Varieties of Religious Experience by William James - First Printing from 1902

The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature — William James

First Edition, First Impression (UK) — 1902
Green cloth hardcover

Overview

Offered here is a First Edition, First Impression of William James’s landmark work, The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature—one of the most important books ever written on spiritual experience, conversion, and the inner life.

For recovery-history collectors, this title holds special significance: it is widely known in the A.A. community as the book Ebby T. brought to Bill W. at Towns Hospital in 1934. Bill’s spiritual experience—central to the founding story of A.A.—is closely associated with his reading of Varieties, and the book is also referenced in Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book).

Why This Edition Matters

This copy is identified as the UK first printing / first impression by key first-issue points, including:

• The misspelling “Nietsche” (line 11 on page 38)
• No publisher’s catalog at the back of the book (a point often associated with early issue copies)
• Published in connection with James’s final lecture date (9 June 1902)—with the UK issue generally recognized as preceding the American edition of the same year

About the Book

Originally delivered as the Gifford Lectures (Edinburgh, 1901–1902), Varieties became James’s most influential study of religion—approaching faith not as doctrine, but as lived human experience. James examines conversion, “sick souls,” spiritual awakening, and the lasting practical effects of belief.

For collectors, it stands at a remarkable crossroads of religious studies, psychology, philosophy, and the spiritual currents that later fed directly into early A.A. thinking.

Condition

Very Good overall for a 1902 first.

• Original green cloth with light wear consistent with age
• Paper spine label worn and faded
• Splitting at the inside front hinge with webbing exposed (see photos)
• Bookshop label affixed to the inside front cover
• No writing or markings in the text

Please review all photos carefully for the most accurate representation of condition.

Collector Notes

A cornerstone title for any shelf focused on A.A. origins, spiritual experience literature, or the wider pre-A.A. landscape of transformation and awakening. First printings of Varieties remain enduringly desirable—especially in honest, collectible condition like this.