First published in 1962, at the same time as Marx's Concept of Man, Beyond the Chains of Illusion is Erich Fromm's personal reflection on the overarching influence of Freud and Marx on his own life work. Deeply troubled by questions of individual and social responsibilities, Fromm began his studies of these two giants - who, ironically, are ever more related to 'the past' even as they are ever more intensely scrutinized today - at an early age. Fromm first establishes a common ground between Marx and Freud. He then proceeds to a unique and brilliant analysis of Freudian and Marxist theory. Throughout, Fromm shows how a sound understanding of both the father of modern psychotherapy and the father of 20th-century communism can lead to a single body of knowledge. His book has the quality of good literature, it is news that stays news and thereby sheds light on Erich Fromm's thinking during a seminal period of his life.