`Jacobs had the daunting job of compressing Freud into 150 pages, a task which he successfully completed, letting Freud speak for himself where possible. Furthermore, Jacobs attempts to deal with the problems of the status of psychoanalytic theory as a science and to discuss its relationship to philosophy and sociology. He presents some highly interesting arguments in this section' - British Journal of Medical Psychology
`The author's explanations of Freudian terms are much more understandable than many I have read...The book will be welcomed by those seeking a good introduction to Freud and by others who already know him for some of its new perspectives and interesting insights... Even for non-Freudians, there is much to learn from his pursuit of understanding, and Jacobs' book helps us both in our own search for meaning and in appreciating why Freud continues to be a major milestone in it' - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling
`Jacobs's approach is refreshingly contemporary as well as invitingly written... It is the critical perspective which Jacobs brings to Freud that particularly impressed me... he presents a thoroughly reasoned and balanced introduction to Freudian thinking... Freudianism has become our second nature. The ubiquity of Freudian thought is all the more reason for us to maintain a critical perspective towards psychoanalysis and its continuing influence, which Jacobs's little introduction more than adequately enables us to do' - Psychology in Society
`a pleasantly accessible and clear introduction to Freud's life and ideas... useful both for trainees and professionals, as an introduction to historical material that can lead to something useful in day-to-day practice' - The Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Review
`A concise work... Jacobs' assessment of the contribution of Freudian theories is fair and inclusive of relevant literature. The book is intelligible to any student of Freud, including general and scholarly readers. The latter may appreciate the summary statement assessing the Freudian revolution that started the century with a bang. Both the publishers and series editor Windy Dryden are to be congratulated on this volume' - Choice