"In June 1938, at eighty-two, Freud began writing this terse survey of the fundamentals of psychoanalysis. He marshals here the whole range of psychoanalytic theory and therapy in lucid prose and continues his open-mindedness to new departures, such as the potential of drug therapy. While the book remains unfinished, it covers the essentials of psychoanalysis"--Back cover.

"Sigmund Freud/The standard edition"--Page 4 of cover. Translation of: Abriss der Psychoanalyse.

Sigmund Freud: a brief life / Peter Gay -- The psychical apparatus -- The theory of the instincts -- The development of the sexual function -- Psychical qualities -- Dream-interpretation as an illustration -- The technique of psycho-analysis -- An example of psycho-analytic work -- The psychical apparatus and the external world -- The internal world -- Addenda -- List of abbreviations -- Bibliography and author index -- Index.