I am searching for a book review--any book review, the more informative, the better--for this book: "Mask of Sanity" by Hervey Cleckley. Published circa 1974. This is an important book, but difficult to find in book review form. I would also very much appreciate the possibility of downloading excerpts from the book's text, if that is available. Thank you very much for your time and effort.

P.S. 3/30/01: To this I should add that I do not mind paying for the privilege to download if the information is substantive. Again, I am very very grateful for your assistance in this inquiry.

-- Jeane Bice, Jr. (bicemon@aol.com), March 31, 2001

Answers

Hi Jeane, wish I could give you a specific answer but I can't but I can point you to a possible source. You might want to look for your review in The Journal of the History of Behavioral Sciences, circa 1974 as you say. This has traditionally been a big (big) book review journal. Best, David

-- david clark (doclark@yorku.ca), April 02, 2001.

mask of sanity published l948. Has been in print since. Amazon has some reviews. Maybe other sellers also have reviews. I want to read it myself. You can contact me if read read and would like to discuss.

-- hugh axton (hughaxton@hotmail.com), June 15, 2001.

use GOOGLE search engine. they have scads of reviews

-- hugh axton (hughaxton@hotmail.com), June 15, 2001.

Hi Jeane. I've read the book (5th ed., 1988), and highly recommend it for anyone. I don't know whether you're reading it for general interest or for a course or something, but in either case, it is both very readable and highly informative. I came across The Mask of Sanity when I started my PhD on psychopathy, and it was most illuminating. Despite having been written 60 years ago, it is still referred to regularly in academic journals and books. GO READ IT!

-- Stuart (stuart@psy.uq.edu.au), August 12, 2001.

Jean -

The Mask of Sanity is out of print now - you can order a new book on Amazon for $48.00, but it is either from a small stockpile from the publisher or a special printing order. Used copies of the last edition of it, printed in the early 80's, rage upward toward $100.00.

I had this book for years and read it several times. (I can't imagine what happened to it - I think maybe I eventually pretty much destroyed it from reading it so much, no kidding. It was a very large paperback edition.)

Cleckley is (was?) a brilliant clinical psychiatrist who narrates case stuudies that he himself worked with over the years, usually with a sharp wit that makes this book more than just the greatest study of psychopaths ever written - it is also hilariously funny. The antics of some of these individuals are truly incredible. He describes one patient in particular who was in the hospital, we'll call him Al, who was a master at getting attention. While he was in hospital being evaluated, he began to chew up bread, spit it out, and scuplture the masticated dough, quite skillfully I might add, which then dried up into a rock-hard piece of - well, chewed up bread. He did this frequently and bestowed his little figurines to nurses and other patients - what a charmer. Cleckley's description of this behavior was hilarious.

Anyway, you won't find any text from the book online, I can guarantee you, but the book is a treasure. I am currently seeking it in used bookstores everywhere I go.

-- (bparto95698@earthlink.net), August 04, 2004.

To add just a little bit of information to the previous answer: Dr. Cleckley dies in 1984 (see http://www.augusta.com/leaders/slideshow_national/slide7.html).

-- Casper H. (no@nono.com), August 04, 2004.

There are lots of extracts and a downloadable version for educational purposes. Make a google search and take it from there.

-- Bernice Wolfenden (beewolfie@hotmail.com), September 18, 2004.

Check out the Psychopath Early Warning Web Page at

www.geocities.com/sociopaths

for a pdf copy of the book and an excerpt, also links to short history of cleckley on links page.

-- Psychopath Early Warning Web Page (sociopaths@yahoo.com), October 21, 2004.

The Mask of Sanity - by Hervey Cleckley - availalbe for free download at the following website. http://www.cassiopaea.com/cassiopaea/psychopath.htm

Mask of Sanity by Hervey Cleckley PDF - book download FREE!

-- Prabha (prabhajhamb@hotmail.com), March 09, 2005.