William James Popular Books
William James Biography & Facts
William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the late 19th century, one of the most influential philosophers of the United States, and the "Father of American psychology".Along with Charles Sanders Peirce, James established the philosophical school known as pragmatism, and is also cited as one of the founders of functional psychology. A Review of General Psychology analysis, published in 2002, ranked James as the 14th most eminent psychologist of the 20th century. A survey published in American Psychologist in 1991 ranked James's reputation in second place, after Wilhelm Wundt, who is widely regarded as the founder of experimental psychology. James also developed the philosophical perspective known as radical empiricism. James's work has influenced philosophers and academics such as Émile Durkheim, W. E. B. Du Bois, Edmund Husserl, Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hilary Putnam, Richard Rorty, and Marilynne Robinson.Born into a wealthy family, James was the son of the Swedenborgian theologian Henry James Sr. and the brother of both the prominent novelist Henry James and the diarist Alice James. James trained as a physician and taught anatomy at Harvard, but never practiced medicine. Instead, he pursued his interests in psychology and then philosophy. He wrote widely on many topics, including epistemology, education, metaphysics, psychology, religion, and mysticism. Among his most influential books are The Principles of Psychology, a groundbreaking text in the field of psychology; Essays in Radical Empiricism, an important text in philosophy; and The Varieties of Religious Experience, an investigation of different forms of religious experience, including theories on mind-cure. Early life William James was born at the Astor House in New York City on January 11, 1842. He was the son of Henry James Sr., a noted and independently wealthy Swedenborgian theologian well acquainted with the literary and intellectual elites of his day. The intellectual brilliance of the James family milieu and the remarkable epistolary talents of several of its members have made them a subject of continuing interest to historians, biographers, and critics. William James received an eclectic trans-Atlantic education, developing fluency in both German and French. Education in the James household encouraged cosmopolitanism. The family made two trips to Europe while William James was still a child, setting a pattern that resulted in thirteen more European journeys during his life. James wished to pursue painting, his early artistic bent led to an apprenticeship in the studio of William Morris Hunt in Newport, Rhode Island, but his father urged him to become a physician instead. Since this did not align with James's interests, he stated that he wanted to specialize in physiology. Once he figured this was also not what he wanted to do, he then announced he was going to specialize in the nervous system and psychology. James then switched in 1861 to scientific studies at the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard College. In his early adulthood, James suffered from a variety of physical ailments, including those of the eyes, back, stomach, and skin. He was also tone deaf. He was subject to a variety of psychological symptoms which were diagnosed at the time as neurasthenia, and which included periods of depression during which he contemplated suicide for months on end. Two younger brothers, Garth Wilkinson (Wilky) and Robertson (Bob), fought in the Civil War. James himself was an advocate of peace. He suggested that instead of youth serving in the military that they serve the public in a term of service, "to get the childishness knocked out of them." The other three siblings (William, Henry, and Alice James) all suffered from periods of invalidism.He took up medical studies at Harvard Medical School in 1864 (according to his brother Henry James, the author). He took a break in the spring of 1865 to join naturalist Louis Agassiz on a scientific expedition up the Amazon River, but aborted his trip after eight months, as he suffered bouts of severe seasickness and mild smallpox. His studies were interrupted once again due to illness in April 1867. He traveled to Germany in search of a cure and remained there until November 1868; at that time he was 26 years old. During this period, he began to publish; reviews of his works appeared in literary periodicals such as the North American Review.James finally earned his MD degree in June 1869 but he never practiced medicine. What he called his "soul-sickness" would only be resolved in 1872, after an extended period of philosophical searching. He married Alice Gibbens in 1878. In 1882 he joined the Theosophical Society.James's time in Germany proved intellectually fertile, helping him find that his true interests lay not in medicine but in philosophy and psychology. Later, in 1902 he would write: "I originally studied medicine in order to be a physiologist, but I drifted into psychology and philosophy from a sort of fatality. I never had any philosophic instruction, the first lecture on psychology I ever heard being the first I ever gave". Career James interacted with a wide array of writers and scholars throughout his life, including his godfather Ralph Waldo Emerson, his godson William James Sidis, as well as Charles Sanders Peirce, Bertrand Russell, Josiah Royce, Ernst Mach, John Dewey, Macedonio Fernández, Walter Lippmann, Mark Twain, Horatio Alger, G. Stanley Hall, Henri Bergson, Carl Jung, Jane Addams and Sigmund Freud. James spent almost all of his academic career at Harvard. He was appointed instructor in physiology for the spring 1873 term, instructor in anatomy and physiology in 1873, assistant professor of psychology in 1876, assistant professor of philosophy in 1881, full professor in 1885, endowed chair in psychology in 1889, return to philosophy in 1897, and emeritus professor of philosophy in 1907. James studied medicine, physiology, and biology, and began to teach in those subjects, but was drawn to the scientific study of the human mind at a time when psychology was constituting itself as a science. James's acquaintance with the work of figures like Hermann Helmholtz in Germany and Pierre Janet in France facilitated his introduction of courses in scientific psychology at Harvard University. He taught his first experimental psychology course at Harvard in the 1875–1876 academic year.During his Harvard years, James joined in philosophical discussions and debates with Charles Peirce, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Chauncey Wright that evolved into a lively group informally known as The Metaphysical Club in 1872. Louis Menand (2001) suggested that this Club provided a foundation for American intellectual thought for decades to come. James joined the Anti-Impe.... Discover the William James popular books. Find the top 100 most popular William James books.
Best Seller William James Books of 2023
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Your Voice William James
William JamesA hand picked selection of wise and practical quotes from William James.
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Shakespeare in a Divided America
James ShapiroOne of the New York Times Ten Best Books of the Year A National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist A New York Times Notable Book A timely...
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Your God Is Too Small
J.B. PhillipsThis fortyyearold Christian classic and bestseller is a study group favorite; this book challenges readers’ conventional views about God and encourages them to search for a meaning...
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Architects of Infinity
Kirsten BeyerAn original novel set in the universe of Star Trek: Voyager, from the New York Times bestselling author!As the Federation Starship Voyager continues to lead the Full Circle Fleet i...
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Mastermind
Maria KonnikovaThe New York Times bestselling guide to thinking like literature's greatest detective. "Steven Pinker meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" (Boston Globe), by the author of The Confidence ...
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Available Light
Dayton WardThe past comes back to haunt Captain JeanLuc Picard in this brand new thriller set in the universe of Star Trek: The Next Generation.Section 31, the covert organization which has o...
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Three Roads to the Alamo
William C. Davis"William C. Davis's Three Roads to the Alamo is far and away the best account of the Alamo I have ever read. The portraits of Crockett, Bowie, and Travis are brilliantly sketched i...
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William James
Robert D. RichardsonThe definitive biography of the fascinating William James, whose life and writing put an indelible stamp on psychology, philosophy, teaching, and religionon modernism itself. Often...
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Trust No One
Paul CleaveIn this “outstanding psychological thriller” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) by the Edgarnominated author of Joe Victim, a famous crime writer struggles to differentiate betwee...
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A Fine Romance
Candice BergenIn this New York Times bestseller, acclaimed actress Candice Bergen “shows how to do a memoir right...The selfpossessed, witty, and downtoearth voice that made Bergen’s first memoi...
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The Wettest County in the World
Matt BondurantThe inspiration for the major motion picture LawlessBased on the true story of Matt Bondurant’s grandfather and two granduncles, The Wettest County in the World is a gripping and g...
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Story of Philosophy
Will DurantA brilliant and concise account of the lives and ideas of the great philosophers, from Plato to Dewey. Few write for the nonspecialist as well as Will Durant, and this book is a sp...
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The Chapo Guide to Revolution
Chapo Trap HouseInstant New York Times bestseller “Howard Zinn on acid or some bullsht like that.” Tim Heidecker The creators of the culthit podcast Chapo Trap House deliver a manifesto for everyo...
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Trigger Mortis
Anthony Horowitz"Horowitz delivers an entertainment sure to please James Bond fans.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)"The heart of any good thriller is the plot, and…...
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Richard III
William ShakespeareThe authoritative edition of Richard III from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers.In Richard III, Shakes...
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The Mueller Report
Robert S. Mueller III & Special Counsel's Office Dept of JusticePerhaps the most anticipated publication in American history, this is the full text of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. It is THE REPORT AND NOTHING BUT THE REPOR...
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Frederick Douglass
David W. BlightWinner of the Pulitzer Prize in History“Extraordinary…a great American biography” (The New Yorker) of the most important AfricanAmerican of the nineteenth century: Frederick Dougla...
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The Year of Lear
James ShapiroPreeminent Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro, author of Shakespeare in a Divided America, shows how the tumultuous events in 1606 influenced three of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedi...
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The Metaphysical Club
Louis MenandThe Metaphysical Club is the winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for History. A national bestseller and "hugely ambitious, unmistakably brilliant" (Janet Maslin, New York Times) book...
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The Better Sister
Alafair BurkeA Washington Post and Sun Sentinel Best Book of the Year“One hell of a riproaring read.” Seattle Review of Books“Cunning. . . . Get ready to be led down the garden path to a c...
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Heads of the Colored People
Nafissa Thompson-SpiresWinner of the PEN Open Book Award Winner of the Whiting Award Longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award and Aspen Words Literary Prize Nominated for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham P...
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Wins, Losses, and Lessons
Lou HoltzLegendary football coach and motivational speaker Lou Holtz writes his inspirational autobiography, from his years in the military to making Notre Dame a national champion and turn...
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A History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand RussellSince its first publication in 1945? Lord Russell's A History of Western Philosophy has been universally acclaimed as the outstanding onevolume work on the subject unparalleled in...
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One Nation Under Sex
Larry Flynt & David Eisenbach, Ph.D.“Americans often like to think that extramarital sexor even a strong libidois somehow a sign of poor character in our presidents. One Nation Under Sex explodes that myth...You don’...
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A Sacred Oath
Mark T. EsperINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFormer Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper reveals the shocking details of his tumultuous tenure while serving in the Trump administration.From June...
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On Glorious Wings
Stephen CoontsSince its invention in 1903, the airplane has become the dominant mode of transport, travel, and combat. It has brought the entire planet closer together and changed almost every ...
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Works of William James
William JamesThis collection was designed for optimal navigation on iPad and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically, chronologically and by category, making it easier to access...
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New Testament in Modern English
J.B. PhillipsAn enduring scriptural treasure and a classic of Christian literature, this modern translation is a beautiful and true rendering of the New Testament.Written in 1958, The New Testa...
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Crash Dive
Larry BondEdited by bestselling author Larry Bond, Crash Dive collects the best nonfiction writing on submarines, the nearsilent killers of the deep and their crews. They are the ultimate u...
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Hearts and Minds
Dayton WardAn electrifying thriller from New York Times bestselling author Dayton Ward, set in the Star Trek: The Next Generation universe.2031: United States Air Force fighter jets shoot dow...
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The Village
John StrausbaughCultural commentator John Strausbaugh's The Village is the first complete history of Greenwich Village, the prodigiously influential and infamous New York City neighborhood. F...
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The As If Principle
Richard WisemanVictorian philosopher William James had a theory about emotion and behavior: It isn’t that our feelings guide our actions (feel happy and you will laugh). On the contrary, it is ou...
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To Lose the Earth
Kirsten BeyerThe longawaited followup to Voyager: Architects of Infinity from the New York Times bestselling author and cocreator of Star Trek: Picard! As the crew of the Full Circle fleet work...
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The Mueller Report
The Washington PostONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARThe Crucial #1 New York Times Bestseller“The Mueller report is that rare Washington tellall that surpasses its prepublication hype…the best ...
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Valley Forge
Bob Drury & Tom ClavinThe #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is return with “a thorough, nuanced, and enthralling account” (The Wall Street Journal) about one of the m...
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On Looking
Alexandra HorowitzFrom the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Inside of a Dog, this “elegant and entertaining” (The Boston Globe) explanation of how humans perceive their environments “does ...
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The Monarchy
Christopher HitchensAs the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bring renewed focus to the monarchy, now is the perfect time to reexamine Christopher Hitchens’s powerful polemic.In this scathing essay, Christop...
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Vicksburg
Donald L. MillerWinner of the Civil War Round Table of New York’s Fletcher Pratt Literary Award Winner of the Austin Civil War Round Table’s Daniel M. & Marilyn W. Laney Book Prize Winner of a...