“Knapp painstakingly demonstrates just how much time James devoted to psychical research (perhaps more than to any other individual endeavor) and how the lessons James drew from that subject informed several of his key doctrines.”—Reading Religion
“Essential reading for anyone who wishes to have a thorough understanding of James’s work in psychology and philosophy, or to assess his substantial contributions to psychical research.”—Fortean Times
“If the reader is interested in James or psychic phenomena this book has a lot to offer; and if the reader is interested in both, it is an essential guide to the profound relationship between James and psychical research.”—Self and Society
“An impressively researched and clearly written analysis that examines neglected ways that James’s psychical research influenced his philosophical, scientific, and religious ideas.”—American Historical Review
“Knapp offers a thoughtful and well-argued analysis of the increasing centrality of subjectivity that permeates James’s thought, informed his vision of reality as flexible and fluid, and defines him as a proto-modernist.”—Bulletin of the History of Medicine
“A well-written and detailed account of the place and trajectory of psychical research in James’s thought.”—Journal of American History
“Brilliantly solidifies James’s stature as a philosophical psychologist who pioneered the understanding of 'exceptional mental states.' Highly recommended.”—CHOICE
“Krister Dylan Knapp gets the center of gravity right in tracing the development of William James’s thought, locating psychical research as a thread that ties his intellectual trajectory together. This is a very significant contribution with broad appeal for those interested in religion, psychology, and philosophy.” — Ann Taves, author of Fits, Trances, and Visions
“Krister Dylan Knapp’s William James helps us better understand why James’s pragmatic approach to religion caught on and why it continues to attract followers today. James’s interest in paranormal activity, telepathy, hypnotism, and communications with the dead was not merely a sideline or a passing phase, Knapp shows, but an enduring, relentless, and critical search for evidence that such things might stand up to scientific scrutiny. In addition to chronicling James’s doggedness in pursuit of psychic phenomena, Knapp shows how closely this pursuit was intertwined with other aspects of James’s work that proved more influential. His discussion of James’s tertium quid offers keen insight into James’s disposition as a thinker, and I expect others will come to rely on Knapp’s thesis.” — Amanda Porterfield, author of Conceived in Doubt
