America's Corner Store: Walgreen's Prescription for Success
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • How did the corner drug store evolve?
  • Nothing really new
  • Great book on a surprisingly abosrbing subject!
  • A Wonderful History of a Great Business
America's Corner Store: Walgreen's Prescription for Success
John U. Bacon
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471426172

Book Description

Praise for America's Corner Store

"Who would have thought the story of a drugstore chain could encompass so much vital and fascinating American history? With superb storytelling skills, John Bacon gives us a vivid and insightful chronicle of matters both large and small, from the birth of the milkshake to the rise of America's consumer culture. America's Corner Store is a genuine treat."
-James Tobin
the National Book Critics' Circle—Award winner, and author of To Conquer the Air: The Wright Brothers and the Great Race for Flight

"Run the business with your head. Lead the family with your heart. Walgreens' history is filled with good values, strong principles, and immense courage. A family business classic."
-Howard "Howdy" S. Holmes
President and CEO, "Jiffy"® Mixes

"John Bacon has crafted a thorough, insightful, readable, and fascinating account of the development of Walgreens: one of the world's most compelling examples of the creation of shareholder value in conjunction with good corporate governance... all in a company run in a highly unique fashion as a `family' business. As the store that everyone knows, Walgreens has become the envy of corporate America and the darling of shareholders, consistently producing investor returns that place it at the very top among its peers. This book will be required reading in my private equity class at Michigan Business School."
-Professor David Brophy
Director, Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance, University of Michigan Business School

Download Description

The fascinating story of a company that has been at the forefront of American business for over one hundred years

The story of Walgreens spans over a century of U.S. history. It's the story of the most successful drugstore chain in the nation, an industry leader from the 1920s right up to the present. Today, the company still surpasses its competition in both size and profitability.

America's Corner Store details the incredible story of this innovative company, from its inception as a family-run store in 1901 to its transformation as one of the largest food and drug retailers in the world. Readers will learn how superb management, modern merchandising, innovative store design, fair pricing, outstanding customer service, and an exceedingly high-quality pharmacy fueled Walgreens astounding growth and continued success. From their invention of the malted milkshake to their creation of drive-thru pharmacies, Walgreens has set the standard for the industry. Through firsthand accounts of company executives and extensive research, John Bacon has created the most accurate and up-to-date account of this storied franchise.

John U. Bacon (Ann Arbor, MI) has written on a variety of business and feature topics that have appeared in national publications such as the New York Times, Time magazine, and Men's Journal. He was also the host of his own radio talk show for more than a year. Previously, Bacon was a sports writer for the Detroit News.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars How did the corner drug store evolve?.......2006-12-17

For those wondering about how we have developed our modern pharmacy retail this is a great book to start with. It shows how the downtowns and suburbs evolved over Walgreens long history. You can see the importance of the pharmacist in American life by watching the growth of this spectacular company. Although I would have like a little more time spent on where the future lies in this business and whether the corner drug store will continue to thrive this is a great book. For those looking for an introduction into retail pharmacy this is a great start.

2 out of 5 stars Nothing really new.......2005-09-27

I guess if you don't work for Walgreens there would be some interesting anecdotes in this book for you to read. It looks to me like the author took the "Daily Dose of Dave"s and edited them all together in book format. If you've work for the company for a few years then you've probably read a lot of the stuff here already through Mr Jorndt's weekly bulletins. It's more a biography of Charles Walgreen than a look into the company. I would find someone else who owns it and ask to borrow their copy rather than buy it. Not recommended.

5 out of 5 stars Great book on a surprisingly abosrbing subject!.......2004-06-02

John Bacon's AMERICA'S CORNER STORE is a world-class story about a world-class business and the businessmen and women behind it. It is one of those histories that goes well beyond the subject at hand to paint a picture across a huge canvas of American history and does so with great attention to detail and the ability to bring its characters and settings to life. It reminded me in some ways of SEABISCUIT---both are stories about subjects that wouldn't normally grab my attention. But because of the writer's skill, this book is also a must-read---if for nothing more than the wonderfull little facts you learn along the way: that the milk shake was invented at Walgreen's; that the Walgreen chain understood that excellent customer service begins with excellent employee-relations decades BEFORE the age of CRM! Bacon is the author of a terrific history of University of Michigan hockey program, BLUE ICE, and this is a great follow up to that book. Read them and see if you don't agree!

5 out of 5 stars A Wonderful History of a Great Business.......2004-05-13

The impact that a corner drug store can have on America is simply astonishing. Anyone interested in the last hundred years of American history will love the book. There are also plenty of valuable business lessons to be found within the pages. A great read, John Bacon does a great job of bringing to life one of the most storied retail enterprises in the history of business.

Designing the Global Corporation
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Full of valuable insights for managers and scholars alike
  • Geography is History!!
  • Highly Recommended!
  • Organizations of third-generation strategies.
  • A Compass and a Map...Not a Blueprint
Designing the Global Corporation
Jay R. Galbraith , and Jay A. Galbraith
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0787952753

Book Description

If there's anything more challenging than designing a company, it's designing a global company. Balancing strategy and structure becomes even more daunting when geography, foreign governments, and worldwide customers and products are thrown into the mix. And no single design works for all organizations. In this book, internationally recognized expert Jay Galbraith shows companies how to match their own strengths and strategies with proven design options. Whether they're exporting their first product or already operating around the world, Galbraith gives companies the information they need to build flexible, global networks. And through real-world examples, he shows how successful international businesses are already navigating the global environment.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Full of valuable insights for managers and scholars alike.......2003-06-24

Galbraith has succeeded in filling the gap that he intended to fill in that specific area of management literature where organization theory and international business research interact. Although I was initially rather skeptical of the scholarly value of the book - since it appears to be particularly aimed at practitioners - I was pleasantly surprised at the wealth of novel theoretical insights that I was able to extract from it. Although it clearly builds on Galbraith's earlier work (for which he is renowned), it definitely adds something to the field. This book will leave those interested in international business (both practice and theory!) with an enhanced understanding of some of the organizational aspects of the multinational corporation that seem to me to be relatively underresearched.

5 out of 5 stars Geography is History!!.......2002-11-27

Background: Geography is History!! So went an advertisement from a telecom company a few years ago. And as globalization proceeds to breakdown national boundaries, open up cultures and increases access for economic activity, an awareness of this process of breakdown of geography has become a necessity for any corporation wanting to grow and flourish. Increasing size in this dynamic environment brings with it many challenges including increasing structural complexity, need for quick and seamless communication to manage this complexity, as well as an ability to assess and predict the changing external world, recognize opportunities therein and fashion nimble responses to gain competitive advantage. `Designing the Global Corporation' is a book written to address such issues in an attempt to help managers structure their thinking towards an increasingly boundaryless world.

Synopsis: Jay Galbraith begins his book by arguing against the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) of organizational design. He recognizes that increasing foreign direct investment (FDI), breakdown of trade barriers and improved communications via media like the Internet along with a corporations need to reach customers globally have increased the complexity of doing business. Corporations could fight this complexity and simplify their operations, or learn to accept, manage and in fact use this complexity as a competitive advantage against simpler competitors.
He then goes on to inject great precision into the concept of a globalization for a corporation and defines 5 different levels of international development in increasing order of complexity. A corporation may develop a competitive advantage in its home country and then try to export this advantage to international destinations, evolving through different levels of international development. Or, a corporation like Logitech, may be designed as a transnational corporation from its very inception, with hardware R&D located in Switzerland, software development in California, manufacturing in Taiwan and sales in every country. Evolution from level 1 to level 5 may not be inevitable and/or desirable, with many companies deciding to settle into a particular niche depending upon the nature of their business and their long-term goals.
The rest of the book is devoted to a very clear, well-illustrated nuts and bolts description of designing global corporations with different levels of internationalization. The geographical entity headed by a country manager, multinational single business units and the multinational multi dimensional organizations are described in great detail. Underlying theme of this entire discussion is that the structure of the organization has to cater to its overall strategy, and the former has to change as the latter evolves.
The author spends considerable time and space on the need and means for developing informational and decision-making networks within such complex organizations. Here again he describes 5 different types of networks in increasing order of complexity beginning with informal voluntary communication and going up to a formally structured matrix organization. He discusses the advantages and limitations of each and how such networks may be used to propagate the agenda of the corporation. As a corporation increases its level of internationalization, it has to deal with increasingly complex networks that transcend geography, business function and culture.
He ends the book by describing the 5 dimensions that a global corporation must learn manage in order to remain successful. These 5 dimensions are managing functions, geographies, product lines (or business units), customers and solutions.
Finally, he writes, "Regardless of whether globalization continues, stalls, or even reverses, the models described in this book should continue to guide organizing choices.....and as businesses struggle to compensate and thrive on their ever expanding journey, the ideas and structures presented in this book can serve as a road map."

Critique: The author has presented his ideas very clearly and illustrated them with many examples from real companies. The organization of the book follows a logical flow of thoughts and the language used makes it fairly readable. Having said that, the complexity of many of the concepts presented in this book precludes it from being a casual bedtime reading, rather it demands full concentration and a careful attention to detail from the reader.

5 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!.......2001-03-15

Globalization has become such an overused buzzword that it has become nearly devoid of meaning. Here, author Jay R. Galbraith injects new precision into the concept: Going international means plenty of hard work and painstaking attention to detail. Because every company's strategy, market and competitive advantage is unique, it's impossible to define one single, perfect, organizational structure for an international business, but Galbraith provides some fascinating alternatives to consider. Although Galbraith's book is jargon-filled and dense, it is full of useful, illustrative examples. He manages to reduce international business to its simplest form: A company develops an edge, and then tries to take it abroad. This involves many challenges, which Galbraith describes in rich detail. So if your company is multinational - or wants to be - we at getAbstract recommend this book to you. It is tailor-made for executives who are involved in international business - or who hope to expand their global reach.

5 out of 5 stars Organizations of third-generation strategies........2000-10-02

"Most companies do not have the capabilities to institute the multidimensional organizations that are required by their strategies and necessary to serve their global customers. In one memorable conversation,...Chris Bartlett summed up the situation well, stating that companies pursue third-generation strategies using second-generation organizations staffed with first-generation human resources. When first-generation managers attempt to institute third-generation multidimentional organizations, they fail and attribute the failure to the organizational form, not to their lack of capability. They then call for a return to simple, first-generation organizations. These simple organizations will work if the companies follow first-generation strategies in clear and stable industries. However, if a company wants to enter complicated countries like China, create value for the global customer desiring solutions, and be competitive in converging industries, it must pursue a third-generation strategy. This book is intended for those who wish to design the third-generation organizations required by third-generation strategies...I believe in 'keeping it simple' but with two twists. First, I believe we should keep it simple for the customer; a company should work toward being easy to do business. Second, I believe we should keep it simple for front-line employees-those people with direct customer and product contact...The new mandate to keep it simple for customers and front-line employees makes management's job difficult and complex; how to organize in order to manage this complexity is addressed in this book...Some firms, like ABB, IBM, and Citigroup, believe that the winning companies are going to be those that can manage global complexity. It is for these firms that this book is written" (from the Preface).

In this context, Jay R. Galbraith:

* highlights some of the reasons for adopting a global organizational capability as well as some of the inherent challenges in doing so, and also spotlights some of the managerial and business-environment mind-set that can prevent these strategies from being embraced and employed to full advantage.

* argues that the global organizations are complex and multidimensional networks as a result of balancing many strategic factors; and then describes these factors in four categories: level of international development, amount of cross-border coordination, activity of host local institutions, and diversity of international business porfolio.

* argues that the level of international development-one of the strategic factors that influence how a company organizes its international operations-consists of three dimensions: the role of subsidiaries, the mode of participation in the local economy, and the proportion of assets and employees located outside the home country; and then defines the different types of competitive advantages, and focuses on the different levels of international development and how a firm changes from one level to another.

* argues that after exporting, the next level of international development is investment in foreign countries with a partner; and then focuses on the partnering process itself and the organizational skills-particularly the organization design.

* describes six tasks of geographical division: (1)transfer advantages from existing geography, (2)localize the success formula, (3)build a local business, (4)communicate with and educate the home country, (5)champion the new subsidiaries, (6)build international capabilities; and also describes the organizational design decisions involved in performing these tasks.

* reviews the variety of multidimensional structures chosen by companies, like Nestle, ABB, HP, and DuPont, by varying strategic factors, like fixed costs, markets, products, customers, competitors, transportability, and portfolio diversity.

* defines the lateral organization as an informational and decision-making process that coordinates activities whose components are located in different organizational units, and describes different types and amounts of lateral network coordination related to the strategic factors.

* argues that the easiest lateral organization is the informal or voluntary organization, and management's role in this self-organizing process is to create the appropriate context and remove any barriers to free-flowing contacts. In the next level, management-building on the informal networks-designs formal cross-border groups to manage shared functions, coordinate business units, and create global products; and then describes what makes the groups formal, and discusses the design issues involved in creating formal groups that coordinate across borders.

* discusses the factors that are creating transnational form as the last level of international development, and then elaborates organizational-design issues of this in an example.

* argues, the full complexity facing many companies involves simultaneously managing functions, geographies, product lines (or business units), customers, and solutions-at the very least. These companies must use multidimensional structures, with the dynamics of global business requiring that these multiple dimensions be reconfigurable. Different customers require the services of different combinations of business units and country subsidiaries; to be competitive, a company must be able to configure and reconfigure its profit centers to create value for customers. And then presents the framework for organizing around multiple dimensions, with focusing on the customer and customer solutions in cases of Citibank and IBM.

Finally, he writes,"Regardless of whether globalization continues, stalls, or even reverses, the models described in this book should continue to guide organizing choices. The most likely new level of international development will probably be a consrtium or some type of electronic or virtual combination of local companies".

I highly recommend this invaluable study.

5 out of 5 stars A Compass and a Map...Not a Blueprint.......2000-08-08

Let's begin with Galbraith's concluding remarks: "The new development process for global products [and services] is one of the key organizational capabilities that a firm must master when evolving into a multinational company. Even without the global challenge, the product development process has become complex: products [and services] have to not only meet market requirements but also be manufacturable, reliable, serviceable, useable, and recyclable, and meet target costs in shorter and shorter cycle times." If this brief excerpt describes the situation your organization is in now or one to which it hopes to relocate ASAP, this brilliant book is "must reading."

In a very real sense, Galbraith functions as both a management consultant and an architect. The emphasis on the principles of "design" is intentional and eminently appropriate. Here are some of questions he answers:

What is the challenge of organizational complexity? How to overcome it?

How to organize the global corporation?

What are the levels of international development?

What does partnering require? When and why is it beneficial?

What is the significance of geographical division?

Which multidimensional structures are most important? Why?

What are the most effective strategies for coordination between and among networks?

What are cross-border formal networks? What are their significance?

What are the most effective ways to shift power across networks?

What is the "transformational form"? What is its significance?

What is a "multidimensional multinational"?

What are the most effective organizational strategies to serve the global customer?

What is a "front-back hybrid organization"?

After "A Look Ahead", Galbraith provides an Appendix ("The New Global Process of New-Product Delopment") which, all by itself, is well worth the price of the book. To repeat, I consider it "must reading" for organizations already embarked upon globalization or which are now preparing to begin that perilous journey. There is another category of organizations which can also derive substantial benefit from this book: Those who now do business with or plan to do business with others now active in the global marketplace. With all due respect to Galbraith, there is no single "design" which is appropriate for all or even for most organizations. Moreover, today's appropriate design may well prove inadequate in the near future, if not by tomorrow. Therefore, I suggest that you use Galbraith's book to identify the questions which must be asked and then answered, to take full advantage of the advice he provides and of the guidelines he suggests, and to view the design process as a unique opportunity to energize (or re-energize) everyone involved. Galbraith asserts (and I agree) that companies CAN transform themselves to design local products or devise local services that capture global scale yet fit local-market requirements. Only those which do will prosper. The choice is theirs. It really is.

Transgenic Animals: Generation and Use
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Transgenic Animals: Generation and Use

    Manufacturer: CRC
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 9057020696

    Book Description

    During the past 20 years, transgenesis has become a popular technique and a crucial tool for molecular geneticists and biologists. Transgene expression is now better-controlled and even specifically inducible by exogenous factors. While these techniques have quite significantly transformed the experimental approaches taken by biologists, the applications are more limited than expected and concerns have arisen regarding biosafety as well as physiological, social, and philosophical issues. Transgenic Animals: Generation and Use contains articles on the techniques used to generate transgenic animals and a section on the preparation of vectors for the optimally controlled expression of transgenes. It also examines the use of transgenic animals in the study of gene function and human diseases, the preparation of recombinant proteins and organs for pharmaceutical and medical use, and the improvement of genetic characteristics of farm animals. Finally, it discusses more recent problems generated by transgenic animals including conservation of transgenic lines, specific database patenting, biosafety, and bioethics. Drawn from both academia and industry, the contributors to this monograph present in one concise volume all the relevant information on the different aspects of transgenesis. This book can be used as both a reference book and a textbook for specialized university courses and will be of interest to everyone involved in basic research in animal biology, molecular genetics, animal biotechnology, pharmaceutical science, and medicine.

    The Jung Cult : Origins of a Charismatic Movement
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Read this book
    • Right on
    • Well, so what?
    • noll peered at his inner self and didnt like what he saw
    • The Would-be Messiah of Zurich
    The Jung Cult : Origins of a Charismatic Movement
    Richard Noll
    Manufacturer: Touchstone
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    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0684834235

    Book Description

    In this provocative reassessment of C. G. Jung's thought, Richard Noll boldly argues that such ideas as the "collective unconscious" and the theory of the archetypes come as much from late nineteenth-century occultism, neo-paganism, and social Darwinian teachings as they do from natural science. Noll sees the break with Sigmund Freud in 1912 not as a split within the psychoanalytic movement but as Jung's turning away from science and his founding of a new religion, which offered a rebirth ("individuation"), surprisingly like that celebrated in ancient mystery cult teachings. Jung, in fact, consciously inaugurated a cult of personality centered on himself and passed down to the present by a body of priest-analysts extending this charismatic movement, or "personal religion," to late twentieth-century individuals.

    Noll carefully reconstructs the intellectual currents of fin-de-siecle Germany which influenced Jung. In conjunction with his scientific training in medicine, Jung was drawn equally to these other ideas and teachings of the time: the vitalist school in biology associated with Naturphilosophie, the evolutionary biology and monistic religion of Hackel, racialist speculations on Aryan origins and character, Nietzsche's theory of the "new nobility," neo-pagan sun worshippers, and the speculations of philologists and archeologists on prehistoric cultures and their matriarchical religions. Many of the themes and symbols of these volkisch beliefs were used by the National Socialists and have become so identified with Hitler and the Nazis that it is difficult to disentangle the sources from this later use. Noll deftly uncovers the worldview of early twentieth-century German culture and firmly separates Jung and his teachings from the later National Socialist movement.

    Richard Noll's groundbreaking work of historical reconstruction brings scholarship on C. G. Jung to a new level of sophistication. Noll's book does for Jung what Frank Sulloway's Freud: The Biologist of the Mind did for modern Freud studies. Written for the general reader this book will also be an important source for historians of science and psychiatry and will form the basis of all future Jung criticism.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Read this book.......2005-07-31

    Thoroughly researched, balanced, and dead-on in its critique of the Jung industry as a cynical, imbalanced sales force pedalling promises of mysticism to people, some of whom may be genuinely suffering and might benefit from assistance from trained psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists. The risks of Jungian interventions are simply too great, and this book uses exhaustive historical research to demonstrate why. I can see why Jungian analysts have been unhappy, but let's face it: you can't flirt with Naziism, tolerate sexual relationships with patients, practice occultism in therapy hours, plagiarize historical scholarship (on gnosticism, the patristic tradition, and the history of science), and engage in whatever behavior you choose simply because you think you can--and the example of Jung's life, if you took it seriously, would lead you exactly in that direction. The fact that it's immensely profitable is no excuse. Shame on you!

    Give this book to anyone you know who is contemplating Jungian analysis.

    5 out of 5 stars Right on.......2005-07-30

    What dynamic movement isn't in some way a cult? Jung's ideas and his followers should be challenged and re-challanged.

    Jungian analysts don't have a monopoly on your soul and how you understand, perceive and feel and imagine yourself to be unless you surrender your inner voice and sense of self to them.

    I am really happy this book exists. I hope more critical points of view like Knoll's continue emerging as the Jungian and post-Jungian psychoanalytic movements change and evolve.

    I believe in human nature and that checks and balances are important and necessary to discourage corruption and exploitation within any group, associations of Jungian analysts included.

    Exploitation of vulnerable clients is the most dangerous potential in this deeply personal, private and sacred relationship between patient and analyst.

    When a patient develops strong transferrance feelings for their analyst, the analyst is in more control of the relationship.

    This is why the character and background of the analyst is so important, because how the analyst chooses to act and what they choose to say and process with a patient has a deep and penetrating influence on their patient's consciousness, perceptions and well being.

    Personally, I think it's dangerous if an analyst is all too convinced that they "know what they are doing" in their practice of analysis. If they are too rigid, narcissistic and resistant to consider and contend with sincere and well meaning critisism and feedback, how do they grow as human beings? If they are not interested in growing as human beings, then what business do they have being analysts?

    Jungian analysts are people too and they can have disorders and blind spots and volatile elements within themselves that they may be unaware and unconscious of. Both the analyst and patient's suffer when both parties are confronted with mutual unnconsciousness.

    I would be wary of any cult or movement, or any analyst from any school who claims that they "know what they're doing" and insists that they they have human behavior all figured out. That is simply a fallacious and grandiose claim. I realize there is pressure out there to justifiy charging $150.00 an hour to people... cause that is a lot of money to charge and that entitlement does seem exploitational, cannibalistic and insane to me.

    2 out of 5 stars Well, so what?.......2003-05-20

    Frankly, this was a disappointment. I went back from it with far more sympathy for Jung - and far less for Noll - than I had believed possible; and that in spite of the fact that - after a juvenile pash for Jung more than twenty years ago - I have long since given up on psychoanalysis (and in particular on the doctrine of Archetypes) as a system of knowledge and explanation; and that I was and am not impressed with Jung's private life and his abuse of patient/doctor relationships. The basic problem with this book is the juvenile, unmeditated, unintelligent pseudo-rationalism at its heart. Noll is apparently under the impression that there is something called "the historical Christ" which contradicts the teachings of historical Christianity; and therefore he approves of Freud, in spite of the howlingly obvious elements of pseudo-science, self-justification and superstition, because Freud takes religion to be a disease in need of curing rather than a legitimate way to view the world. Conversely, he opposes Jung because Jung, however distant his view from any orthodox religion, justifies religion as a state of mind. This, of course, is the reason why Jung's success continues in spite of his more than dubious scientific standing; because, however you look at them, in terms of the most basic issues of human thought Freud is a jailer, chaining us to the lowest processes of our bodies and offering us nothing more liberating than sex, and Jung is the man who turns the key and sets us free. I regard neither of them as in any way scientific, reliable or intellectually sound, but I also regard the influence of Jung as infinitely less pestiferous than that of Freud - and I owe this view to Noll's book, because it placed starkly in my face the sheer ugliness of the motives of those who attack Jung and defend Freud.

    1 out of 5 stars noll peered at his inner self and didnt like what he saw.......2003-04-06

    The lid has been opened in the "Zaius" interview. There stands the "scholar" in full disclosure, bitter, arrogant, dismissive, full of expletives, and uncontrolled anger at the junguians. " I get no respect!" he whines again and again. He classifies his early admiration for Junguian thought, as "I was in my twenties and fool". Well, how's that for self disclosure! On the same interview, he argues that "they shouldnt be looking at my motives!". How Noll-ian!

    5 out of 5 stars The Would-be Messiah of Zurich.......2003-02-26

    Psychoanalysis has existed as a recognized discipline (one hesitates to call it a science) for little more than a century. In this time, it has exerted great intellectual and social influence, far beyond what one might expect of a narrow medical specialty. Terms like "ego," "id," and "collective unconscious" have entered the popular vocabulary, and the analyst's consulting room and couch provide the setting for innumerable cartoons. Given the cultural significance of psychoanalysis, it is odd how little curiosity historians and social critics have shown about its origins. Most regard it simply as an invention of the late nineteenth century, like the light bulb or the automobile.

    In "The Jung Cult," Richard Noll has brilliantly placed Jungian analysis in its historical context. He has also, in the process, shed much light on Freud and a number of his other disciples. Psychoanalysis was to a large extent the product of German philosophical and literary thought, and had much to do with the collapse of orthodox religious belief amongst the educated classes. German romanticism, the radical nihilism of Nietzsche, Haeckel's efforts to construct a modern "scientific" structure of ethical thought along religious lines, a "völkisch" hearkening back to Nordic paganism (as in Wagner's operas), and late nineteenth-century occultism as exemplified by H.P. Blavatsky, were all ingredients of the bouillabaisse out of which analysis emerged. These elements were (and remain) obscured by the trappings of science and medicine, which serve principally to give psychoanalysis an intellectual respectability it would otherwise lack.

    While Freud, who described himself as a "godless Jew," believed that religion was the problem, and its elimination the solution, Jung concluded that the moral stringency of orthodox Christianity had to be replaced by another type of religious belief, ecstatic and archaic in character. In the Jungian view, the dominant philosophical background is mystical and magical, as Noll documents. He argues persuasively that Jung viewed himself as a religious figure, and that he was in some sense the founder of a kind of religion.

    Noll's book has been portrayed by some Jungians as a hatchet job. While it is not written from a sympathetic point of view, it is far from that. It is thoroughly documented and copiously annotated. I found it a fascinating exercise in intellectual history. Jung stands between Joseph Smith and L. Ron Hubbard in the dubious pantheon of the founders of modern religions. For what it is worth, he accomplished what he did with far more eclat and subtlety than either of these "neighbors."
    Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
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      Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
      Richard Noll
      Manufacturer: Princeton: Princeton University Press, [1994]. 1st Printing. [xvi]+387+[3]pp. 6 text figures. Green cloth with gilt spine lettering. A very good copy in dust jacket. 1 pound 12 ounces = 812 grams. 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches = 24 x 16 x 3cm. eng.
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover
      ASIN: B000SVMCYS
      The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
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        The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
        Richard Noll
        Manufacturer: Free Press Paperbacks
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback
        ASIN: B000JVDY94
        Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement

          Manufacturer: Princeton 1994.
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover
          ASIN: B000IG1YDI
          The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement
            Richard Noll
            Manufacturer: Free Press Paperbacks
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback
            ASIN: B000NWWR5Q

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