Susan Hilligoss presents a dynamic appraisal of Coles's multifaceted contributions to American letters. Evaluating thirty-eight of the writer's books, Hilligoss concentrates on Coles's achievements in psychoanalysis, socio-psychological studies of children and adults, photography and drawings, literature, and spirituality.

A gracefully drawn overview introduces readers to the principal people and events influencing Coles and identifies themes in his books, of which the quest is chief among them.

Central to Coles's intellectual works, Hilligoss argues, is a "tension among three aspects of the searching mind," elements she terms "the scientist, the artist, and the pilgrim." The scientist, Hilligoss posits, seeks precision and neat truths; the artist, visual representation of existential issues; and the pilgrim, the idealistic and spiritual.

Also of appeal is the study's integration of Coles's interest in the visual arts - a subject usually treated separately - with his psychiatric and literary concerns. A spirited and thought-provoking analysis of a complex body of work, Robert Coles will be welcomed by students and scholars in a range of disciplines. Supplementing the textual narrative are a preface, acknowledgments, chronology, notes and references, selected bibliography, and index.