The book contains the results of half a century of research in intellectual and cultural history and is considered a classic. "Saturn and Melancholy" consists of four parts: The first part traces the historical development of the concept of melancholy in the medical, scientific, and philosophical literature of antiquity and the Middle Ages. The second part deals with Saturn - the star of melancholy - focusing on the literary and artistic traditions, particularly in antiquity and the Middle Ages. The third part examines two modern expressions of melancholy: poetic melancholy and melancholia generosa. In light of the conceptual and visual traditions reconstructed in the first three parts, the fourth part ultimately interprets Dürer's Melancholy sheet.