The Red Book

Name: The Red Book
ISBN: 9787111551447

Carl Gustav Jung / 周党伟China Machine Press · ChinaNov 2025

4.3

Word count: 304K words
Chapters: 49
ISBN: 9787111551447

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Summary

No book in the history of psychology has taken as long or as tortuous a path from first writing to publication as The Red Book. Nor have many works exerted so profound an influence on twentieth-century society and intellectual history before they were even published. The Red Book can be seen as Jung's private journal, recording his "confrontations with the unconscious" between 1914 and 1930. Jung spent sixteen years meticulously crafting it and regarded it as the core and essential source of his later works. Yet he then abruptly, and puzzlingly, stopped writing and shelved it. Only decades after Jung's death did the Foundation of the Works of C. G. Jung authorize the senior Jung scholar Professor Sonu Shamdasani to edit, translate, and publish it. Professor Shamdasani devoted thirteen years to The Red Book before it finally appeared in print. This mysterious "book of times" opened a new era for a full understanding of Jung's work. It offers a unique window onto how Jung, in a special period of his life, restored his soul, continued his psychological research, and became a master of his field. Whether in its place in Jung's life or as a work of art, the publication of The Red Book is a milestone.

Editor's review

The Red Book is a compilation of the notes and painted manuscripts that Carl Gustav Jung, founder of analytical psychology, recorded privately during the key period when his thought was taking shape (roughly 1913 to 1930), and has been called “the Holy Grail of psychology.” This Chinese edition from China Machine Press is based on the authoritative English edition compiled by Professor Sonu Shamdasani over thirteen years; its rigorous scholarship and handsome design provide Chinese readers with a precious text close to the original. The book is not a systematic academic work but a breathtaking journey of visual and intellectual experimentation into the abyss of the “collective unconscious.” In Latin, Greek and ornate image-and-text form, Jung records his active dialogues and confrontations with figures from his own unconscious (such as Philemon and Salome). This process is the original practice and vivid testimony of what later became the core of his theoretical system: the “individuation process.” Reading The Red Book is like watching a great thinker's genesis within his inner universe. It is full of mythological imagery, mystical philosophy and profound self-analysis, and its value far exceeds ordinary psychology, touching the intersection of art, religion, philosophy and personal spiritual growth. For readers, it may not be a manual to “study” but a mirror reflecting the complexity of one's own psyche, a solemn ritual inviting you to examine your own inner myth.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers and students with a strong interest in analytical psychology and the deep psyche
Readers seeking personal spiritual growth who have a deep need to explore the unconscious, dreams and inner archetypes
Enthusiasts with academic enthusiasm for mythology, symbolism, comparative religion and Western esoteric traditions
Artists and literary writers who hope to draw inspiration from visual symbols and primordial images

Not a good fit for

Pragmatic readers who expect systematic, clear, step-by-step psychological knowledge or self-help techniques
Readers who find nonlinear narrative, mystical imagery, philosophical speculation and the manuscript's image-and-text form obscure or uncomfortable

Reading tips

It is advisable first to have some basic knowledge of Jungian psychology (for example, by reading introductory works such as Memories, Dreams, Reflections or The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious) so as to better understand the book's background.
Do not feel you must read it straight through or understand it completely; you can treat it as a map of an “inner secret realm,” entering it repeatedly and combining it with your own experience for contemplation and association.
When appreciating the mandala paintings and elaborate decorations in the book, you can set aside rational analysis for the time being and try to feel the intuitive emotions and imaginal impact brought by their color, structure and symbolism.

About the publisher

China Machine Press China · Founded in 1950

In addition to science and technology and professional publishing, the books in our catalog from China Machine Press also reflect a sustained focus on psychology, computing, management, finance and economics, and social sciences. In psychology, the catalog includes works by C. G. Jung and introductions to analytical psychology, as well as applied topics such as stress and health, and addiction and healing. In computing, it features Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (JavaScript Edition). Management and finance titles include Administrative Behavior (4th Edition), The Price of Inequality (Collector's Edition), and This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly (Commemorative Edition). In the philosophy and history of science, there is The Worldview: The Third Edition. Relevant authors include C. G. Jung, William McGuire, Sonu Shamdasani, and Gabor Maté. Public information is limited; the above summarizes the publisher's profile based solely on the books in our catalog.

版权信息
引子
前言
致谢
导读新书——荣格之《红书》
中译者按
英译者按
编者按
第一卷
序言来者的路
第一章重新找回灵魂
第二章灵魂与神
第三章灵魂的恩宠
第四章沙漠
第五章未来的地狱之旅
第六章精神的分裂
第七章谋杀英雄
第八章神的孕育
第九章神秘·遭遇
第十章引导
第十一章终解
第二卷
序言犯错者的意象
第一章红人
第二章森林中的城堡
第三章卑微的人
第四章隐士·逝去I（第1日）
第五章逝去Ⅱ（第2日）
第六章死亡
第七章早期神庙的遗迹
第八章第一天
第九章第二天
第十章咒语
第十一章咒语蛋的打开
第十二章地狱
第十三章献祭性的谋杀
第十四章圣愚
第十五章第二夜
第十六章第三夜
第十七章第四夜
第十八章三个预言
第十九章魔法的礼物
第二十章十字架的道路
第二十一章魔法师
审视
后记
附录A
附录B：评论
附录C

FAQ

What is the relationship between The Red Book and Jung's other published works (such as Psychological Types)?

The Red Book is the “original site” and experimental workshop of Jung's private exploration, while his other systematic works are the refined, rationalized and academic fruits distilled from this deep experience. This book is the deep source and emotional core of his theoretical system.

What is the special significance of the many paintings and decorative texts in the book?

These visual works are the direct product of Jung's practice of the “active imagination” technique, his nonverbal way of communicating with the unconscious. The mandala patterns in particular represent his pursuit of the wholeness and order of the psyche and are a key part of his process of self-healing and integration.

How can ordinary readers overcome the difficulty they may encounter in reading this book?

Accept its “unfinished” and “experimental” nature and do not treat it as a collection of conclusions. You can work through it gradually with the detailed editor's notes (the book contains extensive scholarly annotations); more importantly, it is encouraged to treat it as a medium for stimulating personal reflection rather than a puzzle that must be fully decoded.

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About the author

Carl Gustav Jung Author · Swiss · 1875–1961

Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist, and the founder of analytical psychology. He was born in the canton of Thurgau and died in Zurich. Trained in medicine, he once served as director of the Burghölzli hospital. He collaborated with Freud for many years before their theoretical differences led them to part ways, after which he founded analytical psychology and introduced concepts such as the collective unconscious, archetypes, complexes, and introversion and extraversion, exerting a profound influence on psychology, religion, and cultural studies. The library holds four of his works, mostly in the categories of biography and psychological research, including different translations and editions of Jung's autobiography Memories, Dreams, Reflections and The Red Book. These works present his inner experience and intellectual development through autobiography and manuscripts, and are important materials for understanding his life and analytical psychology.

周党伟 Author

Zhou Dangwei (public information is limited) is a Chinese compiler and translator who focuses on the field of Jungian analytical psychology. Three related works are held in the collection: Man and His Symbols, An Introduction to Jungian Analytical Psychology, and The Red Book, with subjects centering on applied psychology, social psychology, and psychological research. These titles indicate that his work is chiefly devoted to introducing the core concepts and classic texts of the Jungian school to Chinese readers, covering themes such as symbols, the collective unconscious, and the methods and theories of psychological analysis. His writing and editorial style tends toward academic organization, emphasizing accurate transmission of concepts and readability of the texts rather than popularized self-help expression. These works offer Chinese readers relatively systematic reference points for understanding the intellectual threads of analytical psychology and provide a pathway into Jungian theory for students and researchers in related fields.