Bloomsbury/Freud. The Letters of James and Alix Strachey 1924–1925: Edited by Perry Meisel & Walter Kendrick. New York: Basic Books. 1985. Pp. 360.

This collection of the personal correspondence between James and Alix Strachey during 1924–5 makes for a most delightful combination of recreational and informative reading. It provides witty, 'insider' gossip as well as a lively account of the intellectual and cultural atmosphere in London and Berlin, as it reflected Western Europe in the 20's. The frank, articulate, and spontaneous reactions of the Stracheys to the analysts they meet, while naturally shaped by their own personalities, also convey much about the analytic movement in the context of the intellectual climate of the time.

The Stracheys were separated for about a year while Alix stayed in Berlin to be analysed by Abraham, and James remained in London to continue his analytic practice, small as it was. Professors Meisel & Kendrick have selected 181 out of the total of 343 letters they wrote to each other during this period. The correspondence is preceded by an excellent 45 page introduction by the editors. This prologue is most helpful in creating the historical background and the atmosphere in the two capitals. One quickly