Product Description

Locked away remote from the rest of the body in its own custom-built casing of skull bone, with no intrinsic moving parts, the human brain remains a tantalising mystery. But now, more than ever before, we have the expertise to tackle this mystery - the last 20 years have seen astounding progress in brain research. Susan Greenfield begins by exploring the roles of different regions of the brain. She then switches to the opposite direction and examines how certain functions, such as movement and vision, are accommodated in the brain. She describes how a brain is made from a single fertilized egg; the fate of the brain is traced through life as we see how it constantly changes as a result of experience to provide the essence of a unique individual. 'Dr Susan Greenfield ... is rightly admired as a popular communicator and The Human Brain: A Guided Tour will appeal as a Baedeker to the brain, even to the non-scientist' The Times

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53459 in Books
• Published on: 1997-07-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Susan Greenfield has held fellowships in the Department of Physiology, Oxford; the College de France, Paris and NYU Medical Center, New York. The title of Professor of Pharmacology was conferred in 1996. She became Director of The Royal Institution of Great Britain in 1998. She heads a group of 18 scientists studying Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease, and developed an interest in the physical basis of the mind. She published her own theory of consciousness Journey to the Centres of the Mind and Ego: The Neuroscience of the Self. In 1994 she was the first woman to give the Royal Institution Christmas lectures. She recently authored The Human Brain: A Guided Tour which was published as paperback in 1998. She was included as one of the 50 most powerful women in Britain by the Guardian and ranked number 14 in the "50 Most Inspirational Women in the World" by Harpers and Queen. She has recently received the Michael Faraday medal from the Royal Society for making the most significant contribution in 1998 to the public understanding of science, as well as receiving the "Woman of Distinction" 1998 award from Jewish Care. In January 2000 she was awarded the CBE for her services to the public understanding of science. Fiona Shaw is a leading Irish actress who regularly appears in London theatre. She has had roles in films ranging from the Harry Potter series to The Black Dahlia.

Customer Reviews

for beginners only
After reading other books in the Science Masters series by such brilliant authors as Richard Dawkins, and having heard all the hype about Susan Greenfield, I was expecting a lot from this book, and was frankly disappointed to discover that it covered almost exactly the same information, in the same style, as any GCSE level biology text book. There was no mention of Greenfield's current work, nor anything even remotely controversial or cutting-edge - virtually everything in this book has been widely known since the 1960's or before. Potential readers should be clear that while this book would make an acceptable introduction to the brain for novice readers, it never goes beyond the basics and has nothing whatsoever to offer people with pre-existing knowledge of the subject.

Excellent for the non-scientist
A lot of useful information here for the non-scientist, and a cracking reference book for the cover price. Susan Greenfield explains the depth in five chapters, covering a different topic in each, including what happens when the brain can go wrong (e.g. disease). Probably nothing here a brain surgeon wouldn't already know, but great for the general public

Excellent non-technical perspective to a fascinating topic
Susan Greenfield presents this complex and highly technical area of the human biology in an easy to grasp manner, but at the same time maintaining the depth and the details. She impressively manages to captivate the readers in the intricacies of the functioning of the brain, and while maintaining the perspective at a level that is understood by a non-scientist readership.

As someone from an engineering/mathematical background, but with an interest in biology, I find this book a deeply satisfying and fascinating revelation of the basics of human brain, and an exciting peeping-hole to the way our mind works. In particular, I find her analysis very objective and scientific, which is particularly helpful when dealing with the sensitive area like the human mind, which could potentially be a breeding ground for one's own personal prejudices and believes.

Recommended to anyone who is interested in the subject in a non-technical, yet a scientific perspective.