CHOICE_Magazine Review
The Cambridge Companion to William James
CHOICE
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Putnam (Wellesley College) has edited a very useful collection of essays by some of the leading American and British philosophers, historians, literary critics, theologians, and psychologists. Many of the contributors, such as Hilary Putnam, Richard Rorty, Timothy Sprigge, Bruce Wilshire, and Gerald Myers, are well known for their work on William James or pragmatism generally. Their essays herein cover topics such as James's theory of truth, a new interpretation of "The Will to Believe," British critics of James's pragmatism, and reflections on James's method of introspection in his Principles of Psychology. Other equally important essays in this volume focus attention on James as an ambassador of American culture and critic of imperialism and absolutist philosophy; several essays examine James's interactions with his contemporaries and his brother Henry. A substantial bibliography and index enhance the value of this work as a research tool. General; undergraduate; graduate; faculty. L. B. McHenry; Loyola Marymount University