Description: The seventh volume of a projected twelve continues the series of William James's correspondence with family, friends, and colleagues that was begun in volume 4. Consisting of some 488 letters, with an additional 510 calendared, it offers a complete accounting of his correspondence for the years 1890-94.

The chief event of the period is the publication of the long-awaited Principles of Psychology, which produced many congratulatory and critical letters from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Christine Ladd Franklin, Shadworth Hollway Santayana, James Mark Baldwin, and others. James devoted much effort to ensuring that Harvard did not fall behind its many emerging rivals in psychology, engineering the coming of Hugo Munsterberg to Harvard and raising funds for the psychological laboratory. Strains and a sense of rivalry began to develop with Granville Stanley Hall, his former student, who was established as president of nearby Clark University. Also of interest are his letters about and to Mary Whiton Calkins concerning her efforts to become a graduate student at Harvard.

James's major essay in ethics, "The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life, " appeared during this period and provoked considerable correspondence. Among the more curious letters is that to Alexander McKenzie, who after visiting James's classroom in an official capacity expressed concern about his lack of Christian faith.

These years saw the birth of James's last child, Alexander Robertson, and the death of his sister Alice. They were also the years of his long European sabbatical.

Please Wait