A Dream of Undying Fame by Louis Breger

In 1877, a young Sigmund Freud met an established physician named Josef Breuer and they began a collaboration that would lead to the publication of the classic work, Studies on Hysteria. But, by the time this book was released, Freud was moving to establish himself as a major psychological theorist — a great scientist — and would let no one stand in his way. He consequently minimized Breuer's contributions, betraying his former mentor and benefactor.

In A Dream of Undying Fame, renowned psychologist Louis Breger narrates the story behind the creation of Studies, as well as Anna O. and all the other case histories on which Freud's ideas were built. Breger reveals that Freud's own self-mythologizing and history not only affected everything he did in life, but also shaped his emerging beliefs about psychoanalytic theory and treatment. Illustrating the importance of personality and social context behind an intellectual breakthrough, Breger provides an in-depth look at a field that reshaped our understanding of what it means to be human.