Hands / Edition 1

by John Napier, Russell H. Tuttle

Overview

Intended for all readers—including magicians, detectives, musicians, orthopedic surgeons, and anthropologists—this book offers a thorough account of that most intriguing and most human of appendages: the hand. In this illustrated work, John Napier explores a wide range of absorbing subjects such as fingerprints, handedness, gestures, fossil remains, and the making and using of tools.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691025476
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	03/14/1993
Series:	Princeton Science Library , #9
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

The late John Napier was a physician specializing in hands, and was also a professor and writer on primates and evolution. Russell H. Tuttle is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Figures

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Pt. 1 Nature and Evolution of the Hand

Ch. 1 "You Need Hands. . ." 3

Ch. 2 Structure of the Hand 13

Ch. 3 Function of the Hand 55

Ch. 4 Evolution of the Hand 73

Pt. 2 Social and Cultural Aspects of the Hand

Ch. 5 Tool-Using and Tool-Making 97

Ch. 6 Handedness 121

Ch. 7 Fingerprints 131

Ch. 8 Gestures 143

Suggested Reading and References 159

Index 169

Editorial Reviews

"[John Napier's] book is deliberately 'not too technical,' light and full of wit. . . . Fingerprints, gestures, nerves, bone, hand hair—all are given attention . . . in this interesting survey."

Scientific American

"Maybe Newton was right about the thumb [that it was evidence of God's existence], but there is far more to arouse wonder in the hand than he knew, and Dr. Napier indicates its scope with authority and imagination."

The New York Times Book Review

"[John Napier's] book is deliberately 'not too technical,' light and full of wit. . . . Fingerprints, gestures, nerves, bone, hand hair—all are given attention . . . in this interesting survey."—Scientific American

"Each fascinating chapter in this book is a conjured mixture of anecdote, entertainment, and instruction."—Annals of Human Biology

From the Publisher

Each fascinating chapter in this book is a conjured mixture of anecdote, entertainment, and instruction.

Annals of Human Biology

A physician who specialized in hands, Napier draws on a variety of disciplines to give his account of our crucial appendages. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly