Correspondence of William James

The Correspondence of William James is a scholarly edition that compiles the personal and professional letters of the renowned American philosopher and psychologist, William James. Volume 7, edited by Ignas K. Skrupskelis and Elizabeth M. Berkeley, covers the period from 1890 to 1894. During this time, James published his seminal work, Principles of Psychology, which elicited responses from contemporaries such as Oliver Wendell Holmes and Christine Ladd Franklin. The volume also documents James’s efforts to ensure Harvard’s leadership in psychology, his interactions with former student Granville Stanley Hall, and his support for Mary Whiton Calkins’s graduate studies. Additionally, the correspondence reflects on James’s essay “The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life,” the birth of his last child, and the death of his sister Alice. This edition provides deep insights into James’s intellectual development and personal life during a pivotal period in his career.