Freud for Beginners [Paperback]

Richard Appignanesi (Author), Oscar Zarate (Author), Tom Engelhardt (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 1990

The Beginner Books -- "Their cartoon format and irreverent wit make difficult ideas accessible and entertaining." -- Newsday

Everything you need to know about neurosis, libido, ego, and id -- but somehow it slipped your mind.

Freud for Beginners is a perfect introduction to the life and thought of the man whose discovery of psychoanalysis revolutionized our attitudes towards mental illness, religion, sex, and culture. This documentary cartoon book plunges us into the world of late-nineteenth-century Vienna in which Freud grew up. We explore his early background in science, his work as a therapist, his encounter with cocaine, and his theories on the unconscious, dreams, the Oedipus Complex, and sexuality.

We meet his family, his friend and enemies, and his patients -- The Rat Man, Anna O., Little Hans -- and we get an insider's view as the psychoanalytic movement is launched. The zany art and probing text do an extraordinary job of simplifying Freud without trivializing him.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The Beginner Books -- "Their cartoon format and irreverent wit make difficult ideas accessible and entertaining." -- Newsday

Everything you need to know about neurosis, libido, ego, and id -- but somehow it slipped your mind.

Freud for Beginners is a perfect introduction to the life and thought of the man whose discovery of psychoanalysis revolutionized our attitudes towards mental illness, religion, sex, and culture. This documentary cartoon book plunges us into the world of late-nineteenth-century Vienna in which Freud grew up. We explore his early background in science, his work as a therapist, his encounter with cocaine, and his theories on the unconscious, dreams, the Oedipus Complex, and sexuality.

We meet his family, his friend and enemies, and his patients -- The Rat Man, Anna O., Little Hans -- and we get an insider's view as the psychoanalytic movement is launched. The zany art and probing text do an extraordinary job of simplifying Freud without trivializing him. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (January 3, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679725091
• ISBN-13: 978-0679725091
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #582,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I MAKE the world! This is my GIFT!", August 15, 1999

By 

Benjamin Lukoff (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freud for Beginners (Paperback)

(See page 79 for explanation and a very funny illustration of the second stage of psychosexual development). This book, in addition to being very informative, is also incredibly funny. Very well written and drawn; though in the form of a comic book, it is nevertheless a splendid introduction to Freud's life and work. The author and illustrator are quite witty as well as knowledgeable, and in this book they have succeeded at what should be the goal of all beginners' book writers: piqued my interest in the subject and made me want to learn more. Would be a great supplementary text in a course on Freud or on psychology/psychoanalysis in general. Highly recommended!

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Freud with amazing illustrated slides., February 16, 2001

By 

darragh o'donoghue - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freud for Beginners (Paperback)

The 'xxx for beginners' are marvellous not just because they give you a valuable grounding in forbidding subjects, allowing you to approach primary texts with more confidence, but because they are so entertaining, even in subjects you have little interest in. Though this book is a much-needed introduction to and exposition of Freud's basic theories, making you feel clever as you join the dots you always knew were there but for the intimidating jargon, the real joy is in the irreverent presentation, especially the illustrations. These are full of in-jokes about Freud's life and times which are not always treated explicitely in the text, as well as being technically expert, imaginative and, sometimes, bracingly shocking. So while it is pleasing, in these anti-Freudian times, to be reminded of the man's incalculable importance and influence, the illustrations offer an in-built critique that puts everything in perspective. Great fun.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to Freud, January 24, 2010

By 

Matthew D. Jones (Melrose, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Freud for Beginners (Paperback)

I got this book for my daughter, who had developed an interest in Freud from a high school psychology class. In her words, it's "really good!" With engaging illustrations, it covers all the basic Freudian concepts and the development of Freud's thought in a clear and comprehensive way, and also contains helpful suggestions for further reading. Don't let the "comic book" style put you off -- this volume is a serious introduction Freud's work.