The Neurotic Personality: By R. G. Gordon, M.D., D.Sc., F.R.C.P.(Ed.). (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Ltd. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., Ltd., 1927. The International Library of Psychology, Philosophy and Scientific Method. Pp. x + 300. Price 10 s. 6 d. net.)

Among certain psychological topics which appear to exert an irresistible attraction to the minds of the most varied types of people, one of the chief is 'Personality'. Since it is obvious that only the most gifted workers and thinkers of any era are likely to add to our knowledge or conceptions of such a subject in general, the reviewers of books on it have only to consider the breadth and the persistence of their author's approach. Of the breadth of this author's approach little need be said, and that little in praise; the physiology of the central nervous system, the endocrine system, the work on conditioned reflexes, psychologists of the old school, psychologists of the new school and of no school at all—all are discussed. Perhaps before pronouncing on his persistence, it may be well to define a little more closely what is implied by persistence of approach to the problem of personality (here of neurotic personality). Whatever contribution to personality an author takes up should be worked out, if not in minute detail, at least into the main divisions into which personalities may be subdivided; and conversely any particular personality should be 'resolved' in terms of the contribution. Finally, the gaps between the clinical pictures should be revealed as far as possible. The difficulties of this method are revealed, at least as regards popular endocrinology, in an appalling book by Louis Berman called The Personal Equation, in which, with reckless and blind persistence, persons were classed as 'adrenal-centred' (President Harding), or 'thyroid-adrenal-centred' (Shelley), and so forth. That book was badly done, but it was carried out on a logical pattern. In the volume before us there is no such singlemindedness. Nor unfortunately is there a discriminating breadth of view to make up for the lack of intensive study. In both intensive and extensive work it fails us.

Personality, as Dr. Gordon amply defines it, 'includes what is meant by both ego and charact