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Of all of his clinical and theoretical contributions, Donald W. Winnicott's recognition and delineation of transitional objects and phenomena and of some of their potential implications has proved to be the most stimulating to social scientists and philosophers. Between Fantasy and Reality is a collection of thirty-one essays written by a fine selection of European and American authors. It serves as a fitting tribute to Winnicott and goes for toward placing his seminal ideas into proper perspective in terms of child development and clinical and applied psychoanalysis.
The book provides highly educational, thought-provoking, and even fascinating reading from beginning to end; yet each contribution is so meaty that perusal of the book must be discontinuous. The volume is divided into six section: "Introduction," "Origins and Concepts," "Clinical Studies," "Applications to Other Fields," "Critiques," and "Concluding." The concluding section, Leonard Barkin's "The Concept of the Transitional Object," should be studied first and the other five sections then perused in their given order. In a relatively brief review, I can do no more than to point to some highlights and indicate general continuing and overlapping themes, although almost every contribution would justify individual review.
The "Introduction" is touching as well as informative. Werner Muensterberger places Winnicott's contribution in historical perspective and calls attention to prior, although essentially ignored, literature which dealt less systematically with similar concepts. Winnicott's widow, Clare, and Marion Milner, a close personal friend, provide moving accounts of how this sensitive and perceptive clinical