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If Colette had studied science and spent time listening to icebergs in Antarctica and interviewing a professional nose in New York, she might have written a book as luscious and erudite as A Natural History of the Senses. In the course of this grand tour of the realm of the senses, Diane Ackerman writes about the evolution of the kiss, the sadistic cuisine of eighteenth-century England, the chemistry of pain, and the melodies of the planet Earth with an evocativeness and charm that make the book itself a marvel of literate sensuality.
Review:
"Rooted in science, enlivened by her own convincing sense of wonder, Ackerman's essays awaken us to a fresh awareness." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis:
"Delightful...gives the reader the richest possible feeling of the worlds the senses take in." The New York Times
Synopsis:
Diane Ackerman's lusciously written grand tour of the realm of the senses includes conversations with an iceberg in Antarctica and a professional nose in New York, along with dissertations on kisses and tattoos, sadistic cuisine and the music played by the planet Earth. "Delightful . . . gives the reader the richest possible feeling of the worlds the senses take in."--The New York Times. (Literature--Classics & Contemporary)
bob the man, August 21, 2007 (view all comments by bob the man)
this book is so bizarre.
she will spew out a whole bunch of facts, and then she geos on to give either her opinion about those facts, or just an opinion in general.
like there's this one part where she just suddenly talks about this deer in her yard, and how she thinks it's like god, since it can alk accross water.
and then she gives us facts like badgers rub their anus along the ground to leave their scent...i guess that works.
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A Natural History of the Senses
Used Trade Paper
Diane Ackerman
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$5.50
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Product details
352 pages
Vintage Books USA -
English9780679735663
Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Rooted in science, enlivened by her own convincing sense of wonder, Ackerman's essays awaken us to a fresh awareness." Publishers Weekly
"Synopsis"
by Random House,
"Delightful...gives the reader the richest possible feeling of the worlds the senses take in." The New York Times
"Synopsis"
by Random House,
Diane Ackerman's lusciously written grand tour of the realm of the senses includes conversations with an iceberg in Antarctica and a professional nose in New York, along with dissertations on kisses and tattoos, sadistic cuisine and the music played by the planet Earth. "Delightful . . . gives the reader the richest possible feeling of the worlds the senses take in."--The New York Times. (Literature--Classics & Contemporary)
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