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A Natural History of the Senses by Diane…
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A Natural History of the Senses (original 1990; edition 1991)

by Diane Ackerman

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2,889314,836 (4.12)42
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… (more)
Member:Tigh
Title:A Natural History of the Senses
Authors:Diane Ackerman
Info:Vintage (1991), Paperback, 352 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:None

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A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman (Author) (1990)

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» See also 42 mentions

English (30)  Spanish (1)  All languages (31)
Showing 1-5 of 30 (next | show all)
This book is a delightful romp through the senses. While Diane Ackerman weaves in and out of the biological aspects of the human senses, she takes us through a ride. The ride takes us through our senses' role in literature, life, human relations, art, and many aspects of human endeavor.

Diane's book is a joyous romp, but don't read it in one sitting. If you wish to discover little worlds you have forgotten, read one chapter daily. Savour the material and let it sink in.

Remember, this book is not a thriller. Enjoy it and read it again after a few years. ( )
  RajivC | Feb 20, 2024 |
Every essay in this collection was interesting. ( )
  mykl-s | Dec 30, 2022 |
This went back and forth from being fascinating to being something of a slog. Ackerman meanders through facts, histories, and her personal experiences as they relate to the five senses, covering a wide range of topics.
The author is a poet—and I’m not a big fan of modern poetry—and that really came through in certain sections. Sometimes I really liked the way she turned a phrase, like this one, toward the end of the book.
What a strange lot writers are, we questers after the perfect word, the glorious phrase that will somehow make the exquisite avalanche of consciousness sayable.


But often enough, I just felt like I was punching my way through lots and lots of words.
I’m glad I read it—I never would have known about miraculous fruit or the greater honeyguide and lots of cool other things if I hadn’t. On the other hand, if I’d never read it, I never would have heard of the sadistic cook Mizald, who I imagine has been burning in hell these many years.
Anyway.
This was written about 30 years ago, and I don’t know if the way she referenced her sources was typical or not. She’s got a Further Reading section at the end, listing the books she used for research (presumably), but there are no footnotes or endnotes with more specific citations. I looked things up that I cared enough about to verify.
I heard about this book from a brief reference in The Other End of the Leash, and thought it sounded intriguing. Lots of it was, but if I were a skimmer, I probably would have had a better reading experience. ( )
  Harks | Dec 17, 2022 |
Good, poetic musings about our body and its senses with literary and other allusions. Worthwhile. ( )
  kslade | Dec 8, 2022 |
Some parts of this book are entertaining. Ackerman goes off on tangent often, which makes the book very long winded. I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought. ( )
1 vote Marietje.Halbertsma | Jan 9, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 30 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (6 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Ackerman, DianeAuthorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Glasserman, DebbieDesignersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
The initial mystery that attends any journey is: how did the traveller reach his starting point in the first place? How did I reach the window, the walls, the fireplace, the room itself; how do I happen to be beneath this ceiling and above this floor? Oh, that is a matter for conjecture, for argument pro and con, for research, supposition, dialectic! I can hardly remember how. Unlike Livingstone, on the verge of darkest Africa, I have no maps to hand, no globe of the terrestrial or the celestial spheres, no chart of mountains, lakes, no sextant, no artificial horizon. If ever I possessed a compass, it has long since disappeared. There must be, however, some reasonable explanation for my presence here. Some step started me toward this point, as opposed to all other points on the habitable globe. I must consider; I must discover it.
—Louise Bogan, Journey Around My Room
A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes
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How sense-luscious the world is.
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Wikipedia in English (2)

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

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Book description
Diane Ackerman's literary journey through the who's, why's and history of our senses. A fascinating read, since first reading in 1993, some passages have stayed with me like they're my own.
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