A new collection of essays by the great traditionalist/perennialist Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. This collection has been edited by his son, Rama Coomaraswamy, who is well known for his writings on the Christian tradition. The Essential Ananda K. Coomaraswamy contains 21 essays on topics reflecting the vast scope of Coomaraswamy’s intellect, including those topics with which he is most associated, such as symbolism, Eastern vs. Western thinking, mythology, literature, metaphysics, traditional art, folklore, and even more! For those new to Coomaraswamy’s writings, this is an excellent survey, and for those who cannot find some of his out-of-print essays, this collection may be the solution. The introduction by Rama P. Coomaraswamy includes a wonderful biography of his father with many details and from a perspective that have never been available before. Arvind Sharma wrote the foreword.

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a multi-talented researcher, scientist, linguist, expert on culture and art, philosopher, museum curator, and author. He was the first well-known author of the modern era to expound the importance of traditional arts, culture, and thought as more than simply relics of a bygone past. Dr. Coomaraswamy is often credited with reintroducing the concept of the “Perennial Philosophy” to a West dazed by the endless multiplicity of the modern world.

1. A Figure of Speech or a Figure of Thought?
2. The Bugbear of Literacy
3. On the Pertinence of Philosophy
4. Eastern Wisdom and Western Knowledge
5. Beauty and Truth
6. The Interpretation of Symbols
7. Why Exhibit Works of Art?
8. The Christian and Oriental, or True, Philosophy of Art
9. Is Art a Superstition, or a Way of Life?
10. The Nature of Medieval Art
11. Ars sine scientia nihil
12. Imitation, Expression, and Participation
13. Samvega: “Aesthetic Shock”
14. What is Civilization?
15. The Nature of “Folklore” and “Popular Art”
16. Primitive Mentality
17. The Coming to Birth of the Spirit
18. Quod factum est in ipso vita erat
19. The Hindu Tradition: The Myth
20. The Hindu Tradition: Theology and Autology
Glossary of Foreign Terms and Phrases
Bibliographical References
Biographical Notes
Index
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