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This eagerly awaited second volume of Ernest Jones' biography of Freud covers the period from his forty-fifth to his sixty-third year. The Author's Preface opens with an apt summary-comment: 'The years here under discussion may fairly be called Freud's years of maturity. He had overcome any
personal inhibitions and corrected early mistakes. He had perfected the instruments of research he had devised and was now free to exploit them by exploring in detail the new world of knowledge they had opened to him—in a word, the Unconscious. The perplexities of youth were past and were succeeded by a greater serenity and a more critical judgement.'
This book is as encyclopaedic as the first volume and is an equally remarkable achievement. The author's task may have been lightened to some extent by the far more numerous data available and by his own friendship with Freud and intimate association with the development of psycho-analysis from 1908 onwards. But this wealth of material and first-hand knowledge must have furnished its own problems of selection, condensation, and mode of presentation. The 'skill, honesty, and candour' for which Ernest Jones has been justly praised are only equalled by the tact and respect for other people's feelings he displays in his account of the key personalities, critical events, and discussions of this period. His modest account of his own vigorous activities is a feat in itself. Thus, although he mentions his usefulness to the Vienna group as a window on the outer world, he in no way stresses the value of this service and soft-pedals his own pioneering work in English-speaking countries as an accompaniment to the central theme of Freud's life and work.
The book is organized on lines similar to the first volume, but is divided into three distinct Parts, which makes a clearer demarcation between life, work, and character and personality. The main text is preceded by a 'Chronology', a list of the main events, publications, and developme