Karnac Books is internationally renowned as the world's leading independent psychoanalytic bookseller and publisher. Founded in 1950, it has a rich history now captured in fascinating detail by psychoanalytic historian Professor Brett Kahr. This celebration of a much-loved institution is a must-read for all publishing and psychoanalysis devotees. Karnac Books was founded on 24 March 1950 by Harry Karnac as a general interest bookshop at Gloucester Road, London SW7. Following strong sales of a D. W. Winnicott title, Harry Karnac began to increase his stock of mental health titles until they came to occupy the full floor of the shop's basement. Word spread through the global mental health community and Karnac Books became the epicentre for English mental health publications, not only as a must-visit venue but also as a thriving mail-order business. Before long, Harry took the plunge into publishing alongside bookselling and the Karnac imprint was born. Since 1950, Karnac has changed hands several times and Brett Kahr has met, befriended, and interviewed every single owner from the eponymous Harry Karnac to the present day. His detailed knowledge as customer, author, and friend of Karnac makes him the perfect person to write this history, undertaken as a labour of love and published to celebrate Karnac's seventy-fifth anniversary. The book begins with an amusing introduction on the welcome affliction of Karnacitis, swiftly followed by a comprehensive history of early psychoanalytic publishing before leading into the first instalment of the chronicles of Karnac. The behind-the-scenes story of the iconic Karnac Books shows why it rose to be a pivotal member of the mental health community and continues to this day. AUTHOR: Brett Kahr is Senior Fellow at the Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology in London and Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis and Mental Health in the Regent's School of Psychotherapy and Psychology at Regent's University London. Additionally, he serves as Consultant Psychotherapist at The Balint Consultancy and as a Trustee of both the Freud Museum London and of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. He is also a member of the Executive Board of the International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy. Professor Kahr has worked in the mental health profession for over forty years, during which time he has written fifteen books and has served as series editor for more than sixty additional titles. He treats both individuals and couples in private practice in Central London.
