First published in 1890, The Principles of Psychology (Vol. 1 & 2) synthesizes sensation, habit, attention, will, emotion, and the self into a capacious science of mind. James coins "stream of consciousness," distinguishes the "I" and the "Me," and advances the James-Lange account of emotion. With aphoristic, metaphor-rich prose, he interweaves laboratory results and introspective reports, mediating among British empiricism, German psychophysics, and Darwinian naturalism. A physician-turned-philosopher at Harvard, James organized early psychology teaching and a small laboratory, while drawing on medical training and European study of physiology and psychophysics. Encounters with Wundtian experimentalism, a cosmopolitan family steeped in theology and literature, and his own depressive "crisis of will" shaped his attention to habit, choice, and experience, helping him reconcile scientific rigor with a pluralistic, humanly responsive psychology. This masterwork rewards scholars and newcomers alike-psychologists, philosophers of mind, cognitive scientists, and humanists-with clear concepts, historical depth, and an elastic vocabulary for lived mental life. Read it to grasp foundations still guiding debates on attention, emotion, selfhood, and will. Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable-distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Author Biography · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.

William James was an American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James was one of the leading thinkers of the late nineteenth century and is believed by many to be one of the most influential philosophers the United States has ever produced, while others have labeled him the "Father of American psychology""."