Winner of the 2010 Sigourney Award

Reading Freud provides an accessible outline of the whole of Freud's work from Studies in Hysteria through to An Outline of Psycho-Analysis. It succeeds in expressing even the most complex of Freud's theories in clear and simple language whilst avoiding over-simplification.

Each chapter concentrates on an individual text and includes valuable background information, relevant biographical and historical details, descriptions of Post-Freudian developments and a chronology of Freud's concepts. By putting each text into the context of Freud's life and work as a whole, Jean-Michel Quinodoz manages to produce an overview which is chronological, correlative and interactive. Texts discussed include:

• The Interpretation of Dreams
• The 'Uncanny'
• Civilisation and its Discontents'

The clear presentation, with regular summaries of the ideas raised, encourages the reader to fully engage with the texts presented and gain a thorough understanding of each text in the context of its background and impact on the development of psychoanalysis.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a clinician and a teacher of psychoanalysis, Jean-Michel Quinodoz has produced a uniquely comprehensive presentation of Freud's work which will be of great value to anyone studying Freud and Psychoanalysis.

Review

'This book is both a primer and a resource for the specialist. It provides an accessible outline of the whole of Freud's work through analysis of key texts... the volume is an amazing editorial achievement for which readers of Freud should be most grateful.' - The Scientific and Medical Network Review

'Reading Freud is a significant contribution to the psychoanalytic literature. It is a work that reaffirms the continued value of Freudian thought in an era in which psychoanalytic ideas are under attack. It belongs on the bookshelf of both beginning candidates and experienced psychoanalysts.' - Glen Gabbard, Training Psychoanalyst of the American Psychoanalytic Association, Huston

'A unique aid to the teaching and to the studying of Freud's writing. This book is both imaginative and very instructive, particularly in placing Freud's work in context. A very ingenious colour coding helps the reader to differentiate between Freud's articles under discussion and various additional reflections and comments made from a variety of angles. A real must for anybody seriously interested in Psychoanalysis.' - Anne-Marie Sandler, Training Psychoanalyst of the British Psychoanalytical Society, London

"This book is both a primer and a resource for the specialist. It provides an accessible outline of the whole of Freud's work through analysis of key texts... the volume is an amazing editorial achievement for which readers of Freud should be most grateful." - The Scientific and Medical Network Review

"Reading Freud is a significant contribution to the psychoanalytic literature. It is a work that reaffirms the continued value of Freudian thought in an era in which psychoanalytic ideas are under attack. It belongs on the bookshelf of both beginning candidates and experienced psychoanalysts." - Glen Gabbard, Training Psychoanalyst of the American Psychoanalytic Association, Huston

"A unique aid to the teaching and to the studying of Freud's writing. This book is both imaginative and very instructive, particularly in placing Freud's work in context. A very ingenious colour coding helps the reader to differentiate between Freud's articles under discussion and various additional reflections and comments made from a variety of angles. A real must for anybody seriously interested in Psychoanalysis." - Anne-Marie Sandler, Training Psychoanalyst of the British psychoanalytical Society, London

"...this new study guide will change the way Freud is read and understood. This labor of love -- tested upon generations of analytic candidates -- is [a] significant a step forward in psychoanalytic scholarship...First of all, the reader will notice that this is deep scholarship, the deep dream-work well beneath the manifest content. Second, the organization is masterful...this is an indispensible study guide. Do not venture in the psychoanalytic institute without it." - Journal of Personality Assessment

About the Author

Jean-Michel Quinodoz is a Psychoanalyst in private practice in Geneva. He is a member of the Swiss Psychoanalytical Society and Honorary Member of the British Psychoanalytical Society which are component Societies of the International Psychoanalytical Association founded by Freud in 1910. After ten years of activity as Editor for Europe of The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, he is now Editor in Chief of the New Annuals published in various languages by this journal. Jean-Michel Quinodoz is author of The Taming of Solitude and Dreams That Turn Over a Page.