Sign-In
Cart
The Hand: How Its Use Shapes the Brain, Language, and Human Culture
Paperback
Medical ReferenceAnatomy & PhysiologyGeneral Psychology
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN10: 0679740473
ISBN13: 9780679740476
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: Sep 14 1999
Pages: 416
Weight: 0.83
Height: 0.84 Width: 5.18 Depth: 7.98
Language: English
ISBN13: 9780679740476
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: Sep 14 1999
Pages: 416
Weight: 0.83
Height: 0.84 Width: 5.18 Depth: 7.98
Language: English
A startling argument . . . provocative . . . absorbing. --The Boston Globe Ambitious . . . arresting . . . celebrates the importance of hands to our lives today as well as to the history of our species.
--The New York Times Book Review The human hand is a miracle of biomechanics, one of the most remarkable adaptations in the history of evolution. The hands of a concert pianist can elicit glorious sound and stir emotion; those of a surgeon can perform the most delicate operations; those of a rock climber allow him to scale a vertical mountain wall. Neurologist Frank R. Wilson makes the striking claim that it is because of the unique structure of the hand and its evolution in cooperation with the brain that Homo sapiens became the most intelligent, preeminent animal on the earth.
--The New York Times Book Review The human hand is a miracle of biomechanics, one of the most remarkable adaptations in the history of evolution. The hands of a concert pianist can elicit glorious sound and stir emotion; those of a surgeon can perform the most delicate operations; those of a rock climber allow him to scale a vertical mountain wall. Neurologist Frank R. Wilson makes the striking claim that it is because of the unique structure of the hand and its evolution in cooperation with the brain that Homo sapiens became the most intelligent, preeminent animal on the earth.
In this fascinating book, Wilson moves from a discussion of the hand's evolution--and how its intimate communication with the brain affects such areas as neurology, psychology, and linguistics--to provocative new ideas about human creativity and how best to nurture it. Like Oliver Sacks and Stephen Jay Gould, Wilson handles a daunting range of scientific knowledge with a surprising deftness and a profound curiosity about human possibility. Provocative, illuminating, and delightful to read, The Hand encourages us to think in new ways about one of our most taken-for-granted assets. A mark of the book's excellence [is that] it makes the reader aware of the wonder in trivial, everyday acts, and reveals the complexity behind the simplest manipulation. --The Washington Post
Also in
Anatomy & Physiology
The Language of the Face: Stories of Its Uniquely Expressive Features
Gonzalez-Crussi, Frank
Hardcover
$28.45
The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
McGilchrist, Iain
Paperback
$21.80
The Powerful Primate: How Controlling Energy Enabled Us to Build Civilization
Ennos, Roland
Hardcover
$27.00
Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body
Shubin, Neil
Paperback
$17.10
Science of Pilates: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect Your Practice
Ward, Tracy
Paperback
$23.74
Your Best Shot: The Personalized System for Optimal Weight Health--Glp-1 Shot or Not
Koff Rd, Ashley
Hardcover
$26.59
Science of Cycling: Transform Your Ride, Gain Strength, Revolutionize Your Training
Bailey, David
Paperback
$28.50
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative
Williams, Florence
Paperback
From $10.99
Hidden Guests: Migrating Cells and How the New Science of Microchimerism Is Redefining Human Identity
Barnéoud, Lise
Hardcover
$26.55
Gray's Anatomy (Deluxe Leatherbound Edition): Anatomy Descriptive and Surgical
Gray, Henry, Frs
Hardcover
$28.49
Science of Stretch: Reach Your Flexible Potential, Stay Active, Maximize Mobility
Malek, Leada
Paperback
$23.74
Pull: How Gravity Shapes Your Body, Steadies the Mind, and Guides Our Health
Spiegel, Brennan
Hardcover
$28.50
The Life Machines: How Taking Care of Your Mitochondria Can Transform Your Health
Mochly-Rosen, Daria
Rosen, Emanuel
Hardcover
$27.55
4 Weeks to Better Sleep: Improve Brain Function, Lose Weight, Boost Your Mood, Reduce Stress, and Become a Better Sleeper
Mosley, Michael
Paperback
$18.05
The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction--And a Search for Relief
Zeller Jr, Tom
Hardcover
From $19.99
Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes
Lents, Nathan H.
Paperback
$15.19
Anatomy 101: From Muscles and Bones to Organs and Systems, Your Guide to How the Human Body Works
Langford, Kevin
Hardcover
$16.14
Illustrated Human Anatomy: The Authoritative Visual Guide to the Human Body
Gustafson, Dana
Vayttaden, Sharat
Hardcover
$33.25
Life in Sync: The Science of Internal Clocks and How We're Disrupting Them
Gander, Philippa
Hardcover
$21.80
What Your Body Knows about Happiness: How to Use Your Body to Change Your Mind
Kaplan, Janice
Paperback
$17.09
The Human Body Book: An Illustrated Guide to Its Structure, Function, and Disorders
Walker, Richard
Parker, Steve
Hardcover
$38.00
Tu Cuerpo Tiene Las Respuestas: Un Organismo En Equilibrio Para Una Vida Mas Sana / Organ Speak
Enders, Giulia
Paperback
$18.95
The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer
Blackburn, Elizabeth
Epel, Elissa
Paperback
$20.89
Ultimate Engineering: An Engineer Investigates the Biomechanics of the Human Body
Burgess, Stuart
Paperback
$34.93
Rethink Your Position: Reshape Your Exercise, Yoga, and Everyday Movement, One Part at a Time
Bowman, Katy
Paperback
$18.95
What Your Body Knows about Happiness: How to Use Your Body to Change Your Mind
Kaplan, Janice
Hardcover
$26.59
Nature's Nether Regions: What the Sex Lives of Bugs, Birds, and Beasts Tell Us About Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ourselves
Schilthuizen, Menno
Paperback
$27.00
The Forgotten Sense: The New Science of Smell--And the Extraordinary Power of the Nose
Olofsson, Jonas
Hardcover
$26.60
The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramon Y Cajal
Araque, Alfonso
Swanson, Larry W.
Newman, Eric
Hardcover
$47.50
Mastering Muscles and Movement: A Brain-Friendly System for Learning Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Basic Kinesiology
Campbell, David M.
Paperback
$49.94
52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time
Abbs-Streets, Annabel
Hardcover
$24.70
Laboratory Manual for Human Anatomy & Physiology: A Hands-On Approach, Main Version
Greene, Melissa
Robison, Robin
Strong, Lisa
Paperback
$164.31
The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That's Smarter, Faster, Shorter
Shulgan, Christopher
Gibala, Martin
Hardcover
$35.00
The Great Balancing ACT: An Insider's Guide to the Human Vestibular System
Sharon, Jeffrey D.
Paperback
$45.00
The Pocket Atlas of Skeletal Muscles: A Reference for Students of Physical Therapy, Medicine, Sports, and Bodywork
Jarmey, Chris
Paperback
$17.05
Younger for Life: Feel Great and Look Your Best with the New Science of Autojuvenation
Youn, Anthony, M. D.
Hardcover
$28.50
Inner Sense: How the New Science of Interoception Can Revolutionize Your Health
Williams, Caroline
Hardcover
From $19.99
The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code
Kean, Sam
Paperback
From $9.99
Younger for Life: Feel Great and Look Your Best with the New Science of Autojuvenation
Youn, Anthony, M. D.
Paperback
$20.89
Earthly Materials: Journeys Through Our Bodies' Emissions, Excretions, and Disintegrations
Wood, Cutter
Hardcover
$28.49
Sports, Exercise and Health Science (SL and HL): Revise IB TestPrep Workbook
Robertson, Bow
Hale, Natasha
Paperback
$27.49
Osteopathy Is in the Blood: The Science and Clinical Application of The Rule of the Artery
Fraval, Maxwell
Paperback
$149.99
La Solución de Los Telómeros: Aprende a Vivir Sano Y Feliz / The Telomere Effect
Epel, Elissa
Blackburn, Elizabeth
Paperback
$20.85
Human Body Coloring Book: Human Body Human Anatomy Coloring Book For Kids. Human Body Anatomy Coloring Book For Medical, High School Students. Great G
Publication, Sambaumniel
Paperback
$11.99
The Anatomy of Martial Arts: An Illustrated Guide to the Muscles Used for Each Strike, Kick, and Throw
Chou, Lily
Link, Norman G.
Paperback
$28.45
Science of Hiit: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Transform Your Body
Clay, Ingrid S.
Paperback
$23.74
Science Fundamentals 2 - Life Science - Humans: Quickstudy Laminated Reference & Study Guide
Gardner, Jane
Other
$6.60
Return to Energy: Lived Experience as God Designed: How Competing Metabolisms Shape Health and Disease
MacDonald, Michael
Paperback
$28.74
I Choose You: The Quest of Science, Medicine, Life, and Everything in Between
Onweni, Chidinma
Paperback
$24.94
And Then You're Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling Over Niagara
Doherty, Paul
Cassidy, Cody
Paperback
$19.00
The Art, Science, and Strategy of Longevity: An Expansive Exploration of Aging, Health, and Human Potential
Howard, Ioulia
Howard, Don
Hardcover
$35.14
Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief
Newberg, Andrew
D'Aquili, Eugene G.
Rause, Vince
Paperback
$20.00
Exercise Physiology: Human Bioenergetics and Its Applications
Brooks, George A.
Fahey, Thomas D.
Baldwin, Kenneth M.
Paperback
$240.00
Breathe Through Your Nose, Don't Pay Through It: The Impact the Healthcare Industry Has on Nasal Function and How We Breathe
Parker Davidson, Karen
Paperback
$21.99
Earthly Materials: Journeys Through Our Bodies' Emissions, Excretions, and Disintegrations
Wood, Cutter
Paperback
$18.04