INTERNATIONAL PSYCHO‑ANALYTICAL PRESS

«IP0,0»                                   3O May 1924  London W1

Dear Professor,

«IP4,0»As you may imagine I have had an extremely busy time on returning from my holiday.  We had a very interesting time alternating between charming cities like Bergamo, Verona and Conegliano on the one hand and lakes and mountains on the other.

At last I am happy to record some satisfactory progress in regard to the Press affairs.  I think I told you in Vienna that the arrangement I made with Rank at Salzburg was that we should continue our negotiations in London on the previous lines but not start any fresh ones with other firms until we had heard whether Rank had been able to effect anything with American firms.  After a good deal of bargaining we have come to a definite agreement with the Hogarth Press here.  They buy from us the stock of six books already published (you doubtless know that 2OOO copies of your two books in this series have already been disposed of to Boni & Liveright), and undertake to publish in the same series translations of the "«MDUL»Sammlungen«MDNM»".  The first volume of these, which was printed last winter in Berlin, they are acquiring from us at cost price.  Future books they will acquire individually from the Verlag according to arrangement.  We have thus achieved our main purpose, which at times seemed very hopeless, of securing the continuity of our Monograph Series (The Internationl Psycho‑Analytical Library) and as this will continue under my editorship, we have a guarantee as to the quality of the books appearing in it.  I have immediately notified Rank of our success and suggested to him that Boni & Liveright might care to negotiate with the Hogarth Press about acquiring unbound sheets of the "«MDUL»Sammlungen«MDNM»" in the same way as with the previous books.«FN1.××The Hogarth Press was founded in 1917 by Leonard Virginia Woolf.  In his «MDUL»Down Hill all the Way: An Autobiography of the Years 1919 to 1939«MDNM» (New York: Harcourt, Brace, and World, 1967), pp. 163‑169, Leonard Woolf outlines the history of his involvement in publishing psychoanalytic literature, and relates how Freud's «MDUL»Collected Papers«MDNM» was one of the most successful of his publications.»

I presume that Malinowski sent you a copy of his recent anthropological paper in "«MDUL»Psyche«MDNM»".  It interested me greatly and helped to embolden me to formulate a theory to which at the moment I am inclined to attach some importance.  It is to the effect that the whole system of matriarchy was devised as one means of meeting the difficult Oedipus situation by decomposing the Urvater into a kind paternal nurse and a stern maternal uncle.  The same explanation would also account for the supposed ignorance of paternity to which Malinowski like most anthropologists subscribes.  As soon as I have any time I shall attempt to work this out and see if it accords with the facts before publishing it.«FN1.××B. Malinowski, "The Psychology of Sex and the Foundations of Kinship in Primitive Societies," «MDUL»Psyche«MDNM», 4(1923):98‑128; and "Psychoanalysis and Anthropology," «MDUL»Psyche«MDNM», 4(1924):293‑332.  See Jones (1925a) for his critique of Malinowski.

»  What impression have you of the idea?

I have not heard from Abraham since the Congress though I wrote to him from Italy, so suppose he also must be very busy.

You have doubtless heard of our attempt to save the «MDUL»Journal«MDNM».«FN1.××The formal separation of «MDUL»Journal«MDNM» and Verlag had created a fiscal crisis which Jones was attempting to solve by appealing to members of the International Psychoanalytic Association for financial aid.»  In case you have not seen the appeal we issued to members, I enclose a copy.  I wondered if I might send a copy to Money‑Kyrle, but thought I would ask you first, as he is still in the analysis.

I am sure you are already greatly looking forward to the summer vacation, for you really had in the winter no adequate opportunity of completely rallying from the effects of the operation.  I hope and fully expect that this summer will see you completely restored to full activity.

With my kindest regards,  also to your family,  Yours always cordially,  Ernest Jones