ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edmund Bergler, M.D., long a prominent figure in the forefront of psychiatric thinking and writing, has been in private practice as a psychoanalytic psychiatrist in Vienna and New York since 1927. A graduate of the Medical School of the Univ. of Vienna, he was on the staff of the Psychoanalytic Freud-Clinic in Vienna from 1927 to 1937, serving the last four years. as assistant director. In 1942-43 and 1944-45 he was a lecturer at the Psychoanalytic Institute in New York. He holds membership in various psychoanalytic and psychiatric societies. He has published 13 books and 190 scientific papers in eleven countries on the theory and therapy of neurosis. Among his works are the well known THE SUPEREGO, THE BASIC NEUROSIS, UNHAPPY MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE, MONEY AND EMOTIONAL CONFLICTS.

LOVELIEST OF FRIENDS......

.G. Sheila Donisthorpe

Berkeley Pub. Corp., New York

The author of this obviously autobiographical novel seems to have only one purpose in mind-VENGEANCE! It is all too true that unbiased treatments of the lesbian theme in fiction are rarer than dinosaur eggs, but this author carries the "she done me wrong and I intend to get even" approach even farther than most. Her revenge is directed, not at the individual, but at the species. I am sure she will be happy to know that she has written a damaging book, primarily because it is just (barely) well-written enough so that it won't be shrugged off as just so much more sensational trash. And that is a pity, because it is trash.

We open with Audrey, beautiful, of course, utterly conventional, happily married and deeply in love with a perfect dreamboat of a husband who adores her and provides her with all the finer things of life, being introduced to Kim by mutual women friends. Now this Kim is very attractive in a masculine sort of way, though not "offensively" so, and Audrey is drawn to her right away. Why, I'll never know, since she's so crazy about her husband, but there you are. She's also disturbed by the possessive-type little blonde Kim has with her although she doesn't know quite why. After all, she's too conventional to suspect anything unconventional. But she's disturbed all the same. Anyway, she's pleased as punch when she and Kim begin to see a great deal of each other.

Kim is a smooth operator from 'way back and immediately gives our Audrey the full treatment-phone calls every hour on the hour, letters, flowers, candy, perfume, cozy little dinner dates in "romantic" places-and what girl could possibly be expected to withstand all that attention, happily married or no? Why, she was swept right off her feet, naturally. Oh, she put up a few feeble token struggles at first, but of course they were as nothing to an old hand at the game like Kim. That cookie was so sure of herself she came right out and made a bet with Audrey that she could make Audrey fall in love with her. Guess who won? Incidentally, did I tell you that Kim was married, too? Oh sure, but her husband was conveniently in the hospital with a broken

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