JOAN WATTS & ANNE WATTS at Books Inc. Berkeley

Philosopher, author, and lecturer Alan Watts (1915-1973) popularized Zen Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies for the counterculture of the 1960s. Today, new generations are finding his writings and lectures online, while faithful followers worldwide continue to be enlightened by his teachings. The Collected Letters of Alan Watts reveals the remarkable arc of Watts’s colorful and controversial life, from his school days in England to his priesthood in the Anglican Church as Chaplain of Northwestern University to his alternative lifestyle and experimentation with LSD in the heyday of the late sixties. His engaging letters cover a vast range of subject matter, with recipients ranging from High Church clergy to high priests of psychedelics, government officials, publishers, critics, family, and fans. Watts’ letters were curated by two of his daughters, Joan and Anne Watts, who have added rich, behind-the-scenes biographical commentary. Watts wrote more than twenty books during his lifetime, including The Way of Zen, The Wisdom of Insecurity, The Meaning of Happiness, Psychotherapy East and West, The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, This Is It, Joyous Cosmology, In My Own Way: An Autobiography, and Tao,the Watercourse Way.

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