This small book in size is the quintessential book of Freud that introduces a new beginning and, in many ways, represents a turning point in the structure of his thought.

It abounds with ideas, many of which were new, or at least their interweaving into a new composition was new. The outstanding characteristic of the book is essentially the novel intertwining of psychoanalysis with philosophy and evolutionary biology.

Thus, 'Beyond the Pleasure Principle,' according to the words of Freud himself, represents his endeavor 'to firmly define some of the most important ideas of psychoanalysis, but it goes far beyond psychoanalysis.'

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]