Develops the author's principal theories - of the archetypes, the collective unconscious and the process of individuation - that transformed psychotherapy from a practice concerned with treatment of the sick into a means for higher development of the personality.

When Carl Jung embarked on the extended self-exploration he called his 'confrontation with the unconscious', the heart of it was “The Red Book”, a large, illuminated volume he created between 1914 and 1930. Here he developed his principal theories - of the archetypes, the collective unconscious and the process of individuation - that transformed psychotherapy from a practice concerned with treatment of the sick into a means for higher development of the personality. While Jung considered “The Red Book” to be his most important work, only a handful of people have ever seen it. Now, in a complete facsimile and translation, it is available to scholars and the general public. It is an astonishing example of calligraphy and art on a par with “The Book of Kells” and the illuminated manuscripts of William Blake. The publication of “The Red Book” is a watershed that will cast new light on the making of modern psychology.

Review
In short, this is a volume that will be treasured by the confirmed Jungian or by admirers of beautifully made books or by those with a taste for philosophical allegory. —Michael Dirda

Sonu Shamdasani, a pre-eminent Jung historian, is the Reader in Jung History at Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London.