Title: The pioneer spirit
Description: I found this book, which until then I did not know existed, in a bookshop at Stow on Wold some 15 years ago or so - it is Griffith's autobiography. I know what it looks like, but I cannot for the life of me find it just now - my cleaning lady tends to move things. I will be back when I've found it ...

Three hours later - I found it among the gardening books (sigh). This edition is 1981 and I suspect there were no reprints. A good frontispiece photograph of G (as he was known). Chapters on early background (1895-1910); education and schoolmastering 1910-16; working at St Mary's hospital 1916-23; GP in Devon 1923-28; begins his real work in birth control 1928; wrote Modern Marriage (first time around) and other books 1933-41; 'starting the Marriage Guidance Council' 1935-43 (though he was still involved later); 'starting sex education 1934-52'; 'progress of birth control movement 1935-62'; 'discovering Jungian psychology 1947' (this was after a bout of pneumonia leaving him unable to work fully for a bit, when he got to know Vera von der Heydt, and later visited Jung in Switzerland); 'psychological work and writings 1943-79 (I'm not au fait with all of these'; and a final chapter on 'friendships 1920-78'. Curiously no mention of his two children. I have no time right now to read it through again, but I will. I do know that Modern Marriage was revised and partly rewritten in 1946-47. I covered my copy with brown paper so that my parents wouldn't see it, and took it with me on the morning train for girlfriends to pore over avidly. These things weren't talked about much in the mid-40s. My original copy, with author's inscription, went missing years ago, and although I found another first edition I regret the loss of the original. I never knew he actually met Havelock Ellis (I am impressed). I shall start looking for his other books - am now overcome with a mixture of nostalgia and curiosity.
Subjects: Biography, Physicians, Sex therapists
Places: England, Switzerland, London, Devon, Surrey
People: Edward F. Griffith
Time periods: A long life from 1895 to 1987