This collaboration between Jung and Kerenyi is everything except science.
In the first part, Kerenyi only summarizes folktales and sagas from Iceland till India about the Divine Child. His second contribution should be considered as a preparatory study on his eminent work 'Eleusis'. But the quality of this study lays way behind this latter work.
The contributions of Jung are trivial or a variation on his favourite theme. E.g. "The mythological images belong to the structure of the unconscious and are an impersonal possession; in fact, the great majority of men are far more possessed by them than possessing them." (p.161)
Or, "... it is readily understandable that the primordial image of the hermaphrodite should reappear in modern psychology in the guise of the male-female antithesis, in other words as male consciousness and personified female unconscious." (p.95)

Although the two touch on two, for me, important items, though obviously they don't explore them further.
First, many symbols are based on, as they call them, 'cosmic origins' (p. 16), in other words on the zodiac, thus on nothing. And second, do folktales point in the direction of mythology or merely to a realistic description of a certain type of human fate? (p.34)
I believe that folktales are more like ancient theatre: escape from the harsh reality. The second option is to be preferred.
Reading this book, reminds me of the words of Jean Fourastié, who characterized certain theories as 'délires conceptuels' (conceptual deliriums). I feel that a 'science' of mythology is one of these deliriums, what doesn't mean that mythology has nothing to say. On the contrary, see the above mentionned work 'Eleusis' by Kerenyi. But it is not a science.

Certainly not to "praise great men," which is anathema to me, but to trace and track the "development of psychology." That is why I have observed its serpentine journey throughout history, slinking as far back as Heraclitus, now rising up into the Aquarian Age, right through Pisces, which brings us to the next development in psychology, Archetypal Psychology, as presented by James Hillman, Jung's worthy successor, which leads the "pupil" for "dominating spirit" to "receptive soul" and beyond, or below, to an ultimately gracious union of the two. At the end of this book by the two Carls, Kerenyi says, "Miracle DO happen in Eleusis," and Eleusis, like Utopia, like the Realm of the Mothers, like the Spirit Realm, is DOWN, the very direction in which Hillman points, always, as does Joseph Campbell, e.g., "If you are falling...DIVE!"

This author, perhaps not meaning to, paints Jung as quaintly disturrbed, and with a disturbingly authoritarian world view -- qualities the author seems to have as well. This is illogically written, pretentious and over all a boring waste of time and money. I rate it 1.

Mr. Spoto successfully elaborates Jung's original work in typology and provides a sturdy bridge to a deeper understanding of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. I consider the book to be a stimulating read and would expect those who take seriously Jungian psycholgy or the Myers Briggs Type Indicator to find great benefit from the author's insights. I rate it 5 stars.

This is Volume 3 of the Collected Works of Carl Jung (1875-1961), "The Psychogenesis of Mental Illness". Most of the volume consists of his general thoughts on "Dementia Precox" & schizophenia. As insightful as Jung is in general, these are not the most illuminating writings. In light of recent neurobiological work on the origin and treatment of schizophrenia, this primarily psychoanalytic approach to the condition will seem passe, to say the least. The practical value of these writing in the treatment of persons suffering from schizophrenia is minimal. The volume would be most valuable for someone who wanted to understand the edifice of Jungian thought as a whole; in that context, some of these writings, in presenting Jung's understanding of the psyche as a dynamic system, would elucidate further his remarks about archetypal psychology in other writings.

This is Volume 3 of the Collected Works of Carl Jung (1875-1961), "The Psychogenesis of Mental Illness". Most of the volume consists of his general thoughts on "Dementia Precox" & schizophenia. As insightful as Jung is in general, these are not the most illuminating writings. In light of recent neurobiological work on the origin and treatment of schizophrenia, this primarily psychoanalytic approach to the condition will seem passe, to say the least. The practical value of these writing in the treatment of persons suffering from schizophrenia is minimal. The volume would be most valuable for someone who wanted to understand the edifice of Jungian thought as a whole; in that context, some of these writings, in presenting Jung's understanding of the psyche as a dynamic system, would elucidate further his remarks about archetypal psychology in other writings.

This book is probably a great book if you view life from the Jungian perspective, and is as much a book about the Jungian approach as it is about hypnosis. It is not a how to do it book by any means, but designed to allow those with Jung's leanings to make use of hypnosis. Very few Jungian hypnotherapists exist, and in that sense the book is great as it opens up a new avenue for those with a mindset that didn't allow for use of hypnosis. But for others it may be a disappointment. Not an easy read, it requires a basic knowledge of the Jungian perspective to understand. If you don't have that, read some Jung first, and then the book will be more meaningful and useful.

....even though this is an early book of his. Although well and clearly written, as all his books are (just reading his sentences can be a joy), he left behind many of its major premises long ago, a fact he recapitulates in a Postscript added in 1994.

For instance, in contrast to what this book presents:

1. "Soul" was a word he liked to use in the 60's, whereas now he talks about "psyche."

2. Soul here is to be explored by an "insearch" (as opposed to "research"), a turning within. Soul in the world is not mentioned--or as Hillman writes about himself with such a severe tone, "The author doesn't even get to the window."

3. What Jung called "the shadow" is also in the world, not just in us as a moral problem.

4. Soul is not something lost that must be found (the Christianistic premise, God forbid). It is evident everywhere, within and without, and most particularly within our symptoms.

5. Psyche is a "third" between matter and spirit. (I have to bark here. Hillman's notion of "spirit" is everything the mystics say isn't spiritual: order, literality, authority, mentality, rationality... But I'd agree that psyche is a third between matter and mind. Because all this senex stuff is mind, not spirit.)

Etc.

For students of Hillman and archetypal psychology, the book might make an excellent contrast between his very early and more traditional Jungian thought and his more radical, later, re-visioning psychological polytheism. Otherwise, you're better off with his later work: gems like THE DREAM AND THE UNDERWORLD, RE-VISIONING PSYCHOLOGY, INTER VIEWS, THE THOUGHT OF THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE WORLD, and THE SOUL'S CODE.

....it has so much good Jungian thought in it; however, he never really understood Eastern psychology, however fascinated he was with it, and continually collided with Buddhists and others who tried to break through his equation of the ego with consciousness itself (a central teaching of Eastern disciplines being that the two aren't the same at all).

This fine book, actually a union of two sources, Gustav Stickley's catalog and the Stickley brothers' undated catalogue, also contains some interesting text from both sources.

The pictures, although small, are faithfully reproduced from the original catalogues, and can be used to more fully understand the general concepts of the Arts and Crafts style of furniture. Enough items are represented to be able to design similar items on your own.

It's astonishing that one could present a biography of Jung and not deal with the many allegations of unprofessional, irresponsible, and certainly bizarre behaviors that have been advanced about this man. For shame!

The author, who is one of THE most under-rated and under-written-about female theorists who studied under Jung (where is there a substantial biography for her??), is always brilliant to read, her work packed with fascinating insights and an almost superhuman erudition. This book is no exception.

At the same time, however, it gets nowhere near the quality of her other books. Propped up by endless quotes from Jung's supposedly autobiographical MEMORIES, DREAMS, REFLECTIONS, a book I often go back to but always with the knowledge that it's been heavily censored, von Franz sustains a justificatory tone throughout that is embarrassing to read.

At one point, for instance, she deals with the accusation that Jung had anti-Semitic tendencies, perhaps because he had some shadow issues to work on. She quashes this notion strenuously and puts it all down to Jung's "optimism" and tendency to say too much (not to mention his opponents' projections...always a good place to go when defending one's allies). God forbid that Jung should cast a shadow!

It saddens me that von Franz so seldom struck out on her own without checking in with Jung first or crediting him with the tremendous innovations she brought to his thinking. But nowhere is her unwillingness to question Jung more evident here, where scarcely a paragraph escapes the praise piled high on the Great Man's head.

That he was a great man, a truly daimonic genius who gave us the golden key to transpersonal symbolism, does not change the fact that he was a human being who could be narcissistic, irritable, arrogant, impatient, misogynistic, intolerant, racist, bad-tempered, and downright cruel to the women he supposedly loved.

When I write I often refer to teachers who've impacted my insights about human nature; ordinarily, it would be inconsiderate for me to bring in their human flaws and blind spots. But were I to undertake a biography of any of them once they had shuffled off the mortal coil, it would be incumbent upon me not to whitewash them. You will find many interesting observations about Jung's life in this book; but the picture it offers of him is thoroughly one-sided.

This is Jung from the inside, by one of his most talented and most authentic followers. It is not just the dry facts but deep personal experience. All life is story and this is Marie-Louise von Franz's story of Jung as she knew him. An invaluable work.

This is a bad book. Not because it's written badly - it's not. It's really a good read. But you cannot tell fact from fiction. Barry Sanders was an early Stickley collector and I think this book was written in the 1970s but found no publisher. Now with the craze on all things Stickley it surfaces. His research is dated and in many cases supplanted by much newer information. The footnotes indicate he has read Mary Ann Smith's groundbreaking book Gustav Stickley: The Craftsman and yet he states as fact many things that are the opposite of what Smith writes, and footnotes, in her book. Sanders' research is poor and he does not separate fact from his own speculation in the text. Readers should refer to Smith (though dated) and to Marilyn Fish's continuing series of books for the latest accurate information. Please see my review in the Winter 1999 issue of Style 1900 magazine for more details on Sanders and Fish books.

I have spent the last year reading much of what is available about the life of Gustav Stickley and the Arts and Crafts Movement in America. Unfortunately, there are precious few volumes that attack the subject with any hard investigation. Mr. Sanders' book is easily a step in the right direction. I was very pleased to discover a host of information that was hitherto completely ignored or missed by other authors. It is not a book about his furniture, it is a book about the man. There are too many books available that stress the former to ignore the latter. Further, Sanders does not treat his subject with the typical sentimentality of other biographers. In fact, in sometimes Sanders goes too far in pointing out Stickley's contradictions (at one one point making the tenuous comparison between Stickley and men such as Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken). Stickley is never painted in a completely pleasing light. This is a far cry from the Stickley rhetoric so often repeated by those in his new following which is always very positive. At times there are gaping holes in Sanders' research, but I would like to point out that the author's honesty at not claiming to be able to completely pin down his subject is somewhat refreashing. After all it can be very disconcerting realizing an author is leaving out all mention of certain facts and connections to save face rather than owning up to some small defeats. Sometimes what an author doesn't say speaks volumes. It must be remembered that Stickley was not a Statesman or President, he was a furniture manufacturer, publisher and businessman. Therefore, there is not a enormous treasure trove of information just waiting to dissected and interpreted by latter-day scholars. Sanders does the right thing by taking Stickley's own words (printed in his catalogs and his Craftsman magazine) to help desribe his philosophy and interests. His other research is rather exhaustive and his references wide-ranging. The book is also well footnoted. Most importantly, it is well written. It covers many years and a lot of dates and factoids but it remains very readable to the end. It should not be considered the last word on Stickley but it does fill in where others have left off. Bankrupt by 1916, Stickley's own empire crumbled and he went on to live in relative obscurity. Today, everything he created is seen as among the very best in early Modernism and his design influence can be seen in a myriad of disciplines. His furniture comands astronomical prices at auction and homes reflecting his Cratsman ideal ( "Craftsman" has even become a catchall word to desribe almost any small bunglow built during the time) are sought after in nearly every major American city. He has converted a huge new following of devotees nearly a century after his first furniture was produced. Furniture manufactures rake in huge profits by copying his older designs (just as they did in the first part of the century) and Mission furniture is again very much in vogue. All this from a poor, second generation German immigrant from Wisconsin. A "Complex Fate"? Without a doubt.

If you collect items or information on Stickley, buy this book. It has extensive end notes and a fine bibliography, which makes it an outstanding piece of reference material. I'm an information junkie, and in my opinion, A COMPLEX FATE is worth owning if only for the doors it will open to additional information -- an outstanding resource.

The 62 proects are only a small picture of each final project with couple of drafted views of how the piece of furniture looks from different views. There is a parts list of materials needed, but no help in how to construct the furniture whatsoever. Any magazine or anything else out there has to be better than this. Everyone else has far over rated the book. Instead, subscribe to a good magazine like Popular Woodworking or something like that.

What you'll get with this book are some fairly good illustrations of authentic Stickley furniture. You also get a pretty good materials list with each project. You do not get any fully detailed working plans. You'll have to generate these yourself, but the illustrations with each project make this an uncomplicated task if you handy at drafting or know AutoCAD. Some of the projects have more complete plans than others. Some of the plans might be a pair of dimension elevations, others may include all elevations, plan view and details. From what they do provide, any competent woodworker can build any project within this book. It's not a bad book to have with you if you go to a lot of garage and estate sales. It might help you recognize a treasure unknown to the seller. Fortunately, this is an inexpensive book, so go ahead and order it.

My husband bought this book because of the variety of projects it includes. There are smaller projects like 3-legged stools and hanging bookshelves as well as very involved projects like cabinets and bedsteads. He commented that, as the other reviewers have noted, the directions are MINIMAL. But if you are familiar with the techniques and construction, the designs make absolutely spectacular items, that look exactly like the designs.
He made me the hanging bookshelf for Christmas and it is stunning. A great value if you're looking for design ideas and have the technical know how.