What has it been like to be insane? How have the mad been treated? Is madness real or is it just a label? This fascinating story of madness reveals the radically different perceptions of madness and approaches to its treatment, from antiquity to the present day.

1. Introduction ; 2. Madness, Gods, and Demons ; 3. The Rationality of Madness ; 4. Fools and Folly ; 5. Locking up the Mad ; 6. The Rise of Psychiatry ; 7. The Mad ; 8. The Century of Psychoanalysis ; 9. Conclusion: Modern Times, Ancient Problems?

`Review from previous edition brief but fruitfully dense ' The Guardian `It's a superbly written, intelligent, accessible book...a book that so brilliantly digest a huge and complex issue' Ludovic Hunter-Tilney `a fascinating history...Porter is a highly compassionate writer' Sinclair McKay, Daily Telegraph `useful and readable mini-history' New Statesman `Porter knows how to keep us reading . . . this brisk account is the perfect introduction, not least because it leaves you wanting more' Yorkshire Post `This well-constructed, finely written book,succinct and well-illustrated, is a handy manual for those who are in search of a quick reminder of the evolving history of madness' Literary Review `He has the perfect technique for a small book on a big subject, threading minute evidence, well-told stories and reflections through the fabric of masterly generalisation' The Times

'masterly' (The Times) 'brief but fruitfully dense' (The Guardian) 'He has the perfect technique for a small book on a big subject' (The Times) 'brief but fruitfully dense' (The Guardian) 'the perfect introduction, not least because it leaves you wanting more' (Yorkshire Post) 'useful and readable mini-history' (New Statesman) 'finely written book,succinct and well-illustrated, ... a handy manual' (Literary Review Tells a fascinating story of the strange and popular subject of madness from antiquity to the 21st century, contributing to current debates about what exactly constitutes insanity - from witches, electric shock therapy, and sex maniacs, to prozac and geniuses. International in scope, with examples from UK, USA, France, Germany, China, and India. Uses eyewitness accounts of those treating patients, writers, artists, and the mad themselves.

The most highly-acclaimed and prolific medical historian of this generation. Roy Porter was a well-known and widely respected author of over 80 books, the most recent being the much reviewed Enlightenment: Britain and the Creation of the Modern World (Penguin, 2000). He published extensively in the history of psychiatry, including A Social History of Madness (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1987; Paperback edition, 1989); The Faber Book of Madness (Faber, 1991; paperback 1993). He was Professor of the Social History of Medicine at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London; and had extensive experience of popular public lecturing, broadcasting, and serious journalism.

'masterly' (The Times) 'brief but fruitfully dense' (The Guardian) 'He has the perfect technique for a small book on a big subject' (The Times) 'brief but fruitfully dense' (The Guardian) 'the perfect introduction, not least because it leaves you wanting more' (Yorkshire Post) 'useful and readable mini-history' (New Statesman) 'finely written book,succinct and well-illustrated, ... a handy manual' (Literary Review Tells a fascinating story of the strange and popular subject of madness from antiquity to the 21st century, contributing to current debates about what exactly constitutes insanity - from witches, electric shock therapy, and sex maniacs, to prozac and geniuses. International in scope, with examples from UK, USA, France, Germany, China, and India. Uses eyewitness accounts of those treating patients, writers, artists, and the mad themselves.