The first of four volumes in the collection of her work, Love, Guilt, and Reparation is the complete collection of writings published by Melanie Klein from 1921 to 1945.

Over the course of twenty-four years of writing, this first volume traces Klein's theories on childhood development, criminality and childhood psychosis, symbol formation, and the early development of conscience.

With the exception of "Narrative of a Child Analysis," which features a foreword by Elliott Jaques, each volume contains a set of explanatory notes put together by the Editorial Board of the Trust in an effort to draw connections between the main themes of Klein's earlier and later work.