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This impressive dictionary is the culmination of nearly 20 years of indefatigable research. Over that period Alain de Mijolla has published a collection of historical writings, edited six volumes of the Revue Internationale d'histoire de la psychanalyse and organized a series of international conferences. He now presents a book which epitomizes the spirit of the International Association for the History of Psychoanalysis: it provides all the tools one needs to gain a comprehensive overview of psychoanalysis and its history.
It has become a commonplace to assert that, in the history of psychoanalysis, psychoanalysis itself is subjected to analysis. At a time when different schools of historiography are emerging, this is a book that allows one to gain a thorough understanding of the underlying processes. More than 460 authors have signed around 2000 entries. Even though de Mijolla's awe-inspiring editing remains evident, the reader can still recognize styles and points of view that reflect the complex reality of the psychoanalytical field. The enterprise is very different from previous encyclopaedic works in the field. For example, Eidelberg's Encyclopedia (1968) or Moore's Glossary of Psychoanalytic Terms (Moore & Fine 1968) are closer to the medical model of scientific dictionaries that clarify and define terms. On the other hand, Psychoanalytic Pioneers (1966) by Alexander et al. gives a thorough overview of many biographies, but is limited to the first and second generation of psychoanalysts. Mühlleitner's Lexikon (1992) is restricted to the Viennese analysts. Finally, Kleinian, Winnicottian, Jungian or Lacanian dictionaries are confined to their own field. On the French-speaking side we find similar problems. The classic Language of Psychoanalysis by Laplanche and Pontalis (1967), the lesser known Petit vocabulaire of Chazaud (1988),