alan's books are out of print and I just dont know why. Have fun with it..relish the phrases and immerse yourself into the philosophy of Alan Watts.. thank you and good day (Cleedy has left the building)

Subtitled "Selected Lectures of Alan Watts," Out of the Trap is not so much a book as it is a transcript of recorded lectures Mr. Watts gave in the 1960s and early 1970s. Edited and published as it was in 1985 by its creator's son, Mark Watts, this printed version of spoken words might best be titled "Things Better Said Elsewhere."

This is not one of the better representation of Watts' extensive works for the simple reason that the presentation doesn't survive the translation from the spoken to the written word. There are passages here that go on and on ad nauseam only to make a minor point which was better explained in one of Watts' written works.

On top of this the editor, in preparing these lecture transcripts, let go some awkward wording and phrases in favor of preserving "the flavor and content" of the original talks. Unfortunately, all this accomplishes is to further engage the reader to reread some sections in an effort to try to recover the meaning in which they were originally spoken. This not only slows down the reading process but ads to the growing frustration the reader has in slogging through this material.

For the reader who is familiar with Watts' work, these transcripts cover little new ground, and in the end manage to restate, in a not altogether easily understandable colloquial language, favorite themes and topics Watts has covered elsewhere.

If you happen to come across this book in a library and you're wondering which of the seven lectures to dig into first, the last three are perhaps the best. These include "Historical Buddhism," "Philosophy of Nature," and "Tribute to Carl Jung."

For those of us who are Watts enthusiasts, we enjoy reading his works for his unusual ability to get to the essence of a point in an enlightening and sometimes entertaining way. Out of the Trap, however, provides few of these reading experiences.

These transcripts of Watts' talks would have been best left in their original form, as taped recordings, than to have been put on display in black and white where the flavor of the original presentation is missing as well as, perhaps, some of the fun.