James's landmark study of conversion, mysticism, and faith as human experience rather than doctrine. A founding work of the psychology of religion.
Books mentioned in The Varieties of Religious Experience (52)
Deliverance by Mark Rutherford: “Mark Rutherford’s Deliverance, London, 1885, pp. 196, 198.”
Autobiography by John Stuart Mill: “See Mill’s Autobiography, New York, 1873, pp. 141, 148.”
Dialogues on the Supersensual Life by Jakob Boehme: “Jacob Behmen’s Dialogues on the Supersensual Life, translated by BERNARD HOLLAND, London, 1901, p. 48.”
Memoirs by Jean-Francois Marmontel: “he emerged by the reading of Marmontel’s Memoirs (Heaven save the mark!) and Wordsworth’s poetry”
Natural Law in the Spiritual World by Henry Drummond: “A young lady friend sent me a copy of Professor Drummond’s Natural Law in the Spiritual World, asking me my opinion of it as a literary work only.”
Revelations by Gertrude of Helfta: “Saint Gertrude, a Benedictine nun of the thirteenth century, whose “Revelations,” a well‐known mystical authority, consist mainly of proofs of Christ’s partiality for her undeserving person.”
Ascent of Mount Carmel by John of the Cross: “Chapter xi. of book ii. of Saint John’s Ascent of Carmel is devoted to showing the harmfulness for the mystical life of the use of sensible imagery.”
The Hearts of Men by H. Fielding: “see the striking work of H. FIELDING, The Hearts of Men, London, 1902, which came into my hands after my text was written.”
The Story of the Mind by James Mark Baldwin: “see the admirably practical account in J. M. BALDWIN’S little book, The Story of the Mind, 1898.”
The Atonement by Borden Parker Bowne: “Professor Bowne (The Christian Revelation, The Christian Life, The Atonement: Cincinnati and New York, 1898, 1899, 1900)”
The Christian Revelation by Borden Parker Bowne: “Professor Bowne (The Christian Revelation, The Christian Life, The Atonement: Cincinnati and New York, 1898, 1899, 1900)”
Christian Mysticism by William Ralph Inge: “says Dr. W. R. INGE (in his lectures on Christian Mysticism, London, 1899, p. 326)”
Alterations of Personality by Alfred Binet: “You will find it set forth in many recent books, Binet’s Alterations of Personality(122) being perhaps as good a one as any to recommend.”
Essay on Decision of Character by John Foster: “In John Foster’s Essay on Decision of Character, there is an account of a case of sudden conversion to avarice, which is illustrative enough to quote:—”
Essays in Philosophy by Alexander Campbell Fraser: “Professor Fraser’s Essays in Philosophy, then just published, was the first philosophic book I ever looked into”
Journal Intime by Henri Frederic Amiel: “Literature has commemorated this fact in many passages of great beauty—this extract, for example, from Amiel’s Journal Intime:—”
Lectures on Justification by John Henry Newman: “In Newman’s Lectures on Justification, Lecture VIII. § 6, there is a splendid passage”
Life of Colonel James Gardiner by Philip Doddridge: “Doddridge’s Life of Colonel James Gardiner, London Religious Tract Society, pp. 23‐32.”
The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith: “H. W. SMITH: The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, published by the Willard Tract Repository”
Iliad by Homer: “41 Iliad, XXI., E. Myers’s translation.”
The Confessions by Augustine of Hippo: “the account he gives in the Confessions is premature”
Buddhism in Translations by Henry Clarke Warren: “Compare H. C. WARREN: Buddhism in Translation, Cambridge, U. S., 1898, passim.”
The Life of Trust by George Mueller: “The Life of Trust; Being a Narrative of the Lord’s Dealings with George Müller, New American edition, N. Y., Crowell, pp. 228, 194, 219.”
La Religion by Etienne Vacherot: “writes M. Vacherot (La Religion, Paris, 1869, pp. 313, 436, et passim)”
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman: “Walt Whitman’s lines (Leaves of Grass, 1872, p. 190)”
The King's Son: A Memoir of Billy Bray by F. W. Bourne: “W. F. BOURNE: The King’s Son, a Memoir of Billy Bray, London, Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1887, p. 9.”
Spiritual Guide by Miguel de Molinos: “68 MOLINOS: Spiritual Guide, Book II., chaps. xvii., xviii. (abridged).”
Lectures and Essays by William Wallace: “Compare Professor W. WALLACE’S Gifford Lectures, in Lectures and Essays, Oxford, 1898, pp. 17 ff.”
A Ternary of Paradoxes by Jan Baptist van Helmont: “J. B. VAN HELMONT: A Ternary of Paradoxes, translated by WALTER CHARLETON, London, 1650.”
As a Matter of Course by Annie Payson Call: “A. P. CALL: As a Matter of Course, Boston, 1894;”
In Answer to Prayer by Bishop of Ripon: “In Answer to Prayer, by the BISHOP OF RIPON and others, London, 1898;”
Life of Wesley by Luke Tyerman: “I cannot but believe that sanctification is commonly, if not always, an instantaneous work.” Tyerman’s Life of Wesley, i. 463.”
Spiritual Exercises by Ignatius of Loyola: “Such manuals as Saint Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises recommend the disciple to expel sensation by a graduated series of efforts to imagine holy scenes.”
Theosophic Philosophy by Jakob Boehme: “Jacob Behmen’s Theosophic Philosophy, etc., by EDWARD TAYLOR, London, 1691, pp. 425, 427, abridged.”
A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards: “By their fruits ye shall know them, not by their roots, Jonathan Edwards’s Treatise on Religious Affections is an elaborate working out of this thesis.”
Voices of Freedom by Horatio Dresser: “48 H. W. DRESSER: Voices of Freedom, New York, 1899, p. 38.”
Oahspe: A New Bible: “the bulky volume called, ’Oahspe, a new Bible in the Words of Jehovah and his angel ambassadors,’ Boston and London, 1891”
My Confession by Leo Tolstoy: “Tolstoy has left us, in his book called My Confession, a wonderful account of the attack of melancholy which led him to his own religious conclusions.”
Commentary on Galatians by Martin Luther: “67 Commentary on Galatians, Philadelphia, 1891, pp. 510‐514 (abridged).”
Cautionary Verses for Children: “44 “Cautionary Verses for Children”: this title of a much used work, published early in the nineteenth century”
Books that mention The Varieties of Religious Experience (4)
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “I’m reading the four gospels now, and the ‘Varieties of Religious Experience’”
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: “The Varieties of Religious Experience. By William James.”
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides: “after reading The Varieties of Religious Experience for a psychology course”
An Inquiry into the Good by Nishida Kitarō: “One could cite endless such experiences of religious mystics (James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Lect. XVI, XVII). [auto-translated]”