About the records

Title	James & Alix Strachey collection (P17)
Date Range	1767 - 1973 (1767; 1895 - 1973)
Creator	James Beaumont Strachey (1887-1967) and Alix Strachey (1892-1973) née Sargant-Florence, psychoanalysts and translators
Extent	63 boxes, 3 o/s folders
Repository	Archives of the British Psychoanalytical Society
Abstract	Materials concerning the Stracheys' translation of psychoanalytic texts, particularly The Standard Edition of the Complete Works of Sigmund Freud. Also included are their own psychoanalytic writings, plus professional and personal papers and correspondence.

Administrative Information

Administrative/biographical history

Please follow the link from the creator name (above).

Archival history/source of acquisition

These papers were donated by Mr Michael Holroyd, literary executor for the Strachey Trust, in 1986 (Accession 1986-002).

Some of the material was previously placed in other areas of the archives' collections but were returned to this collection during recataloguing in 2007. These include items in series P17-B which were added to the records of the BPAS (ref. G04) and items in series P17-F which were added to the records of the BPAS (refs. G04, G05 & G10) and to the archives' correspondence collection (refs. CRB, CSC, CSD, CSF, CSG & CSH).

Content and structure

Scope and Content

The bulk of this collection is material related to the translation of the works of Sigmund Freud by James Strachey for The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, plus other translations and writings by both James and Alix Strachey. Also included are: written works by colleagues; personal and professional correspondence and papers (including extensive correspondence regarding the Stracheys' translations and publications); personal material.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

System of arrangement

The material is arranged into seven series, as follows, with some further division into sub-series:

P17-A - The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud
P17-B - Other Editions of the Works of Sigmund Freud
P17-C - Writings by Alix Strachey and James Strachey
P17-D - Notebooks and Loose Notes
P17-E - Writings by Other Authors
P17-F - Correspondence and Professional Papers
P17-G - Personal Materials

Conditions of access and use

Access conditions

Open for consultation by bona fide researchers, subject to prior arrangement with the archivist and the signing of a reader's undertaking form. Please note that any material from the Bulletin of the British Psychoanalytical Society is available only to members, students and guests of the Society.

Reproduction conditions

Photocopying is carried out at the discretion of the archivist and according to the archives’ photocopying policy, which is available on request. Copies of material still in copyright can be supplied for research use only. Written permission must be obtained from the archivist to publish or reproduce any material held in the archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearance from the copyright holder.

Language(s) of materials

English, German, French.

Finding aids

The collection catalogue is published online and a printed copy is available.

Allied materials

Related materials

The following material can be found in collections held by the British Psychoanalytical Society:

The Ernest Jones collection (ref. P04-C-E-13) includes correspondence between James Strachey and Jones.
The William Gillespie collection includes comments by Gillespie on a paper by either James or Alix Strachey (ref. P16-A-G-08), plus Gillespie's obituary of him (ref. P16-A-E-02).
The Sylvia Payne collection includes two letters from Payne to James Strachey (ref. P21-G-01), plus Payne’s obituary of him (ref. P21-D-07).

In addition, material related to publication of the Standard Edition and other works can be found in the records of the Society (ref. S) and the photograph collection (ref. PH) includes photographs of James and Alix Strachey, as well as photographs of the banquet held to celebrate the completion of the Standard Edition.

The following papers are available in other repositories:

The James Strachey/Angela Harris collection, held in the special collections of the Albert Sloman Library, University of Essex, contains further material related to the production of the Standard Edition and the Pelican Freud Library.
The special collections of the University of Reading library holds the records of the Hogarth Press, 1917-1955.
The University of Sussex Special Collections holds correspondence between James Strachey and Leonard Woolf, 1948-67 (ref. SxMs 13/Pt III).
The Wellcome Library holds correspondence between James Strachey and Melanie Klein (ref. PP/KLE).
The British Library Manuscripts Collections includes letters to James Strachey from Dora Carrington, 1916-32 (ref. Add MS 65158).
The Women’s Library holds correspondence of members of the Strachey family, including James Strachey, 1865-1958 (ref. 9/27).

Publication note

The following publications were produced from material in this collection:

The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud by Sigmund Freud, translated by James Strachey, assisted by Alix Strachey and Alan Tyson, 1953-1974, London: The Hogarth Press.
The Unconscious Motives of War by Alix Strachey, 1957, London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd.

Published by the Archives of the British Psychoanalytical Society,
With support from The Wellcome Trust
Listed by Andy Blake
HTML edition
Updated 8 April 2008

The template for this finding aid is part of the Heritage Documentation Management System

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