The Principles of Psychology
London: Macmillan and Co., 1890.
First British edition. Two volumes, bound in publisher's original dark blue blue cloth ruled in blind, with spine lettered in gilt. Very Good with bookseller tickets to front paste downs, short tear to bottom edge of title page in volume 1, pencil markings throughout text. Hinges strengthened and bindings secure. Rubbing and light wear to bindings with several small areas of loss to cloth with exposure. In this 1300+ page masterwork , a summary of his productive years at Harvard, James emphasized his experimental method and the treatment of psychology as a natural science. He argued that mental processes should be viewed as "activities [useful] to living creatures as they attempt to maintain and adapt themselves in the world of nature" (Duane Schultz A History of Modern Psychology, 3rd ed.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy called this "a rich blend of physiology, psychology, philosophy, and personal reflection that has given us such ideas as 'the stream of thought' [better known as the "stream of consciousness"] and the baby's impression of the world as 'as one great blooming, buzzing confusion.' It contains seeds of pragmatism and phenomenology, and influenced generations of thinkers in Europe and America." A seminal work in the history of modern thought.
Price: $1,750.00