11 Best Carl Jung Books of All Time To Read [Updated]
Last Update on June 27, 2023 : Published on June 11, 2022
Carl Jung (26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was one of the greatest psychologists of all times. He has authored a number of books which talk about psychology, philosophy, psychiatry, religious studies and what not. I have a list of some of the best Carl Jung Books for beginners.
The best thing about reading Carl Jung’s book is that he offers a variety of domains to read about. Carl Jung’s books have not not made their place as an avid reader’s library but also has been included in academic studies.
Did you know, Carl Jung is actually one of the pioneers in studying human psychology of extroversion and introversion, the collective unconscious and archetypes? People say Carl Jung would need only a little over 5 minutes to impress someone because of his strong command over human nature, philosophy, religious literature, etc.
If you are someone who is familiar with Carl Jung’s works and are interested in reading some of the best Carl Jung books, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a list of the best Carl Jung Books for beginners and others as well.
Best Carl Jung Books To Read
1. Memories, Dreams, Reflections
Cost: Kindle: $ 14.99, Paperback: $13.39, Hardcover: $99.99
Memories, Dreams, Reflections was Carl Jung’s last book. In this Carl Jung’s book you will get to read about his life story. In 1957 he began writing about his life, his experiences, his interpretations, thoughts, dreams, etc. He finished writing this memoir only a couple of months before he passed away.
Carl Jung led an extraordinary life with a beautiful mind of his. Getting to know about his life is like getting to know the roots of human behavior.
Also read: 17 Self-Improvement Books You Can’t Afford To Miss (For A Positive Life)
2. Man and His Symbols
Cost: Kindle: $7.99, Paperback: $7.39
Man and His Symbols is one of those Carl Jung’s Books Which talk about the unconscious. Carl Jung believed that our unconscious mind sends messages through our dreams. Interestingly, he decided to work on this book because of a dream of his own. He dreamt that not just psychiatrists but other people as well were comprehending, understanding and acknowledging his work.
Carl Jung believed that our dreams act as symbols for the information that our unconscious mind is trying to convey to us. Man and His Symbols revolves around the same subject.
3. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
Cost: Kindle: $25.17, Paperback: $15.94, Hard cover: $ 58.00 – $105.45
The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious is one of the books by Carl Jung that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. He talks about the archetypes (Amina & Aminus) which is the presence of musculine or feminine feature in the opposite sex.
He also talks about the psychology of the unconscious and its connection with our ego. The best part about reading Carl Jung books is that you will never lose interest. He had that ability to keep his readers entertained.
4. Modern Man in Search of a Soul
Cost: Kindle: $4.99, Paperback: $11.00
Modern Man in Search of a Soul is said to be one of the most important books of all times in the field of psychology. Carl Jung in Modern Man in Search of a Soul talks about analytical psychology, which he founded.
He examines and interprets dream analysis, the unconscious and explores the link between religion and psychology in this book. Carl Jung has also shed some light on the fundamentals of psychoanalysis. If you are interested in reading about Carl Jung’s and Freud’s theories in one place, this is the book for you!
5. The Undiscovered Self
Cost: kindle: $9.00, Paperback: $12.00, Hardcover: $123.77
The Undiscovered Self is considered as one of Carl Jung’s best books to read. The book is set in a very challenging and provocative tone. Carl Jung is actually challenging the ability of the future generation to resist the pressure created by our society.
In this book, Carl Jung is also providing the reader with a solution to his challenge. He says we can do this only by being aware of our unconscious mind and our inner nature. He talks about self awareness, self-knowledge, ideologies of fanaticism, etc. He also Focuses on the fact that we need to face our fear in order to completely comprehend the human psyche.
Also read: 25 Best Mental Health Books For Men
6. Psychological Types
Cost: Kindle: $16.17, Paperback: $26.21
Psychological Types is one of the most famous Carl Jung Books. In fact Carl Jung would fondly call this book, “ the Fruit of nearly twenty years”. The contents of this book revolved around practical psychology. Jung often said that he drew inspiration for his book from his strong urge to express his difference in terms of outlook from the works of Freud and Adler.
In this book he talks about various types of people’s judgements, the different relationships people share with this world, etc. He even discusses aspects of consciousness and different attitudes of our conscious mind.
7. Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle
Cost: Kindle:$6.99, Paperback: $5.05
Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle is a book where Carl Jung talks about the flawed and unfortunate combination of errored research and incorrectly applied statistics. This book also has a lot of information on his astrological experiment. Interestly, when you read Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle you will realize that Jung was actually fascinated by Einstein’s relativity theory.
A quote from Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle, “We often dream about people from whom we receive a letter by the next post. I have ascertained on several occasions that at the moment when the dream occurred the letter was already lying in the post-office of the addressee.”
8. The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche
Cost: Kindle: $69.99, Hardcover: $58.48
The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, is one of those books by Carl Jung that focuses on redefining the term ‘Libido’. According to the psychoanalytical theories, libido was related to just sexual context but Jung is this book tries to address libido in different conotations.
According to Carl Jung Libido is a generic psychic energy which can be use while participating in for both sexual and non sexual activities. Jung argues, libido energy can be used while engaging in various activities like dancing, religious chanting, etc. In Fact he says only when our motivation to engage in other things is reduced, libido directs it energy towards sexual activities.
9. The Essential Jung: Selected Writings
Cost: Hardcover: $24.58, Paperback: $15.75
The Essential Jung: Selected Writings is a rather unique writings of Carl Jung. in this book Jung has chosen to express his thoughts on his own work. He did that not to be self-critical but to help his readers understand his work better.
With the help of Anthony Storr, a British psychiatrist and writer, he shed light on his contributions to human psychology and shared thoughts related to some of the developments related to his biography. The book sheds light on Jung’s ideas about collective consciousness, introversion & extroversion, dream analysis, archetypes, individualism and development of personality.
10. The Development of Personality
Cost:Kindle: $16.17, Paperback: $11.42, Hardcover: $25.11
The Development of Personality is a combination of various papers written by Carl Jung on various domains of his works like child development and psychology, various aspects of learning and education, individualism, marriage, self realization, etc.
The book The Development of Personality also focuses on how important role do parents and teachers play during childhood in terms of intelligence, thoughts, feelings and emotional disorders. Jung has not just focused on being born and gaining a unique personality of you own but also spares some chapter for dreams analysis and sexual interpretations.
Also read: 10+ Best Self-Help Books Every Woman Should Read
11. The Red Book
Cost: Kindle: $29.63, Hardcover: $207.3
The red book is known as the most influential book in the field of psychology. Carl Jung once claimed that when he went on a self-initiated embarkment on an extended version of self-exploration. He called it his ‘confrontation with the unconscious’.
The red book is said to be the heart of his exploration. The book includes most of his theories like the archetypes, the collective unconscious, and the process of individuation. Lung himself considered this book to be one of his best works.
That’s All Folks!
These are some of the most interesting, informative and famous books authored by Carl Jung. Once you start reading Carl Jung books, there is no turning back. He has such an interesting point of view about all the things he worked upon.
When you read Carl Jung, it makes you feel like there is so much about the mind and the conscious and unconscious that we didn’t know about. Even Though Carl Jung’s works are from the early 19’s, they are still so relatable and feel so relevant even today.
I hope this blog helps you find the book you have been looking for. This compilation of some of the best Carl Jung books to read can help you understand yourself better. Do share this blog with your friends and family or whoever is willing to dig into Carl Jung’s work.
Thanks for reading.
Take care, stay safe and keep reading Carl Jung!
About The Author
Kirti Bhati
I am an English literature (major) and psychology (minor) graduate from St. Bede’s College, Shimla. Postgraduate in Clinical psychology from IIS University, Jaipur. She has published a Research paper on Music therapy in the military population and Workplace stress in a national seminar conducted by Fortis hospital (gurugram) and international seminar conducted by St. Bede’s College, Shimla, Respectively. Authored a dissertation work on ‘effect of social media addiction on the mental and physical well-being in adolescents’ Currently working at calm sage as a writer.
