Robert Stoller, formerly the anonymous donor of the Library of Psychoanalytic Classics of the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, has revealed his identity on the occasion of Harold Blum's retirement as Editor of the Journal. Dr. Stoller now wishes the gift to be noted as being in Dr. Blum's honor, and a plaque to that effect will be permanently installed with the collection.
The gift was announced by Dr. Blum in the Journal in 1978. The Library itself was recorded in the Journal (Vol. 27, pp. 913-920, 1979) in an article on the Collection of Psychoanalytic Classics, which listed the volumes. The donation consisted of first editions of most of Freud's writings, as well as a number of psychoanalytic classics by other psychoanalytic pioneers. The then anonymous donor named Dr. Blum, the Editor at the time, as curator of the collection, and empowered him to continue to purchase first editions of Freud until the collection was complete. The Library of First Editions of Freud was completed and is one of the rare compilations and finest collections of its type in the world.
The President of the Association then appointed a Committee on Psychoanalytic Classics (chaired by Robert Grayson) to assist in arranging the proper housing, cataloguing, and supervision of the rare books. The collection provides analysts and historical scholars with the original text of Freud's work and with the opportunity to compare the original publication in German with subsequent editions and with translations into other languages.
These volumes represent our analytic heritage and the revolutionary findings of psychoanalytic investigation; they are accessible to all members of the American and the International Psycho-Analytical Association. Other interested scholars may receive permission to use them at the Central Office of the Association, where the collection is kept.
Dr. Stoller is a quiet, dedicated, and patient collector, with a deep attachment to Freud and the origins of psychoanalysis. While serving under Dr. Blum on the Editorial Board, he revealed to him the existence of this unique Freud collection, and eventually decided to donate the collection to the Journal. Dr. Stoller's esteem for Dr. Blum's leadership and their similar feelings about the significance and value of the collection importantly influenced his decision.
On the occasion of Dr. Blum's retirement from the Journal in December, 1983, Dr. Stoller emerged from anonymity and announced that he was donating the collection “In Honor of Harold P. Blum, M.D., Editor of the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, January 1, 1973-December 31, 1983.” The gift thus represents a tribute to the generous donor and the inspiring, now-retired Editor. Dr. Blum has expressed profound gratitude for being honored in this way — in identification with Freud's legacy of analytic knowledge, wisdom, and creativity.