The year 2015 marked the centenary of Alan Watts’ birth. He lived only 58 years, and once conjectured that his relevance would fade within five decades beyond his death. Yet, nearly 45 years after his 1973 passing, interest in Watts’ life and work is not subsiding. His books remain in vogue, and popular audiences in large numbers now view his audiovisual materials via YouTube. Moreover, contemporary scholars are currently mapping Watts’ historical influence, and surveying his ongoing impact in a variety of academic disciplines. It is in service to this scholarly effort that we have gathered and organized, thematically and chronologically, the present anthology of writings and lectures by Watts. All materials herein, particularly endnotes, references, and figures were formatted for consistency with the American Psychological Association’s publication style. Occasionally, though rarely, editorial comments were added as endnotes for clarification of subject matter.
As this manuscript reaches publication, a substantial debt of thanks is coming due. First, to everyone who generously offered permission to reprint materials. A University of West Georgia faculty grant to Don Rice helped cover any reprint fees. Jean-Claude van Itallie and the Shantigar Foundation supported Peter Columbus’ writing and editing. Lisa Prolman’s interlibrary loan staff at the Public Library of Greenfield, Massachusetts, helped locate, identify, and acquire materials necessary for the text. Fred Richards kindly allowed use of his artwork for the cover. Three anonymous reviewers (particularly “reviewer #3”) offered critical commentaries affording important revisions to an early draft of the introduction. Another anonymous reviewer subsequently offered practical suggestions for final revision. The State University of New York Press editorial, technical, and marketing staff, including the late Nancy Ellegate, Andrew Kenyon, Christopher Ahn, Jessica Kirschner, Dana Foote, and Anne Valentine, shepherded the manuscript to publication. Sincere gratitude to all.
—Peter J. Columbus
Rowe, Massachusetts
—Donadrian L. Rice
Carrollton, Georgia