Three: The Way of Zen, Nature, Man and Woman, Psychotherapy East and West – Alan Watts
VG/VG

For sale: a Rare and Exceptional first hardcover edition, first printing of Three: The Way of Zen, Nature, Man and Woman, Psychotherapy East and West by Alan Watts. First Edition unstated and undated, 1977 Pantheon Books. First  Printing with no subsequent printing.

The book is in Very Good condition with clean, cloth boards with mild spotting at edges. Also with, strong title gilt on a straight spine and front graphic, some marks on page blocks, tight binding, mild spine tilt, rolled spine ends, mild edge wear, and rubbed corners. The interior of the book is in Very Good condition with an erased price on the first free end paper. No other marks, inscriptions, or other signs of ownership inside. The end papers and the interior pages are clean and bright, making it an excellent addition to any collection.

The dust jacket is in Good condition with mild toning on both surfaces, heavy edge wear, chips and several tears mended with acid-neutral tape.  First state jacket with 9/77 date on the rear, and the $15.00 price on the front flap. Looks great in a new Brodart archival wrap.

Combined in this one-volume edition are these three classics: The Way of Zen is a clear and comprehensive account of Zen Buddhism in its historical and cultural setting. Alan Watts beautifully interprets the Eastern way of experiencing liberation for the Western reader who is trapped in abstract thought. Nature, Man, and Woman vividly illustrates the theme of man and nature with the parallel problem of man’s relation to woman, showing that sexual anxiety reflects alienation from the organic whole that is nature. Psychotherapy East and West compares ways of Eastern liberation – Buddhism, Taoism, Vedanta, and Yoga – to the way of Western liberation, psychotherapy, finding that all seek to relieve the vicious cycle of seemingly endless attempts to solve a false problem.