What order should I read Alan Watts's books in?

Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Wisdom of Insecurity.

What is Alan Watts's last book?

Tao: The Watercourse Way (1975).

What is Alan Watts's most famous book?

The Wisdom of Insecurity (1951) is Alan Watts's most widely read book.

Alan Watts books in order

British American author and lecturer

Lived: 1915–1973
Country: United Kingdom
Books: 44

Philosophy

Alan Watts published 2 novels, 2 novellas, 27 non-fiction books and 13 other books, beginning with The Wisdom of Insecurity (1951).

Updated September 2026

Where to start with Alan Watts

Start here
The Wisdom of Insecurity
Alan Watts's most-read book.

Standalone novels in order

Tao: The Watercourse Way (1975)
160 pages
Buy
ALAN WATTS LIVE (1991)
Buy

Novellas in order

The Philosophies of Asia (1995)
117 pages
Buy
Still the Mind (2000)
127 pages
Buy

Non-fiction in order

Easter (1950)
126 pages
Buy
The Wisdom of Insecurity (1951)
144 pages★ 3.4 (13 ratings)
Buy
The Supreme Identity (1957)
204 pages
Buy
The Way of Zen (1957)
245 pages★ 4.1 (9 ratings)
Buy
Nature, Man,& Woman (1958)
209 pages
Buy
This Is It (1960)
158 pages
Buy
Psychotherapy, East and West (1961)
200 pages
Buy
The Joyous Cosmology (1962)
100 pages
Buy
Two Hands of God (1963)
261 pages
Buy
Beyond Theology (1964)
236 pages
Buy
The Book (1966)
155 pages★ 3.5 (12 ratings)
Buy
Meaning of Happiness (1968)
219 pages
Buy
Does It Matter? (1970)
125 pages
Buy
In My Own Way (1972)
400 pages★ 3.8 (16 ratings)
Buy
Cloud-hidden, Whereabouts Unknown (1973)
185 pages
Buy
Nothingness (1974)
63 pages
Buy
The Essence of Alan Watts (1974)
141 pages
Buy
The Essential Alan Watts (1977)
142 pages
Buy
Om (1980)
140 pages
Buy
Out of the Trap (1985)
157 pages
Buy
Become What You Are (1995)
135 pages
Buy
The Tao of Philosophy (1995)
126 pages
Buy
Buddhism, the Religion of No-religion (1996)
127 pages
Buy
Myth and Religion (1996)
107 pages
Buy
Taoism (1998)
109 pages
Buy
Eastern Wisdom, Modern Life: Collected Talks (2006)
272 pages
Buy
Alan Watts - In the Academy (2017)
384 pages
Buy

Other books in order

The Spirit of Zen: A Way of Life (1936)
136 pages
Buy
Myth and Ritual in Christianity (1953)
262 pages
Buy
The Spirit of Zen (1955)
136 pages
Buy
The Way of Liberation in Zen Buddhism (1955)
Buy
Beat Zen, Square Zen and Zen (1959)
Buy
Behold the Spirit (1971)
257 pages
Buy
Meditation (1974)
63 pages
Buy
The Early Writings of Alan Watts (1987)
272 pages
Buy
Talking Zen (1994)
201 pages
Buy
Out of Your Mind (1998)
Buy
What Is Tao? (2000)
89 pages
Buy
The Collected Letters of Alan Watts (2017)
607 pages
Buy
Just So (2020)
220 pages
Buy

About Alan Watts

Alan Wilson Watts was a British and American writer, speaker, and self-styled "philosophical entertainer", known for interpreting and popularising Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu philosophy for a Western audience.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Alan Watts FAQ

How many books has Alan Watts written?: Alan Watts published 2 novels, 2 novellas, 27 non-fiction books and 13 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
What order should I read Alan Watts's books in?: Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Wisdom of Insecurity.
What is Alan Watts's last book?: Tao: The Watercourse Way (1975).
What is Alan Watts's most famous book?: The Wisdom of Insecurity (1951) is Alan Watts's most widely read book.