Introduction: Scope and Structure

To have all of Bion's writings in one place, with the additional search and research possibilities offered by digital representation of the contents, enables a previously unavailable degree of access to the breadth and depth of his thought. It has been possible to consult closely with Francesca Bion, Wilfred Bion's original editor, and to work on previously unpublished and undiscovered material. The latter can be seen to repeat much of what exists already of Bion's ways of expressing his core clinical and theoretical ideas, but in many instances additional meaning may be gleaned from the variations on a theme, modulations in the ‘angle of approach’, and the ‘binocular vision’ of comparing apparently small differences. This is in keeping with Bion's beliefs concerning what he was attempting to do with his communications, spoken and written.

It was decided – mainly for the reason just given, but also for completeness – to include all the autobiographical writings and interview material. Articles and papers in which Bion was a joint or subsidiary author, or in which the balance of contributions was unclear, have not been included.

The structure is approximately chronological, with the exception of the 1950–1962 papers of Second Thoughts, which are kept together (as they were in that book) in order to remain integrated with the important 1967 ‘Commentary’, which details the evolution of Bion's clinical thinking at that point, looking back at the early papers.

The organization chosen has meant that some papers which on original publication were included together have, for the purposes of

these volumes, been placed with other works. An example is ‘Notes on Memory and Desire’ , which appeared at the end of Cogitations (1992) but which – in the context of Bion's Complete Works – belongs with the papers of the 1960s in Second Thoughts and Attention and Interpretation.

Although Bion's ‘Notes on the Theory of Schizophrenia’ , which appears as chapter three of Second Thoughts, i