If you discover a book that is not available in the Library, and would be useful for your assignment, dissertation or research, ask the Library to purchase it. We rely on our students and staff to help build up diverse and relevant collections across the social sciences, so please put the details of the book on the book suggestion form 

The majority of books are now available in ebook format and can usually be acquired quite quickly. Books can also be purchased in print format if you prefer.

After looking at reference sources (Dictionaries & Encyclopaedias) to gain an understanding of concepts and terminology, you can research further & extend your knowledge further by using relevant books. All library books, print and electronic, are listed in our online catalogue.

Handbooks can be useful starting points, as they summarise research & the literature on a topic and its subfields. You can search the library catalogue using the keyword "handbook" plus your topic keywords. We have access to the Palgrave Handbook of Psychosocial Studies, published by Springer & edited by Julie Walsh & Marita Vyrgioti in PPS and Stephen Frosh at Birkbeck. This is a living reference work regularly updated with new articles. In the social sciences more broadly, the Library subscribes to the Oxford Handbooks Online series.

For 2022/23 we have access to almost all ebooks (as well as most journal content) from two major publishers in the social sciences:
Cambridge University Press on their Cambridge Core platform
Springer on their SpringerLink platform 
Individual book titles from these publishers are listed in library search, but searching on the publisher platform enables you to do a more detailed search for specific content. 

The Library has a subscription to American Psychiatric Association database Psychiatry Online, which includes the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) as well as other e-book content. The database also gives access to APA journal content, including American Journal of Psychiatry.

The Library gratefully acknowledges the continued financial support of the BB Zeitlyn Trust over the years in enabling the purchase of major works in Psychoanalysis and related fields, in addition to generously placing on permanent deposit the BB Zeitlyn Memorial Library - a large collection of books which have been catalogued and made available on open access for all users. The Trust plays an important role in supporting psychoanalysis, training and practice throughout East Anglia.

Older books are often out of copyright and open access versions may be found on the Web. The Wellcome Institute Library has also digitised many important historic works relevant to psychoanalysis & mental health.

Print books relevant to psychoanalytic studies are scattered throughout the Library, depending on their subject focus,  but many of the most relevant titles may be found at classmarks BF & RC on Floor 2 and on Floor 1 (in the Student Collection). Use the guides at the end of each row to help you browse, and the classification summary below:

Most books particularly relevant to your studies will be recommended on the reading lists for your course modules, but the following are some biographies and general introductory titles (all available electronically) which make useful background reading.   

A wide range of academic presses publish in psychoanalysis and related fields. Probably the major publisher is Routledge and you can search their titles in psychoanalysis, Jungian psychology, counselling, trauma, psychotherapy, etc.

Psychoanalysis also has a number of specialist publishers. These may offer popular titles, academic books, or a mixture. Some of the best known include:

Analytical Psychology Press newish & very small US Jungian publisher

Chiron Publications well-established US-based Jungian publisher associated with Murray Stein among others

Confer Books (including the well known Karnac imprint, acquired in 2020)

Daimon Verlag founded in 1978, this Swiss-based firm publishes books on Jungian Psychology, mythology, dreams, and related topics in English and in German

Free Association Books important outlet of long-standing

Guilford Publications well-known, established (1973) New York publisher that started with a focus on mental health and psychiatry. Has since broadened to some other subject areas, but still publishes around psychoanalysis, psychotherapies and related fields

Inner City Books Jungian publisher (1980-) located in Toronto

IPBooks US-based publisher of psychoanalytic books since 2009

Other Press New York press, established 1998, originally focusing mainly on psychoanalysis, has since broadened out to literature & other areas

Phoenix Publishing established 2018, independent publisher of books on mental health from a psychoanalytic perspective, also 6 journals, 5 of which are available through PEPWeb (albeit with an embargo on the current 3 years of content)

Spring Publications important US-based analytical psychology publisher of books and Spring journal

Unconscious in Translation (UIT) publishes English language translations of theoretical and literary works connected to psychoanalysis and the philosophy of mind, and was first established in consultation with Jean Laplanche

If there is a book you need for your research that isn't available in the library catalogue, you can suggest it for purchase using the Purchase Suggestion Form

Psychoanalysis & psychosocial studies books are not always visible through subject browsing on the websites of major publishers, but an approach that can be useful is to look for psychoanalytic book series. Here are a few examples of some well-known series:

Comparative psychoanalysis (Routledge/Taylor & Francis) a new series edited by David Henderson (PPS, Essex University)

Palgrave Lacan series (Springer)

Studies in the psychosocial (Springer) co-edited by Raluca Soreanu (PPS, Essex University)