For more than sixty years, Huston Smith has not only written and taught about the world's religions, he has lived them. This Reader presents a rich selection of Smith's writings, covering six decades of inquiry and exploration, and ranging from scholarship to memoir. Over his long academic career, Smith's tireless enthusiasm for religious ideas has offered readers both in and outside the academy a fresh understanding of what religion is and what makes it meaningful. "The Huston Smith Reader" offers a comprehensive guide to understanding religion and spirituality as well as a memorable record of Huston Smith's lifelong endeavor to enrich the inner lives of his fellow humans.

"The most excitingly eye-opening ... serious reading on religion many will feel they have ever encountered." -- Ray Olson Booklist "A great summing up of Smith's work over the last half-century." -- Louis Sahagun Los Angeles Times Book Review "A lively and informative compilation of Smith's scholarly writing, interviews, and memoirs." -- Kristine Morris Foreword "A terrific sampling of Huston Smith's work over many years." -- David Crumm Read The Spirit "A wonderful selection of world religion expert Huston Smith's writings over a 60-year period." Spirituality & Practice

Huston Smith is regarded as one of the most prominent authorities on religions of the world. His classic text, The World's Religions, has seen multiple editions and has sold in excess of three million copies. He has been the subject of a Bill Moyers' PBS series called "The Wisdom of Faith" and is the author of numerous books, including Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief, The Way Things Are: Conversations with Huston Smith on the Spiritual Life, and The Soul of Christianity: Restoring the Great Tradition. Jeffery Paine is the author of Father India, Re-enchantment: Tibetan Buddhism Comes to the West, and Adventures with the Buddha.