Obtained in 1998 from Cali Book Store.

It was good, but a great many of Freud's ideas are out of vogue now. It has nothing to do with Freud's writing style or anything of that nature, since this is all a translation by some guy named A. A. Brill I think.

Most of Freud's ideas can be summed up as thoughts of sex. Repression is another big theme for him, which is not surprising since he was active when the Victorian Era was dying down. Using the developments of free association and reporting dreams, Freud attempts to understand the unconscious mind. A lot of his ideas take some getting used to; like with his dream analysis and how it connects to repressed desires. Since most dreams are complete nonsense, some people figured that it was all symbolic. This could be traced way back to Joseph (of the coat of many colors fame) and his prophetic dreams, but other societies have also put their trust in such things. This is mostly The interpretation of Dreams though. When he moves on to Three Contributions of the Theory of Sex, it does get a little uncomfortable, though I did read through all of the passages where thumb-sucking is meant to be some kind of orgasmic oral fixation behavior.

One thing I can say about the guy is that he was quite the standard bearer for a while. When you think of therapists or psychiatrists, the first thought that could come to your mind is an old man that has you lay on a couch and tells you to relate your dreams. Now, this might be through the efforts of all sorts of other things as well, but the fact of the matter is that Freud was quite revolutionary for his time.

Anyway, I'm beginning to babble, so I'll leave off with that. I did enjoy the books, but I do not plan on reading them again. ( )

Also includes Wit and its relation to the Unconscious, Totem and Taboo, and The History of the Psychoanalytic Movement.

Book Description: The Modern Library, New York, 1938. 1 ed. 1001 p. 8vo. English. The famous book, introduced by Brill, on the writings of Freud.

Original gray cloth, stamped in gilt and red, top edge stained red (slight rubbing). Very good. No dust jacket.