Philosophical Library

Philosophical Library is a publisher, based in New York City, United States, specializing in psychology, philosophy, religion, and history.

It was founded in 1941 by Dagobert D. Runes¹ with the intention of publishing the works of European intellectuals fleeing racial and religious persecution in the 1930s.

According to Rick Lewis in an article for Philosophy Now, "Runes knew almost everyone in émigré circles, and hit on the idea of publishing books by the brilliant European exiles he knew." In particular, Lewis says, Runes was close to Albert Einstein and thought it fitting to publish his work in the states. As such, Runes created Philosophical Library in 1941.²

Philosophical Library has published works for twenty-two Nobel Prize winners and other key figures, including Einstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Arnold Schoenberg, Paramahansa Yogananda and Albert Schweitzer.

Classic books include Einstein's Out of My Later Years, Khalil Gibran's Tears and Laughter, Max Planck's Classical Mathematics, and Sartre's Being and Nothingness (1943). The company also curates and publishes various collections of work, such as those themed around continental philosophy or Buddhist philosophy.

Since 2007, the company has reissued out-of-print titles.