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The author of this book is a distinguished psychoanalyst who has many psychoanalytic publications to his credit. In particular, he has ably demonstrated his capacity to describe and bring together the contributions of his colleagues on various topics representing different approaches to psychoanalytical work. This capacity he has again demonstrated in his latest book entitled A History of Psychoanalysis in which he traces the history of most of the main concepts used in psychoanalysis, the development of psychoanalytic technique, and its application to different types of mental illness. He describes Freud's initial discoveries and his subsequent alterations to his theories as his clinical experience presented him with aspects of a problem that his original formulations or hypotheses could not cover. He then traces subsequent contributions by psychoanalysts who have worked on the same problems, summarizing their views. Finally, he explores the relationship between Psychoanalysis and other disciplines, e.g. Psychiatry and the Social Sciences, and in particular the psychoanalytic approach to culture and value systems. This book could be invaluable to those who require a summary of the history of the development of psychoanalytic metapsychology and technique, and as such it is recommended.
However, its title was not 'A History of Psychoanalytic Ideas' which would be appropriate, but A History of Psychoanalysis. It is therefore appropriate to evaluate this book in terms of its accuracy as a history.
It is introduced by its publishers with the statement that 'Reuben Fine's definitive account of the history of psychoanalysis dispels the myths and provides us with the facts behind one of the most significant intellectual developments of the 20th Century'. This would lead the reader to expect a detailed history of psychoanalysis, but in fact only three out or twenty chapters are properly devoted to this subject. In these chapters Fine gives little more than a bird's