The Sunday Times Science Book of the Year, Anatomies by Hugh Aldersey-Williams, author of bestseller Periodic Tales, is a splendidly entertaining journey through the art, science, literature and history of the human body.
'Magnificent, inspired. He writes like a latter-day Montaigne. Stimulating scientific hypotheses, bold philosophic theories, illuminating quotations and curious facts. I recommend it to all' Telegraph *****
'Splendid, highly entertaining, chock-full of insights ... It inserts fascinating scientific snippets and anecdotes about our organs into the wider history of our changing understanding of our bodies' Sunday Times
'A relentlessly entertaining cultural history of the human body ... brims with fascinating details, infectious enthusiasm ... the terrain he covers is so richly brought to life' Guardian
'Elegant and informative ... For Aldersey-Williams, [the body] is a thing of wonder and a repository of fascinating facts' Mail on Sunday ****
In Anatomies, bestselling author Hugh Aldersey-Williams investigates that marvellous, mysterious form: the human body. Providing a treasure trove of surprising facts, remarkable stories and startling information drawn from across history, science, art and literature - from finger-prints to angel physiology, from Isaac Newton's death-mask to the afterlife of Einstein's brain - he explores our relationship with our bodies and investigates our changing attitudes to the extraordinary physical shell we inhabit.
'More than a science book - it's also history, biography and autobiography - Anatomies is writing at its most refined, regardless of genre' Sunday Times
Praise for Periodic Tales:
'Science writing at its best ... fascinating and beautiful ... if only chemistry had been like this at school ... to meander through the periodic table with him ... is like going round a zoo with Gerald Durrell ... a rich compilation of delicious tales, but it offers greater rewards, too' Matt Ridley
'Immensely engaging and continually makes one sit up in surprise' Sunday Times
'Splendid ... enjoyable and polished' Observer
'Full of good stories and he knows how to tell them well ... an agreeable jumble of anecdote, reflection and information' Sunday Telegraph
'Great fun to read and an endless fund of unlikely and improbable anecdotes ... sharp and often witty' Financial Times
Hugh Aldersey-Williams studied natural sciences at Cambridge. He is the author of several books exploring science, design and architecture and has curated exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Wellcome Collection. His previous book Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the Elements was a Sunday Times bestseller and has been published in many languages around the world. He lives in Norfolk with his wife and son.
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780670920723
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 256 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 20 mm
Magnificent, inspired. Stimulating scientific hypotheses, bold philosophic theories, illuminating quotations and curious facts. I recommend it to all - Daily Telegraph
Chock-full of insights, rich in detail. Inserts fascinating scientific snippets and anecdotes about our organs into the wider history of our changing understanding of our bodies - The Sunday Times
Brims with fascinating details, infectious enthusiasm . . . the terrain he covers is so richly brought to life - Guardian
Elegant and informative. A thing of wonder and a repository of fascinating facts - Mail on Sunday
Highly recommended - Daily Express
What I like about Hugh Aldersley- Williams' books is that you don't have to be a boffin to read and understand them. An armchair science buff/geek like myself can get right in there and learn something new... More
A superb follow up to Periodic Tales, the author makes science accessible. Stop taking your body for granted and gaze in wonder at how clever it is! (Don't gaze too long....)
Aldersey-Williams draws on...
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Having read his book Periodic Tales and really enjoyed this, I was really looking forward to this one.
The book is split into three sections, The Whole, The Parts and The future.
The first section looks at the the...
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