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Fifty contributions from disparate disciplines form an uneven mélange of psychoanalytic clinical studies and speculation, historical and sociological surveys, anecdotal reminiscences, and polished after-dinner speeches by the new breed of coach. However, the completeness of the introduction summarizing each of the thirteen sections exemplifies the thoroughness and devotion of the editors. Cartoons of mediocre artistry at the intellectual level of the old Saturday Evening Post are an irritating editorial lapse. They are an ill-advised venture into playfulness which is unsuccessful.
Although many of the analytic contributions are reprinted from other sources, Reider's valuable article on preanalytic and psychoanalytic theories of play and games was prepared especially for this volume. He rejects the concept of functional pleasure since it ignores object relations and the unconscious. Even the earliest play, he argues, must be considered social since it takes place in the setting of the mother-child relationship. Reider doubts that play helps solve internal problems except in therapeutic situations. At