When Lou Andreas-Salomé died in 1937, Freud wrote in his obituary note for her: 'Those who knew her well were profoundly impressed by the sincerity and harmony of her life, and they made the amazing discovery that she was by nature free from the weaknesses of womankind, perhaps most human weaknesses generally, or had transcended them in the course of her life'.

Freud was a generous and chivalrous man, but such unqualified praise was rare for him. He was attached to Lou Andreas-Salomé by a warm friendship that endured throughout the twenty-five years of their acquaintance. She was a loyal follower, an analyst, and an enthusiastic correspondent. This detailed and scholarly biography