The French sociologist, media theorist, and philosopher Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007) is one of the most innovative, original, and versatile thinkers of poststructuralism and postmodernism. His theory of simulation and the hyperreal, his radical diagnosis of the end of the social and history, as well as his groundbreaking project of historicizing the unconscious, provide valuable insights for contemporary social and cultural science debates. Baudrillard's early analyses of consumer society and the political economy of signs, although still largely unknown in this country, are more relevant today than ever. This book offers a solid and precise introduction to Baudrillard's complex thinking while also illuminating aspects of his work that have hardly been explored so far. It is aimed at students seeking a well-readable entry point into Baudrillard's ideas.