Author Guide · Religious Studies
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Huston Smith was born in 1919 in Suzhou, China, the son of Methodist missionaries, and trained to become a missionary himself. Instead he spent his life studying other faiths from the inside: he practised yoga, trained in a Zen monastery and kept Islamic prayer. His 1958 book The Religions of Man, revised in 1991 as The World’s Religions, has sold more than three million copies and became a standard college textbook. In 1996 Bill Moyers gave him a five-part PBS series, The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith. This guide covers his 10 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 10 key books · 1958–2012 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Huston Smith’s best-known book is The World’s Religions, first published in 1958 as The Religions of Man and revised in 1991; it has sold more than three million copies. His other key books are Forgotten Truth (1976) and Why Religion Matters (2001). Start with The World’s Religions, then read on for where his own convictions come in.
Where to Start with Huston Smith
If you want the book everyone reads first
→ The World’s Religions (1958) — the major religions, one chapter each.
If you want his own philosophy
→ Forgotten Truth (1976) — what he believed the traditions share.
If you want his case against a purely scientific worldview
→ Why Religion Matters (2001).
If you want his life story
→ Tales of Wonder (2009) — from China to Berkeley.
10 Huston Smith Books, in Order
The World’s Religions
First published in 1958 as The Religions of Man, it introduces Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity, describing each from the point of view of its believers. Smith revised it in 1991 under the new title. The two versions together have sold more than three million copies, and it has long been used as a college textbook.
Forgotten Truth
Smith’s own argument rather than a survey: that beneath their differences the great religious traditions share a common picture of reality, which the modern scientific worldview has pushed aside. The book places him close to the Traditionalist School of René Guénon, Frithjof Schuon and Ananda Coomaraswamy.
Beyond the Postmodern Mind
A collection of essays on the limits of the modern and postmodern outlook, continuing the argument of Forgotten Truth for readers in philosophy and the sciences.
Cleansing the Doors of Perception
His essays on psychedelics and religious experience, written over four decades. Smith had taken part in the Harvard Psilocybin Project and in the Good Friday Experiment at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel in 1962, which he later called “the most powerful cosmic homecoming I have ever experienced.”
Why Religion Matters
An argument that scientism, the belief that science alone tells us what is real, has narrowed modern culture, and that the religious traditions keep alive a larger view of human beings and the world.
Islam
A short introduction to Islam, its beliefs, practice and history, for general readers.
Buddhism
Written with the scholar Philip Novak, a short introduction to the Buddha’s teaching and the Buddhist tradition, for general readers.
The Soul of Christianity
Late in life, Smith returns to the faith he was raised in and sets out the core of historic Christianity shared by its main branches, as he saw it.
Tales of Wonder
His autobiography, written with Jeffery Paine: a childhood in China as the son of missionaries, his academic career, and his encounters with teachers and practices of many traditions.
And Live Rejoicing
A late collection of stories and short pieces from his life and work, published when he was in his nineties.
In What Order to Read Huston Smith
Smith wrote in two registers. The World’s Religions and the two concise introductions describe faiths as their believers see them and keep his own views in the background. Forgotten Truth, Beyond the Postmodern Mind and Why Religion Matters are arguments, and there he says what he himself believes.
Read the survey first, because the arguments assume you know the traditions. Leave Tales of Wonder until last, or read it alongside: it explains how a missionary’s son came to write both kinds of book.
A reading path
1. The World’s Religions (1958)
2. Forgotten Truth (1976)
3. Why Religion Matters (2001)
4. Cleansing the Doors of Perception (2000)
5. Tales of Wonder (2009)
Everything Else Huston Smith Published
Beyond the 10 key books: 6 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Other books and collaborations
6
6 books · 1955–2006
- 1955The Purposes of Higher Educationhis first book
- 1971Great Religions of the Worldwith other contributors
- 1995The Illustrated World’s Religionsan illustrated edition of his best-known book
- 1996One Nation Under Godon the peyote religion of the Native American Church, with Reuben Snake
- 2003The Way Things Areconversations with Huston Smith
- 2006A Seat at the Tableconversations with Native Americans on religious freedom
The years · 1919–2016
Quick facts about Huston Smith
- Known for
- Huston Smith is known for introducing millions of readers to the world’s religions as their own believers understand them.
- 1919
- Born in Suzhou, China, to Methodist missionaries
- 1962
- Good Friday Experiment, Marsh Chapel
- 1996
- The Wisdom of Faith with Bill Moyers, PBS
- 2016
- Dies in Berkeley, California, aged 97
- Born
- 31 May 1919, Suzhou, China, to Methodist missionaries
- Died
- 30 December 2016, Berkeley, California
- Education
- Central Methodist University (BA, 1940); University of Chicago (PhD, 1945)
- Taught
- Washington University in St. Louis, MIT (1958–1973), Syracuse University (1973–1983), then UC Berkeley
- Television
- The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith, five episodes with Bill Moyers, PBS, 1996
- Advocacy
- Helped win the 1994 amendment to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act
The red mark is 1958: The Religions of Man, later The World’s Religions.
How Huston Smith Writes: Religion from the Inside
Smith’s method in The World’s Religions is to describe each faith at its best, as an intelligent believer would explain it, rather than through its history of institutions and conflicts. He backed this with practice: he did yoga, trained in a Zen monastery and kept Islamic prayer.
His own philosophy comes out in Forgotten Truth and Why Religion Matters. He was drawn to the Traditionalist, or perennialist, writers René Guénon, Frithjof Schuon and Ananda Coomaraswamy, who held that the great traditions share one underlying truth, and he set that view against what he called scientism. His interest was also practical: in 1964 he noticed that Tibetan monks at Gyuto could each chant a chord, recorded them in 1967, and called it the one empirical discovery of his career.
He wrote for general readers in short, clear chapters, and he said depth mattered more than range: “If you are drilling for water, it’s better to drill one 60-foot well than 10 6-foot wells.” For the writer who popularised the perennial philosophy before him, see Books by Aldous Huxley.
Watch
Huston Smith in Conversation with Jeffrey Mishlove
Jeffrey Mishlove talks with Huston Smith in a 1990 episode of Thinking Allowed about three basic relationships, with nature, with other people and with oneself, and how they map onto Western, Chinese and Indian philosophy. Rereleased in 2025. From the official New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove channel.
Frequently asked questions about Huston Smith’s books
How many books has Huston Smith written?
About sixteen under his name, including collaborations. Ten are the key books on this page, from The World’s Religions (1958) to And Live Rejoicing (2012); the other six are listed under “Everything else”, starting with The Purposes of Higher Education (1955).
What are Huston Smith’s books in order?
The World’s Religions (1958, first as The Religions of Man), Forgotten Truth (1976), Beyond the Postmodern Mind (1982), Cleansing the Doors of Perception (2000), Why Religion Matters (2001), Islam: A Concise Introduction (2001), Buddhism: A Concise Introduction (2004), The Soul of Christianity (2005), Tales of Wonder (2009) and And Live Rejoicing (2012).
Where should I start with Huston Smith?
The World’s Religions. It covers the major faiths one chapter at a time, and his later books build on it. Then read Forgotten Truth for his own view.
What is Huston Smith’s most famous book?
The World’s Religions, published in 1958 as The Religions of Man and revised in 1991. The two versions have sold more than three million copies and are widely used in college courses.
What is the difference between The Religions of Man and The World’s Religions?
They are the same book. The Religions of Man (1958) was revised and retitled The World’s Religions in 1991. If you buy one, buy the revised edition.
What was The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith?
A five-part PBS series with Bill Moyers, broadcast from March to April 1996, with episodes on Hinduism and Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity and Judaism, Islam, and Smith’s own philosophy.
Was Huston Smith a perennialist?
He is usually counted among them. He was drawn to the Traditionalist School of René Guénon, Frithjof Schuon and Ananda Coomaraswamy, and Forgotten Truth (1976) argues that the great traditions share a common understanding of reality.
Did Huston Smith take psychedelics?
Yes. He took part in the Harvard Psilocybin Project with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, and in the Good Friday Experiment at Marsh Chapel, Boston University, on 20 April 1962. He later distanced himself from Leary but kept writing on the subject, collected in Cleansing the Doors of Perception (2000).
What did Huston Smith do for Native American religious freedom?
After a 1990 Supreme Court ruling that the sacramental use of peyote was not constitutionally protected, he campaigned for the Native American Church. With his help, Congress passed an amendment to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1994.
Is Huston Smith still alive?
No. He died at his home in Berkeley, California, on 30 December 2016, aged 97.
Footnotes
- Huston Smith — Wikipedia
- Remembering Huston Smith — NPR, 2017
- The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith — BillMoyers.com
- Marsh Chapel Experiment — Wikipedia
- Huston Smith, author of The World’s Religions, dies at 97 — Pluralism Project
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“If you are drilling for water, it’s better to drill one 60-foot well than 10 6-foot wells.”
— Huston Smith, interview on NPR (1996)
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