Adam's Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Form

Read an Excerpt

The Form Complete
Neanderthals yawned. Tutankhamen cried. Eleanor of Aquitaine belched. No doubt Murasaki Shikibu combed her hair and Askia Muhammad liked to prop up his feet. The pages of Louis XV yearned to sit down.

The Mystery of the Visible
This book is not about my personal experiences, but one of them inspired it. Like most people with a functioning body, I take a number of activities for granted trivial actions such as raising my head and feeling sensation in my fingertips.

In this amusing and brilliantly conceived book, Michael Sims introduces you to your body. Moving from head to toe, Sims blends cultural history with evolutionary theory to produce a wonderfully original narrative in which he analyzes the visible parts of the body. In this fascinating brew of science and storytelling, readers encounter not only accessible explanations of the mechanics of their anatomy, but also the layers of mythology, religious lore, history, Darwinian theory, and popular culture that have helped to shape our understanding of any given body part. A titillating and unique book, Adam's Navel is learned and entertaining, a marvelous lens through which to study the form we all inhabit but may not really understand.

Michael Sims has written about science and culture for newspapers and radio, and for magazines ranging from American Archaeology to Creative Loafing. He is also the author of Darwin's Orchestra: An Almanac of Nature in History and the Arts and Adam's Nave..

	Home \| Forum \| Search
Health Parenting Personal Growth Relationships Religion & Spirituality Career & Money