For anyone intrigued by Lacan's ideas butdiscouraged by the apparent arcane quality of his writings, the lucid text and graphic illlustrations together provide the ideal introduction.

Jacques Lacan's ideas are as influential in the field of psychoanalysis as those of Freud have ever been. Introducing Lacan guides the reader through Lacanian theory, exploring the central pillars of his thought and his bearing on literature, art, philosophy, and feminism.

Why do men tend to keep love letters in files along with their correspondence, whereas women often keep them with their clothes? And if a letter is written but not posted, at whom is it really directed? As Darian Leader shows, such questions go to the heart of sexual desire, which is never addressed to our flesh and blood companion, but always to something beyond him or her.
Why do women write more letters than they post? is a provocative and engaging enquiry into the fundamental loneliness of each sex. Although a woman is essential to a man's sexual life, why is the reverse far from the case? Why should relationships frequently run around on the trivial question,'What are you thinking?' If a man chooses as his partner a woman unlike his mother, why does he try to make her behave towards him exactly as his mother did, when he was a boy? Why might a woman decide not to spend the night with a man after seeing his apartment, whereas for a man this would be unthinkable? And have you ever loved someone who did not make you feel guilty?
Why do women write more letters than they post? is a unique contribution to the study of the sexes, moving from high to low culture as it teases out the intriguing, at times startling insights of contemporary psychoanalysis.

How much do you really know about your own hands?

Throughout history , civilisations have been defined by the work of human hands: inventing tools, writing records, operating machinery, typing, texting, swiping. But beneath this known history is another, secret story: our hands are not the obedient servants that they seem to be. Through conscious and unconscious gesture, they reveal our deepest psychology, our weaknesses and obsessions, our personal history and our social conditioning.

Why do zombies walk with their hands outstretched? How does a new-born baby 'talk' with his hands? What is the connection between prayer beads, snuff boxes and cell phones? And most importantly, can we unlock the mystery of our hands in order to truly know ourselves?

The key to understanding everything around you - and everything within you - is staring you in the face. Take a journey through fascinating anecdotes and brilliant psychoanalytic research, through a legacy of ideas from da Vinci to Dickens to Die Hard . With wit and dexterity, Darian Leader reveals that there's much more to your hands than meets the eye.

Have you ever wondered why we get ill? Can our thoughts and feelings worsen or even cause conditions like heart disease, cancer or asthma? And what - if anything - can we do about it? "Why Do People Get Ill?" explores the relationship between what's going on in our heads and what happens in our bodies, combining the latest research with neglected findings from medical history. With remarkable case studies and startling new insights into why we fall ill, this intriguing book should be read by anyone who cares about their own health and that of other people.

A delightfully thought-provoking study of why we have sex, from award-winning psychoanalyst Darian Leader

'It was just sex.'

It's a familiar claim. But is it really possible?

The old idea that sexuality is a smouldering, animalistic force within us, desperate for release yet restrained by social forces, has little to support it. Bodies aren't just sticks that make fire when you rub them together, and the pain, heartache, and regret that can accompany the highs of sexual excitement show us that much more is at stake.

So, what are we really thinking about when we think about sex? And what are we really doing when we do it?

As acclaimed psychoanalyst Darian Leader argues, with his trademark clarity, energy and wit, there is no such thing as 'just sex'. It is always about so much more than that - about phantasy, anxiety, guilt, revenge, violence, love - and Leader draws on his analytic experience, historical research and case studies to explore their importance to every aspect of our sexual lives.


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One of our most important contemporary thinkers' Guardian

'Leader writes beautifully, with majestic clarity and an easy flow between argument and case-study' Telegraph

'Leader is as much a philosopher as a psychoanalyst and his ideas are engrossing and enlightening' Metro