K. R. Eissler's book is a significant contribution to the study of the psychological process of creation and of the origin of genius, insofar as that problem can be illuminated by a psychoanalytic inquiry into one crucial period in the life of one man of genius: Goethe.

Some readers may be frightened by the size of these two volumes, totalling 1538 pages with a complex apparatus of footnotes and appendices (the many quotations from Goethe given in English translation are always substantiated with the German original text in footnotes).

Many of the essays in this volume were written about ten years ago and a fair amount of philosophical water has passed under the bridge since then. Nevertheless the appearance of the book at this delayed date is perhaps a good thing—and not just because it contains some of Carnap's final formulations. Philosophical fashions have shifted away from Carnap's preoccupations and the appearance of the book now may serve to remind the public how very impressive Carnap is, both in the substance of his work and the style with which he pursues the philosophical enterprise.