“A wonderful selection of world religion expert Huston Smith's writings over a 60-year period. . . . Paine has organized these essays and interviews in such a way that they keep shedding more light on the variety and complexity of Smith’s writings.”
“There was no such thing as comparative religion; if you knew someone of another faith, you ignored them, persecuted them, or tried to convert them. Then, with his 1958 classic, The Religions of Man, Huston Smith showed America another way. . . . Smith’s writing, which spans six decades, is renowned for being highly accessible, and this newly published reader offers a fascinating selection of his work.”
"There is a comfortable warmth and intimacy to these chapters."
“I read Huston Smith’s The World’s Religions as a teenager. It was the most influential event in my life. He has shaped my thinking, my lifelong quest, and guided me to where I am today. The Huston Smith Reader will enlighten you, delight you, and expand your awareness. I intend to carry this book with me wherever I go.”—Deepak Chopra, author of War of the Worldviews
“Huston Smith approaches religion with the wisdom of a philosopher and the wonder of a child. He looks for similarities that unite, not differences that divide. He comes armed with knowledge and blessed with understanding."—Don Lattin, author of The Harvard Psychedelic Club
"This remarkable book by the beloved scholar-practitioner Huston Smith has the depth and breadth of no other. It is wise and full of insight, at times funny, at times poignant. Manifesting both lived and living wisdom, the book's power, beauty, and courage will take the reader into the heart of the world's religions."—Joan Halifax, Founding Abbot, Upaya Zen Center
“No one in our time, neither Martin Buber nor Elie Wiesel, neither Karen Armstrong nor Simone Weil, has made a greater contribution to our understanding of religion and spirituality than Huston Smith. We are privileged to live in his era, not only for his books and films, but for his emphasis on gleaning the wisdom from ancient traditions, and the example he has afforded the rest of us in practicing what he preaches, thus illuminating for us what it means to have a lived-in philosophy of the religious life. In turn, this book affords us the widest and most penetrating range of insights yet published into the mind and heart of this great teacher.”—Phil Cousineau, editor of The Way Things Are: Huston Smith on the Spiritual Life and author of The Art of Pilgrimage
"Huston Smith's words serve me well in traversing my spiritual path."—Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now
