James, William | William James's seminal Principles of Psychology

The Passion of American Collectors: Property of Barbara and Ira Lipman

James, William

The Principles of Psychology. New York: Henry Holt, 1890

2 vols., 8vo (218 x 143 mm). Publisher's olive drab cloth, spines gilt-lettered, brown-coated endpapers; light wear at heads and feet of spines, covers with minor spotting, small gouge on upper cover of volume 1, some loss of coating on endpapers where labels removed. 2 red half-morocco gilt slipcases, chemises.  

First edition, first printing of James's brilliant major work on psychology, which emphasized his experimental method and the treatment of psychology as a natural science. Here James puts forth his belief that mental processes should be viewed as "activities [useful] to living creatures as they attempt to maintain and adapt themselves to the world of nature" (D. Schultz, A History of Modern Psychology, 3rd ed., p. 143).

A seminal work in the history of modern thought.

REFERENCE

McDermott 1890–4