Book Series Guide

Alan Watts

Author guide

Alan Watts Books in Order

Alan Wilson Watts (1915–1973) was a British-American writer, lecturer, and Episcopal priest who interpreted Asian philosophies and religions for Western audiences. His books and lectures explored Zen, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, psychology, mysticism, ecology, consciousness, and the relationship between humans and the natural world. His posthumously published works include edited transcripts, collections of essays, early writings, letters, and material completed with collaborators.

comparative religionZen BuddhismTaoismphilosophymysticismpsychologyautobiographyspirituality

Alan Watts's Newest Book

Tao for Now: Wisdom of the Watercourse

edited-transcript-collection · First published 2023

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Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety

A concise introduction to Watts's approach to anxiety, impermanence, and living in the present.

Cover of The Way of Zen

The Way of Zen

His central historical and philosophical introduction to Zen Buddhism.

Cover of The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

The clearest entry point into his ideas about self, identity, language, and the cosmos.

Read in order

Books by series

booklet-series · complete

The Essence of Alan Watts

A six-volume booklet series presenting concise treatments of God, meditation, nothingness, death, human nature, and time.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Essence of Alan Watts: Volume 1 — God

    Book 1 · booklet · 1974

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  2. 2
    The Essence of Alan Watts: Volume 2 — Meditation

    Book 2 · booklet · 1974

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  3. 3
    The Essence of Alan Watts: Volume 3 — Nothingness

    Book 3 · booklet · 1974

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  4. 4
    The Essence of Alan Watts: Volume 4 — Death

    Book 4 · booklet · 1975

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  5. 5
    The Essence of Alan Watts: Volume 5 — The Nature of Man

    Book 5 · booklet · 1975

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  6. 6
    The Essence of Alan Watts: Volume 6 — Time

    Book 6 · booklet · 1975

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Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Nonfiction (2)
  1. Cover of In My Own Way: An Autobiography, 1915–1965
    In My Own Way: An Autobiography, 1915–1965

    autobiography · 1972

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  2. Cover of Cloud-Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown: A Mountain Journal
    Cloud-Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown: A Mountain Journal

    journal · 1973

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Essays and speeches (14)
  1. An Outline of Zen Buddhism

    pamphlet · 1932

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  2. Seven Symbols of Life: Being an Essay on Eternal Verities as Expressed in the Images of the Lotus, of Water, Wind, Fire, Man, Woman, and Child

    pamphlet · 1936

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  3. The Psychology of Acceptance: The Reconciliation of the Opposites in Eastern Thought and in Analytical Psychology

    pamphlet · 1939

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  4. The Meaning of Priesthood

    pamphlet · 1946

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  5. Zen Buddhism: A New Outline and Introduction

    pamphlet · 1947

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  6. The Way of Liberation in Zen Buddhism

    pamphlet · 1955

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  7. This Is It: And Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experience

    essay-collection · 1960

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  8. Cover of The Two Hands of God: The Myths of Polarity
    The Two Hands of God: The Myths of Polarity

    essay-collection · 1963

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  9. The “Deep-in” View: A Conversation with Alan Watts

    pamphlet · 1965

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  10. Does It Matter? Essays on Man’s Relation to Materiality

    essay-collection · 1968

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  11. The Way of Liberation: Essays and Lectures on the Transformation of the Self

    essay-collection · 1983

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  12. The Early Writings of Alan Watts: The British Years (1931–1938): Writings in Buddhism in England

    essay-collection · 1987

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  13. Cover of Become What You Are
    Become What You Are

    essay-collection · 1995

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  14. Alan Watts—In the Academy: Essays and Lectures

    essay-collection · 2017

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Edited works (18)
  1. Cover of Talking Zen
    Talking Zen

    edited-transcript-collection · 1994

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  2. Cover of Buddhism: The Religion of No-Religion
    Buddhism: The Religion of No-Religion

    edited-transcript-collection · 1995

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  3. Cover of The Philosophies of Asia
    The Philosophies of Asia

    edited-transcript-collection · 1995

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  4. Cover of The Tao of Philosophy
    The Tao of Philosophy

    edited-transcript-collection · 1995

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  5. Cover of Myth and Religion
    Myth and Religion

    edited-transcript-collection · 1996

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  6. Taoism: Way Beyond Seeking

    edited-transcript-collection · 1997

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  7. Cover of Zen and the Beat Way
    Zen and the Beat Way

    edited-transcript-collection · 1997

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  8. Cover of The Culture of Counter-Culture
    The Culture of Counter-Culture

    edited-transcript-collection · 1998

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  9. Still the Mind: An Introduction to Meditation

    edited-transcript-collection · 2000

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  10. Cover of What Is Tao?
    What Is Tao?

    edited-transcript-collection · 2000

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  11. Cover of What Is Zen?
    What Is Zen?

    edited-transcript-collection · 2000

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  12. Zen, The Supreme Experience: The Newly Discovered Scripts

    edited-transcript-collection · 2002

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  13. Cover of Eastern Wisdom, Modern Life: Collected Talks, 1960–1969
    Eastern Wisdom, Modern Life: Collected Talks, 1960–1969

    edited-transcript-collection · 2006

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  14. The Essential Alan Watts: Seven Things We Thought We Knew About God and the Cosmos (But Didn’t)

    edited-transcript-collection · 2006

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  15. Cover of Out of Your Mind: Tricksters, Interdependence, and the Cosmic Game of Hide-and-Seek
    Out of Your Mind: Tricksters, Interdependence, and the Cosmic Game of Hide-and-Seek

    edited-transcript-collection · 2017

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  16. Cover of Just So: Money, Materialism, and the Ineffable, Intelligent Universe
    Just So: Money, Materialism, and the Ineffable, Intelligent Universe

    edited-transcript-collection · 2020

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  17. Cover of There Is Never Anything But the Present: And Other Inspiring Words of Wisdom
    There Is Never Anything But the Present: And Other Inspiring Words of Wisdom

    edited-transcript-collection · 2021

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  18. Tao for Now: Wisdom of the Watercourse

    edited-transcript-collection · 2023

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Other (23)
  1. Cover of The Spirit of Zen: A Way of Life, Work, and Art in the Far East
    The Spirit of Zen: A Way of Life, Work, and Art in the Far East

    book · 1936

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  2. The Legacy of Asia and Western Man: A Study of the Middle Way

    book · 1937

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  3. Cover of The Meaning of Happiness: The Quest for Freedom of the Spirit in Modern Psychology and the Wisdom of the East
    The Meaning of Happiness: The Quest for Freedom of the Spirit in Modern Psychology and the Wisdom of the East

    book · 1940

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  4. Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion

    book · 1947

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  5. Easter: Its Story and Meaning

    book · 1950

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  6. The Supreme Identity: An Essay on Oriental Metaphysic and the Christian Religion

    book · 1950

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  7. The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety

    book · 1951

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  8. Myth and Ritual in Christianity

    book · 1953

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  9. Cover of The Way of Zen
    The Way of Zen

    book · 1957

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  10. Nature, Man, and Woman

    book · 1958

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  11. Beat Zen, Square Zen, and Zen

    book · 1959

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  12. Psychotherapy East and West

    book · 1961

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  13. Cover of The Joyous Cosmology: Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness
    The Joyous Cosmology: Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness

    book · 1962

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  14. Beyond Theology: The Art of Godmanship

    book · 1964

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  15. Cover of The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
    The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

    book · 1966

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  16. Nonsense

    graphic-work · 1967

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  17. Erotic Spirituality: The Vision of Konarak

    book · 1971

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  18. The Art of Contemplation: A Facsimile Manuscript with Doodles

    book · 1972

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  19. Cover of Tao: The Watercourse Way
    Tao: The Watercourse Way

    book · 1975

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  20. Uncarved Block, Unbleached Silk: The Mystery of Life

    book · 1978

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  21. Om: Creative Meditations

    book · 1980

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  22. Cover of The Collected Letters of Alan Watts
    The Collected Letters of Alan Watts

    letters · 2017

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  23. The Fish Who Found the Sea

    book · 2020

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