As might have been expected, the publication by Ernest Jones of The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud has served as a stimulus for additional historical writing concerning the leading figures of the 'heroic age' in psychoanalysis. To date, a number of articles in the nature of rebuttal or supplementation of some of Jones's statements have appeared. Now, for the first time, we are offered a full-length biographical study of one of the most original, creative, and controversial figures of the era, Otto Rank.

The career of Otto Rank was perhaps the most poignant of those who formed the inner circle of psychoanalytic pioneers. For although his star flared most brightly at the beginning, its brilliance had all but faded at the time of his premature death. In this book, Jessie Taft tries valiantly but in vain to transmit the promise and the pathos in the life of this tormented man.