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Huston Smith (1919–2016)

Author of The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions

69+ Works 7,686 Members 72 Reviews 8 Favorited

About the Author

Huston Cummings Smith was born in Suzhou, China on May 31, 1919 to Methodist missionaries. He attended Central Methodist University and was ordained a Methodist minister. He soon realized that he would rather teach than preach. He received a Ph.D. in 1945 from the University of Chicago. He taught show more at several universities including the University of Denver, the Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Chicago Divinity School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Berkeley. He wrote numerous books during his lifetime including The Religions of Man (the textbook title was later changed to The World's Religions), Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals, and Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine. In 1955, he turned his popular college lectures into a series of programs on world religions for the National Educational Television network. In 1996, he was the focus of a five-part PBS series entitled The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith. He died on December 30, 2016 at the age of 97. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Huston Smith, Huston C. Smith

Image credit: photo by Gregg Chadwick

Series

Works by Huston Smith

The Religions of Man (1958) 1,094 copies
Beyond the Post-Modern Mind (1982) 158 copies
Essays on World Religion (1995) 44 copies
Gregorian Chant: Songs of the Spirit (1996) — Editor — 38 copies
The Huston Smith Reader (2012) 12 copies
The search for America (1959) 5 copies
Condemned to Meaning (1965) 5 copies
Understanding Islam (2002) 4 copies
The Way Things Are (2004) 2 copies

Associated Works

The Bhagavad Gita (0400) — Introduction, some editions — 9,338 copies
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (1970) — Preface, some editions — 4,343 copies
The Way of a Pilgrim / The Pilgrim Continues His Way (1884) — Introduction, some editions — 1,900 copies
The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism (1995) — Introduction, some editions — 1,474 copies
The Cloud of Unknowing: and The Book of Privy Counseling (1973) — Foreword, some editions — 984 copies
Great Religions of the World (1971) 598 copies
The World's Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World's Religions (1900) — Foreword, some editions — 520 copies
A Buddhist Bible (1938) — Introduction, some editions — 483 copies
The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred (1998) — Foreword, some editions — 397 copies
This Is My Best: Great Writers Share Their Favorite Work (2004) — Contributor — 157 copies
Jesus at 2000 (1996) — Contributor — 153 copies
The Illustrated Rumi: A Treasury of Wisdom from the Poet of the Soul (2000) — Preface, some editions — 107 copies
Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics (2002) — Preface — 101 copies
The Best Spiritual Writing 1998 (1998) — Contributor — 98 copies
The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam (1989) — Introduction, some editions — 90 copies
Creed & Culture: A Touchstone Reader (2003) — Contributor — 62 copies
Encyclopedia of Mormonism (1992) — Contributor — 55 copies
Range of Philosophy (1964) — Contributor — 51 copies
Philosophical Issues: A Contemporary Introduction (1972) — Contributor — 17 copies
Theologians in Their Own Words (2013) — Contributor — 13 copies
Wandering: Brush and Pen in Philosophical Reflection (2002) — Contributor — 6 copies
A Zen Life (2006) — Interviewee — 6 copies
Wisdom of Faith [1996 TV series] (1996) — Interviewee — 4 copies
Modernity and religion (1988) — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

Bhagavad Gita (253) Buddhism (993) Christianity (392) classics (134) comparative religion (236) Confucianism (104) fiction (96) Hindu (169) Hinduism (1,126) history (152) India (392) Islam (220) Judaism (318) Kabbalah (210) Krishna (106) literature (111) meditation (270) mysticism (349) mythology (224) non-fiction (899) philosophy (864) poetry (242) prayer (155) read (111) reference (123) religion (3,150) Religions (159) sacred texts (171) Sanskrit (99) Scripture (108) spiritual (107) spirituality (928) Taoism (125) Theology (208) to-read (640) unread (109) World Religions (399) yoga (141) zen (521) Zen Buddhism (99)

Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

Retaining all the beloved qualities of Huston Smith's classic The Religions of Man and the current fully revised and updated The World's Religions, this stunning pictorial presentation refines the text to its wonderful essentials. In detailed, absorbing, richly illustrated, and highly readable chapters on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity and primal religions, we find refreshing and fascinating presentations of both the differences and the similarities among the worldwide religious traditions. The approach is at once classic and contemporary, retaining all the empathy, eloquence and erudition that millions of readers love about the earlier editions, while being edited and designed for a contemporary general readership. This delightful marriage of winsome text and remarkable pictures vividly brings to life the scope and vision of Huston Smith's expertise and insight.… (more)
 
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StFrancisofAssisi | 7 other reviews | Nov 1, 2023 |
One of the best guides out there on many of the kinds of religions that exist in the world.
Smith's treatment of indigenous, animistic, pagan, and traditional practices were less complete than I had hoped to find.
 
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mykl-s | 24 other reviews | Aug 12, 2023 |
Finished the Scythe book, it was good
 
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Nealmaro | 24 other reviews | Jul 28, 2023 |
Huston gives a thoughtful perspective on how "metaphysics" has become confused with "cosmology." Because science provides such a compelling cosmology, it has also become a world view, as if it can explain the meaning or origin of existence. The book takes pains to refer to a wide range of other writers and thinkers, which can create a dizzying effect, but the general effect is compelling.
 
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itheodore | 5 other reviews | May 27, 2023 |

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Works
69
Also by
39
Members
7,686
Popularity
#3,167
Rating
4.0
Reviews
72
ISBNs
128
Languages
11
Favorited
8

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