Essence of the Upanishads

Essence of the Upanishads is a translation and commentary on the Katha Upanishad, an ancient Indian scripture. Written by Eknath Easwaran, the book was originally published in the United States in 1981, entitled Dialogue With Death. Non-English editions have also been published in several languages. The book has been reviewed in newspapers, magazines, and elsewhere.
Topics covered.
The majority of the book is a commentary on the Katha Upanishad, divided into 12 chapters in two major parts entitled "Dialogue With Death" and "The Journey Through Consciousness." The second edition contains a new preface by the author. All US editions of "Essence of the Upanishads" ("Dialogue With Death") contain the author's English translation of the Katha Upanishad (a 22 page appendix). The translation is described as "made particularly for use in meditation" (see the author's method of Passage Meditation).
The third edition includes a previously unpublished introduction in which the author states:
The Upanishads are probably the oldest body of wisdom literature in the world... Out of hundreds of these documents, one in particular appeals to me as the essence of the Upanishads. Lyrical, dramatic, practical, inspiring, the Katha Upanishad embraces the key ideas of Indian mysticism and presents them in the context of a mythic adventure that everyone can relate to: the story of a young hero who ventures into the land of death in search of immortality. (pp. 11-12)
Part One, entitled "A Dialogue With Death," contains two chapters of commentary:
Part Two, entitled "The Journey Through Consciousness," contains ten chapters of commentary. Most correspond to particular concepts from the Katha that are expounded by the author:
Reviews and influence.
Reviews have appeared in the 
"Los Angeles Times",
"Ottawa Citizen",
"Yoga International",
"Library Journal",
"Yoga Journal", 
and elsewhere.
The "Los Angeles Times" wrote that the author "has given us a clear, almost controversial book that draws on the text and teachings of an ancient mystical faith and applies them to the concerns of contemporary life. His insights into the use of meditation to overcome the fear of death are comforting, reassuring, invigorating... [and this] is as much a book about the richness of life as it is about the end of living."
In the "Ottawa Citizen", Radhika Sekar wrote that "There are several English versions of this Upanishad, most of them dry translations from Sanskrit by Hindu monks. [This translator and commentator,] however, was a householder... He thus had a grasp of both spiritual and secular worlds and... was firmly rooted in traditional wisdom and family values. He therefore co-relates the spiritual message to the everyday dilemmas faced by ordinary laity and presents the lofty Upanishad as a practical guide."
"Yoga International" stated that the author "often personifies philosophical and spiritual principles, thus removing them from the realm of the abstract. One of the central points in the Katha Upanishad is the distinction between the good ("shreya") and the pleasant ("preya") and the importance of choosing shreya." In imagery used in the commentary, the author
transforms these two principles into persistent door-to-door sales representatives, who will seek you out, even if you "retire to a cave in the Adirondacks."... Similarly, the gross body and subtle bodies are portrayed as a married couple... [and] Will and desire are portrayed as competitors in "a really long marathon, one that goes on for years..." (p. 68)
"Yoga Journal" stated that "After years of meditation and practice 'living out' the Katha in the modern world, Easwaran is intimate in his writing. 'I write not as a scholar," he says, "but as an explorer back from a long, long voyage, eager to tell what he has found.'"
Psychiatrist Aaron Beck and his colleagues quoted from the commentary portion of the book. They stated that "E. Easwaran uses the metaphor of channels in the brain to describe how a person's major concern develops... Patients respond well to this metaphor."
Editions.
The original edition was published by in 1981 by Nilgiri Press, which also published subsequent US editions. Other editions have been published in
German,
Hungarian,
Bahasan,
and Korean.
The US editions are:
Indian edition: