The Interpretation of Dreams · 1900
The book where psychoanalysis began. Freud asks why we dream and what lies behind it, and argues that a dream is not a random string of images but a disguised wish that can be read like a code. He walks through the method calmly, with many vivid examples, including his own dreams.
Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality · 1905
Three essays in which Freud first spoke openly about childhood sexuality and how human desire takes shape. Step by step he looks at where deviations come from and how desire changes with age. A short book that shifted the whole conversation about human nature.
Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis