Molly Harrower was a notable contributor to the psychological movements that shaped 20th century life, from the science of Gestalt perception to Rorschach personality testing. In her personal life, as Dr Harrower she explored changing social roles for professional women, and as ‘Shining Molly’ she was also a woman with whom many men and a few women fell a little or a lot in love. Molly Harrower navigated scientific challenges at the same time – and often with the same people – as intense romantic affairs.

But there are many interesting psychologists. The archives of scientists often bury their human stories very deeply, but Harrower’s trove of papers, letters, self-writing, and poetry is a glorious exception, singing with desire and woe. What marks Molly Harrower’s life story out for the telling is the extraordinarily frank intellectual and emotional record of it that she left.