April 14, 1938

Dear Mabel:

I cannot quite understand why you gave
me another copy of this "Psychoanalysis with Dr.
Brill". The copy that you gave me before is marked
#4. It is exactly the same as #3 that you left yes-
terday. Now, please let me repeat what I said. The
title is very bad. A psychoanalyst does not act
that way and does not go for luncheon with his pa-
tients. It is misleading in every way, and not on-
ly is it wrong, but I am sure I should be criticized
by the psychoanalysts, and perhaps by the Academy of
Medicine. Some might think that I was being adver-
tised. And, naturally, I would have to disavow this
whole thing if it should come to a show-down. I, there-
fore, suggest that you either change it or call it
something else. In changing it, you could say that
you were analyzed by me before, and many years later
on a visit you called on me and at the same time
spoke about these matters - but it is not psychoan-
alysis. Psychoanalysis, you know, takes a long time,
and is conducted in an entirely different way than we
are doing now

I am sure you could make a good paper out
of it if you would form it a little differently, but
I cannot approve of its present form. Will tell you
about it more when I see you on Friday.

As ever,

AAB
IBH

December 7, 1938

Dear Mabel:

I have been so busy that I have not had
a chance to answer your former letters, nor have I
been able to read the manuscript.

What the average person would just consider a passing mood, your fragment of auto-erotism strives to get negative gratification by making a "depression" out of it. Do not forget, we all have "ups and downs", and he goes thru life most smoothly who pays not attention to such little bumps. But, I can see that you have had enough of Beverly Hills, which, by the way, is not New York, no matter how much it is cracked up to be. I am assured that your hosts are most delightful people, and I would love to be with them for a month or two, but the background (mean New York background) is not there.

I just read a very good article about you in the Saturday Review of Literature by Miss Sargent. Say, she is an excellent writer. I liked it very much.

Would you believe it - I had a nice visit
from Hildegarde. It is too bad that I was not there
when she was there. Maybe the Jeffers affair would
not have taken place. I take for granted that Hilde-
garde gives you all the "dope", so I need not tell
you what she told me.

It is interesting to hear that Brett is
going out there. What is she going to do in Holly-
wood - try to get into the movies?

Nothing new in the great metropolis. I am
uncomfortably busy, but c'est la vie!!

Love,

AAB:LBH