Description:

Carl Jung
various, ca. March 1960 - February 1961
Carl Jung's "Man and His Symbols" Collaborators: 3 TLSs From Jacobi, Adler, Freeman
Archive
An interesting archive relating to Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (1875-1961) and his final work, "Man and His Symbols" (1964). Included are three typed letters in English signed by Jung's psychology and media/publishing associates involved in the "Man and His Symbols" endeavor: Jolande Jacobi, Gerhard Adler, and John Freeman. The letters date between March 3, 1960 - February 1, 1961. Various places. On different types of stationery. Condition is overall very good to near fine; individual issues will be elaborated below. The average size is 8" x 10."

This group of letters dates from the last year of Jung's life, when the aging psychoanalyst was deciding whether to attempt to coordinate what would become "Man and His Symbols." Despite his overall declining health, Jung's associates report that he was alert, invested, and decidedly opinionated about the parameters of his involvement in this last project.

The lot is comprised of, in chronological order:

1. A 2pp typed letter signed by John Freeman (1915-2014), the former British Labour Party politician and TV broadcaster, as "John Freeman" at the center of the second page. Freeman has corrected a typographical error on the top of page 2, and added an autograph footnote on the same page as: "This might easily freeze me out. But let's not worry about that at this stage." March 3, 1960. [London, England.] On watermarked gray stationery with "New Statesman / Great Turnstile London WC1" letterhead. Hand-stamped with a clerical docket at upper left. Expected flattened paper folds and a few extra wrinkles. Stapled and paper-clipped at upper left. Else near fine. 8" x 10."

There had been a resurgence of interest in Jung, as well as his brand of psychoanalysis, after Freeman interviewed Jung for BBC's "Face to Face" television program in October 1959. Wolfgang Foges (1910-1986), the Austrian-British book editor and manager of Aldus Books, had asked Freeman to act on his behalf in convincing Jung to write a popular psychology book: "Man and His Symbols." Initially Jung rejected the idea. Freeman visited Jung to persuade him to reconsider. Jung eventually consented to the project with certain conditions, some of which are outlined in Freeman's summary to Foges below, in part:

"I arrived in Zurich on Friday morning… Jung's housekeeper companion… told me that Jung had had a mild embolism a month before and had been confined to his room ever since. I was the only visitor he had received since his illness…

In fact, I found the old man in remarkably robust health and talking freely and vivaciously. I should say that unless he falls dead, which of course he may do any minute, he has quite enough strength to undertake what should not be a very arduous task. After lunch I put our proposition to him…

2. If he agreed to do it he would depend considerably on trusted researchers ghosting the book for him, he himself having the approval of every bit of the manuscript.

3. He would clearly wish to choose the researchers himself…

4. He is, to my amusement, keenly interested in the money, grumbling that 'this place takes a great deal to keep up'…

My personal impression, for what it is worth, is that he is concerned only with whether he has the strength and energy to do it, and that will say yes if in the course of a few weeks he finds himself fully recovered…"

2. A 2pp typed letter in English signed by German psychologist Gerhard Adler (1904-1988) as "Gerhard Adler" at the center of the second page. With a handful of Adler's manuscript typographical edits scattered throughout. November 9, 1960. London, England. At upper left, an autograph note initialed "JH" was written by Joyce M. Howell, the private secretary of Jung's correspondent, Wolfgang Foges. Hand-stamped with a clerical docket at upper left. Double hole-punched at left. Expected wear including flattened paper folds. Stapled at upper left. Else near fine. 8" x 10."

Adler had worked with Jung for three decades, and translated Jung's German-language works into English. In this letter to Wolfgang Foges, Adler attempts to clarify a few sticking points in Jung's "Man and His Symbols" contract, notably a discrepancy about payment terms.

The tense letter reads in part: "It is not really from my own point of view that 'it would possibly be unfortunate if at this late stage I were to raise this allocation question' with Prof. Jung. In fact I could not care less either about his reaction or about my personal participation in the book…"

Initially, Jung had intended Adler to be one of the book's contributors. Jung's eventual book contributors were:
American psychologist Joseph L. Henderson (1903-2007) German-Swiss psychologist Marie-Louise von Franz (1915-1998); Swiss psychologist Aniela Jaffé (1903-1991) and Hungarian-Swiss psychologist Jolande Jacobi (1890-1978).

3. A 1p typed letter in English signed by Jolande Jacobi (1890-1978) as "Jolande Jacobi" at lower right. February 1, 1961. [Zurich, Switzerland.] On a half-sheet of watermarked stationery with "Dr. Joland Jacobi / Psychologische Praxis" letterhead. Hand-stamped with a clerical docket at upper left. Expected wear including flattened paper folds, else near fine. 8.25" x 5.875."

Jolande Jacobi had helped establish the C.G. Jung Institute for Analytical Psychology in Zurich in 1948. She writes in this letter to Foges that she had indeed been approached by Jung to write "a contribution for the 'Symposium Book' ["Man and His Symbols"] and I am looking forward to do this interesting work…" Jacobi wrote Part V, "Symbols in an Individual Analysis."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Provenance: Ex-Joyce M. Howell (died 1986), the private secretary of Wolfgang Foges.
  • Dimensions: average piece: 8" x 10"
  • Medium: Archive

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