The Principles of Psychology, Vols. 1-2 (2 Volumes in 1) [Paperback]

William James (Author), George A. Miller (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1983 | ISBN-10: 0674706250 | ISBN-13: 978-0674706255

The publication of William James's acknowledged masterpiece marked a turning point in the development of psychology as a science in America. This new paperback edition of The Principles Psychology, prepared according to modern standards of textual scholarship. presents the complete authoritative text, all of the changes James made in the eight printings he supervised, as well as the revisions he added to his own copy. It includes footnotes, more than eighty drawings, and James's index.

Editorial Reviews

Review

William James's Principles of Psychology has just been reissued in a triumphal new edition. Why reread a 1,300-page book that was written in the 19th century? Because it remains the single greatest work in American psychology. (Psychology Today )

Review

The Principles of Psychology is an American masterpiece which...ought to be read from beginning to end at least once by every person professing to be educated. It is a masterpiece in the classic and total sense --no need of a descriptive or limiting word before or after: not "of observation," or "of prose writing," not more "scientific" than "humanistic." One can point to these and other merits if one is so minded, but the fused substance defies reduction to a list of epithets. No matter how many unexpected qualities are found in it--wit, pathos, imaginative understanding, polemical skill, moral passion, cosmic vision, and sheer learning--the work remains always greater than their sum. (Jacques Barzun, author of A Stroll with William James (Harper & Row, 1983) )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1328 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (September 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674706250
• ISBN-13: 978-0674706255
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,054,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Broad, deep, brilliant, April 28, 2007

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Paul Vitols (North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Principles of Psychology, Vols. 1-2 (2 Volumes in 1) (Paperback)

This 1400-page work in two volumes, published in 1890, is probably the best single survey of psychology ever written.

The work is of imposing size, but James covers such a wide field, so thoroughly and so engagingly, that to my own surprise I read both volumes cover to cover, back to back. The two volumes comprise 28 chapters, including "The Functions of the Brain", "Habit", "The Stream of Thought", "Attention", "Association", "Memory", "Imagination", "The Perception of Reality", "Reasoning", and "Will"--to name just a few that I found the most fascinating.

James's reasoning is sharp and subtle, his writing clear and vigorous. The qualities of his own mind, which come through in the prose, are astonishing: he is both skeptical and open-minded, deeply versed in the existing literature, and an original and fearless thinker. He must have been a fantastic prof.

I was a little afraid that the age of the book would make it antique, with fusty 19th-century notions that have long since been disproved. Not a bit! With few exceptions, the material is as fresh and relevant today as it was in 1890. Even the material on brain physiology and function, an area where the 20th century can claim to have made some progress, was sharp, perceptive, and interesting.

The advent of Freud, Pavlov, and others in the 20th century seemed to push certain theoretical ideas about the mind to the forefront, putting other, older ideas in the shade. My prejudice was that they had made 19th-century psychology irrelevant. I was wrong. There were many able minds studying psychology long before Freud, and their findings and views are well worth knowing. Among other things, James's book is a treasure-trove of psychological thinking up to the time of his writing, including many extracts by other researchers, both those he admires and those he is critical or dismissive of.

James, of course, was not merely a psychologist; he was also a philosopher. If I had to give a single reason why I think this book is excellent, it would be that James fearlessly tackles questions lying at the boundary of what today are seen as distinct disciplines. Here you'll find penetrating, persuasive insights into the nature of reasoning, logic, and the will, as well as the origin of aesthetic and moral ideas. James is as thoroughly versed in the works and ideas of Kant, Hume, Berkeley, Locke, and Mill as he is in those of his fellow psychologists. He confronts the thinking of the greatest minds with complete confidence, using his laserlike intellect to discover their obscurities and contradictions. He is their peer.

At the same time, James is humane and folksy in his style, often making references to his own experience, domestic life, and the little experiments he often performed on himself or his students. He writes with candor, humanity, and honesty. Time and again he comes to conclusions or makes observations that cut to the core of human experience altogether.

Technically this is a textbook surveying psychology, probably for a first-year introductory course. It bears almost no resemblance to the dry, cautious tomes that usually fill that role. It is an impassioned work by a learned, deep, and original mind explaining his own conclusions on this vast and elusive topic, based on long study, experiment, and careful thought. It is one of a kind. If you're interested in the human mind, this book is for you.