Freudian thought permeates virtually every aspect of 20th century life. To understand Freud is to explore not only his scientific papers but also his vivid writings on art, literature, politics, religion and culture. The Freud Reader is the first single-volume work to bring together in accessible form Freud's ideas as a scientist, humanist, doctor and philosopher.

It contains fifty-one key texts, spanning Freud's entire career from early case histories through his work on dreams, essays on sexuality, and on to his late writings, including Civilisation and Its Discontents. Peter Gay, a leading scholar of Freud, has put together this selection to provide a full portrait of Freud's thought. He has also written clear introductions to the selected texts and a general introduction which places the man and his work in the context of his time and culture.