Books / Culture, power & critical voices
The Art of Loving
In The Art of Loving (1956), Erich Fromm presents a philosophical and social-psychological account of love as a practice. This entry identifies the first edition.
Book details
Author of listed edition: Erich Fromm
Edition: 1956 first edition; 50th-anniversary edition published 2006
Publisher: Harper & Brothers
Edition year: 1956
Language and origin: English (Germany / United States / Mexico)
Form and genre: Cultural & Historical Critique
Level: Introductory
Historical era: 1940–1959 · Object Relations, Existential & Client-Centred
Covers: Fromm’s account of love as a practice; Care, responsibility, respect and knowledge; Social and cultural conditions of love
APA 7th reference: Fromm, E. (1956). The art of loving. Harper & Brothers.
What it is & historical context
The Art of Loving appeared in 1956. The later 50th-anniversary paperback was published in 2006; its ISBN does not identify the first edition.
Core clinical themes & arguments
Fromm discusses love in relation to human connection and social life. A 2026 scholarly account describes care, responsibility, respect and knowledge as elements of his theory.
Clinical practice, reception & legacy
The book presents an interpretation of love and society. Its account should not be read as clinical proof that all relationships or experiences of distress follow the same pattern.
Reader level & educational scope
This introductory entry offers historical orientation. Publisher and library descriptions were consulted; the full first edition and paired book were not reviewed.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: All About Love: New Visions (bell hooks, 2000)
Reference: hooks, b. (2000). All about love: New visions. William Morrow.
A later work on love by bell hooks. The publisher record was consulted; the book was not reviewed in full.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: Fromm presents love as an active concern involving care, responsibility, respect and knowledge. (A 2026 scholarly article describes Fromm’s four elements. The full 1956 book was not reviewed.) [Source 5: Mayer, L. J. P., & Mayer, C.-H. (2026). “The art of loving”: A psychobiographical perspective on Erich Fromm’s life and love concepts. Journal for Person-Oriented Research, 12(1), 43–55.]
Sources and inspection notes
Maasai Mara University Library. The art of loving: 1956 first-edition catalogue record.
Supports: Catalogue identifies the 1956 first edition; the full book was not reviewed.
HarperCollins. The art of loving. Publisher description.
Supports: Publisher description of Fromm’s account of love; the full book was not reviewed.
Free Library of Philadelphia. The art of loving: 2006 edition catalogue record.
Supports: Catalogue identifies ISBN 9780061129735 with the 2006 Harper Perennial anniversary edition, not the 1956 first edition.
hooks, b. (2000). All about love: New visions. William Morrow.
Supports: Publisher record for the related book; its full text was not reviewed.
Supports: Secondary account identifies care, responsibility, respect and knowledge as elements of Fromm’s concept; it does not establish a universal clinical rule.