Does it Matter? : Essays on Man's Relation to Materiality

Americans are not materialistic as usually charged because they do not fully savor the immediate physical present, contends Watts (1915-1973). In several pithy essays reprinted from a Pantheon Books book published in 1970, this major interpreter of Eastern philosophical concepts for the 1960s generation treats topics including wealth vs. money, peace, the aesthetics of everyday life, and self-transformation through drugs and other means. Annotation 2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)