Bibliography and Timeline
Alan Watts was born on January 6, 1915 in Kent, England. During his formative years Alan's mother taught children of Christian missionaries in China, and as a result he became fascinated with Oriental art.
In training to become an Anglican priest, he attended King's School next door to Canterbury Cathedral. There he learned to write skillfully, and was trained in public speaking in preparation for a lifetime on the pulpit.
During this period he discovered an esoteric bookstore in London, where he found books on the Far East. He also discovered The Buddhist Lodge, where he met Christmas Humphries and D.T. Suzuki. Alan Watts became editor of the Buddhist Lodge quarterly, The Middle Way.
The Early Writings of Alan Watts. Celestial Arts, Berkeley 1987 (at left)
The Modern Mystic. Element Books, Shaftesbury, England, 1990 (also pub. as Seeds of Genius. Element Books, Boston, 1996.)
The Spirit of Zen. John Murray, London, 1936.
Alan Watts married Eleanor Everett in 1938, and moved to New York.
The Meaning of Happiness. Harper, New York, 1940.
Behold the Spirit. Pantheon, New York, 1940.
In 1941, Watts decided to reconcile his interest in Eastern mysticism with his Christian training, and enrolled in the Seabury Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. In 1944 he was ordained as an Episcopalian priest.
The Supreme Identity. Faber & Faber, London, 1948.
Easter: Its Story and Meaning. Abelard-Schuman, New York, 1950.
Myth and Ritual in Christianity. Thames and Hudson, London, and Vanguard, New York, 1950.
In 1951, Alan Watts left the Church and his first wife to begin a new life in Millbrook, New York with Dorothy Dewitt. After a memorable New Year's Eve dinner at their small farmhouse with Joseph Campbell, Jean Erdman, and Luisa Coomaraswami, Alan Watts left for California in early 1951 with his new wife to accept a teaching position at the Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco.
1951 - 1960
Alan Watts became a popular lecturer at the Academy, and in 1953 was invited to speak on public radio station KPFA in Berkeley
Five years later he published his best-selling book, The Way of Zen, followed by the popular pamphlet Beat Zen, Square Zen, and Zen.
The Wisdom of Insecurity. Pantheon, New York, 1951.
Way Beyond the West
Pacifica Radio series, Berkeley, 1953-1958.
The Way of Zen, Pantheon Books, New York, 1958.
Nature, Man, and Woman. Pantheon, New York, 1958.
Beat Zen, Square Zen, and Zen. City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1959.
1960 - 1973
Alan Watts appeared on national television for the first time in Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life. Bruce Lee recorded the NET series to teach his Western students Eastern thought. This began the most productive period of Watts' life, leading to his rise to fame as an unintentional spokesman for the counterculture movement.
Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life. National Educational Television series, San Francisco, 1960
This Is It. Random House, New York, 1962.
Psychotherapy East and West. Pantheon, New York, 1962
Joyous Cosmology. Pantheon, New York. 1962.
The Two Hands of God; Myths of Polarity, Collier Macmillan, New York, 1963.
Beyond Theology; The Art of Godmanship. Pantheon, New York, 1964.
The Book: On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are. Pantheon, New York, 1966
Nonsense. Stolen Paper Editions, Mill Valley, 1967.
Buddhism, Religion of No Religion. Japan Seminars, Electronic University, Mill Valley, 1965- 1968.
Tao of Philosophy. Public Lectures, Electronic University, Mill Valley, 1963-1969.
Does it Matter? Pantheon, New York, 1970.
Erotic Spirituality; The Visions or Konarak. Collier Macmillan, New York, 1971
Philosophies of Asia. Public Lectures, Electronic University, Mill Valley, 1968-1971.
The Art of Contemplation. Alan Watts Journal, Society for Comparative Philosophy, Sausalito, 1972
In My Own Way. Pantheon, New York, 1972
Myth and Religion. Public Lectures, Electronic University, Mill Valley, 1966-1972
Cloud Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown. Pantheon, New York, 1973.
Alan Watts passed away in his sleep in the early hours of November 16, 1973.
1974 - 1999
Alan Watts's son, Mark Watts, began the Electronic University to continue his father's work, and to realize his vision of a way of education through electronic media.
The Essence of Alan Watts. Celestial Arts, Ed. Mary Jane Watts, San Francisco, 1974 (also pub. as: The Essential Alan Watts, 1976)
Tao: The Watercourse Way. Ed. Al Huang. Pantheon, New York, 1975.
Uncarved Block, Unbleached Silk. A&W, New York, 1978. Om; Creative Meditations. Celestial Arts, Berkeley, 1979.
Play to Live. Ed. Mark Watts, And Books, South Bend, 1982.
Way of Liberation. Ed. Mark Watts, Weatherhill, New York, 1983.
Out of the Trap. Ed. Mark Watts, And Books, South Bend, 1985.
Diamond Web. Ed. Mark Watts, And Books, South Bend, 1986.
Philosophies of Asia. Ed. Mark Watts, Tuttle, Boston, 1995.
Tao of Philosophy. Ed. Mark Watts, Tuttle, Boston, 1995.
Buddhism; Religion of No-Religion. Ed. Mark Watts, Tuttle, Boston, 1995.
Myth and Religion. Ed. Mark Watts, Tuttle, Boston, 1996.
Taoism: Way Beyond Seeking. Ed. Mark Watts, Tuttle, Boston, 1997.
Culture of Counterculture. Ed. Mark Watts, Tuttle, Boston, 1998.
Zen and the Beat Way. Ed. Mark Watts, Tuttle Co., Boston, 1999.
Still the Mind. Eds. Mark Watts and Marc Allen, New World Library, Novato, 2000.