Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory: By Jay R. Greenberg and Stephen A. Mitchell. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England: Harvard University Press. 1983. Pp. 437.

This book represents a most valuable contribution to the psychoanalytic literature. The authors have undertaken to review all of the psychoanalytic theories concerning object relationships, comparing and contrasting the 'classical' theory with derivatives of it and the important theories which have arisen in opposition to it. We can all be grateful that they have not taken the easy course of merely summarizing these many points of view, but have, instead, in each case, carefully discussed the relationship of each to the theories already existing. It increases the value of the book to readers at all levels that they have elected to make their reviews of the various theories quite full, so that it is possible really to learn something about each theory in some depth. In addition, the authors have considered each position from the point of view of its internal logic, correspondence to the clinical data, and how well it seems to answer the problems which it set out to solve. Such an undertaking naturally involves a good deal of interpretation of the various theories, which, on the one hand, is a strength of the book, but, on the other hand, does open the door to