21 h 6 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 21 h 6 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens inside a mind that feels the presence of something unseen?
In The Varieties of Religious Experience, William James turns from arguments about God to the inner lives of believers. He gathers personal accounts from saints, converts, mystics, and ordinary people. His questions are direct: what does religious experience feel like, and what does it do for the person who lives through it?
Meet Leo Tolstoy in despair, John Bunyan in terror, and Saint Teresa in ecstasy. James reads their accounts with care, exploring joy, divided selves, conversion, and mystical states. He neither asks which church is right nor sets out to prove religion true or false. Instead, he offers a way to take belief seriously without asking you to share it.
What you’ll discover
- The force of the unseen Explore accounts of a felt presence that believers describe as real despite seeing nothing.
- Joy beside despair Follow James as he considers religious temperaments shaped by happiness or an unflinching awareness of evil.
- A divided self seeks peace Discover how conversion may bring unity to people torn between their lives and their hopes.
- Saintliness under close scrutiny Consider the fruits and dangers of religious life through James's examination of saintly character.
- Mysticism without easy answers Examine experiences that carry authority for those who have them, but not necessarily for others.
Who will love it
This book suits readers curious about how faith feels from the inside: lovers of psychology and philosophy, and anyone who wants a fair, open-minded guide to conversion, prayer, mysticism and saints.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Begin by listening to lived faith
- Judge belief by its fruits
- Surrender can turn resignation into welcome
- Optimism has real power and limits
- Some souls must pass through despair
- Conversion brings a divided self together
- Mystical certainty does not bind outsiders
- Hold wider beliefs with tolerance
- Stay open and examine the results
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
The Varieties of Religious Experience in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Varieties of Religious Experience
by William James · 1902
A Harvard psychologist collects the private confessions of converts, mystics and saints and asks what they are worth.
Challenging10–20 hours to read2 languages
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What does a person do when life collapses and the will gives out? William James asks this in The Varieties of Religious Experience, and he answers by listening.
The Varieties of Religious Experience at a glance
- Reading time
- About 12 h9 h 30 min fast, 14 h 20 min slow
- Length
- 171,700 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1902by William James
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Judge a belief by its fruits, not its roots
Many religious leaders had unstable nerves, heard voices, or fell into trances. George Fox, who founded the Quakers, walked barefoot through the market of Lichfield crying woe to the bloody city. A reader may think such a man is explained once we call him disturbed.
James calls this habit medical materialism. It explains Saint Paul by epilepsy and Carlyle's gloom by a bad stomach. But every state of mind depends on the body, including a scientist's atheism. So the body cannot sort true feelings from false ones.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1902
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 13 h 45 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
James, William. The Varieties of Religious Experience. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-varieties-of-religious-experience.
James, W. (2026). The varieties of religious experience. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-varieties-of-religious-experience (Original work published 1902)
James, William. The Varieties of Religious Experience. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-varieties-of-religious-experience.
@book{james2026varieties,
author = {James, William},
title = {The Varieties of Religious Experience},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-varieties-of-religious-experience},
note = {First published 1902}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Varieties of Religious Experience
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Varieties of Religious Experience about?
It studies the private side of religion: conversion, saintliness, mysticism and prayer. James uses real confessions and diaries to ask what religious experience feels like and what it is worth, setting aside churches, creeds and rituals.
What does William James mean by medical materialism?
It is the habit of explaining religious figures away by their bodies, calling Saint Paul epileptic or Saint Teresa hysterical. James answers that all thoughts depend on the body, so origins cannot decide what a belief is worth.
What is the difference between the once-born and the twice-born?
The once-born are healthy-minded people who see life as basically good and need only one birth. The twice-born pass through despair and a divided self, and find happiness only after a deep inner change.
The author
William James
1842–1910 · American philosopher and psychologist
William James (1842–1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. Born in New York City, he taught at Harvard University in Massachusetts. He wrote The Principles of Psychology (1890), The Will to Believe (1897), The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902), and Pragmatism (1907). He died in Chocorua, New Hampshire.
More by William James
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
