This title sounds dull; the book is not. The authors lead the way through a century of developing ideas and schools of thought with a clarity which is a pleasure to follow.

The first section will be most obviously rewarding to the general reader. Here there is a comparison of the response to the two historical blows dealt to human narcissism in the past century, by Darwin and by Freud. The conclusion is reached that:

the Freudian innovation had a more difficult time in being accepted, the blow was harder to tolerate, the argument presented less effectively, the ground for acceptance was laid less adequately, the cultural climate was less receptive, and the standing of Freud and his supporters in the community was much lower than that of Darwin and his.

Although this comparison is not new, what is new is the exploration of the social and cultural