The early works, 1882-1898

Psychology, John Dewey's first book, is an appropriate choice for the first volume in the Southern Illinois University series The Early Works of John Dewey, 1882-1898. With an original publi-cation date of 1887, Psychology is volume 2 of The Early Works. It appears first in the series to introduce scholars and general readers to the use of modern textual criticism in a work outside the literary field. Designed as a scholar's reading edition, the volume presents the text of Dewey's work as the author intended, clear of editorial footnotes. All apparatus is conveniently arranged in ap-pendix form. As evidence of its wide adoption and use as a college textbook, Psychology had a publishing history of twenty-six print-ings. For two of the reprintings, Dewey made extensive revisions in content to incorporate developments in the field of psychology as well as in his own thinking. The textual appendices include a thorough tabulation of these changes. In recognition of the high quality and scholarly standards of the textual criticism, this edition of Psychology is the first non-literary work awarded the Seal of the Modern Language Associa-tion Center for Editions of American Authors. By applying to the work of a philosopher the procedures used in modern textual editions of American writers such as Hawthorne, the Southern Illinois University Dewey project is establishing a pattern for future col-lected writing of philosophers.