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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Picador)
 
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Picador) (Paperback)

by Oliver Sacks (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Customers buy this book with The Private Life of the Brain (Penguin Press Science) by Susan Greenfield

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Picador) + The Private Life of the Brain (Penguin Press Science)
Price For Both: £11.82

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Product Description

Product Description

‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is populated by a cast as strange as that of the most fantastic fiction. The subject of this strange and wonderful book is what happens when things go wrong with parts of the brain most of us don’t know exist . . . Dr Sacks shows the awesome powers of our mind and just how delicately balanced they have to be’ Sunday Times

‘Who is this book for? Who is it not for? It is for everybody who has felt from time to time that certain twinge of self-identity and sensed how easily, at any moment, one might lose it’ The Times

‘This is, in the best sense, a serious book. It is, indeed, a wonderful book, by which I mean not only that it is excellent (which it is) but also that it is full of wonder, wonders and wondering. He brings to these often unhappy people understanding, sympathy and respect. Sacks is always learning from his patients, marvelling at them, widening his own understanding and ours’ Punch



About the Author

Oliver Sacks was educated in London, Oxford, California and New York. He is a professor of clinical neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is the author of many books, including Musicophilia and Awakenings.

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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, accessible and thought-provoking, 1 Aug 2003
This book is written in a beautifully accessible and entertaining style; it is also moving, funny and tragic in equal measures.

Consisting mainly of short stories relating patient 'oddities' that the author has treated in his long career as a neurologist it manages to come across as anything but a list of dry case histories. The inclusion of the emotions of the patient as they deal with their difficulties and the reactions of the author keep this book human rather than academic.

Although this is a recommended book for undergraduate students of various disciplines, it should not be discounted as a mere informative reader because of that. Anyone interested in stories of the human condition or those with a fascination/awe of the human brain will find this intriguing, engaging and interesting.

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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A classic with some reservations..., 11 April 2006
By John B (Nuneaton, UK) - See all my reviews
I can understand some of the critical reviews about this book but there is no doubt that it justifiably remains a classic and well worth reading - it was the first book of its kind and is for anyone interested in strange neurological case histories. Maybe the language is a bit dated but it was written a good few years ago. A more recent book that I've just read in a similar genre is 'Classic case studies in psychology' by Dr. Geoff Rolls - it contains different chapters on some of the best known cases in psychology (Genie, Phineas Gage, HM, David Reimer, and so on). It's a very easy and enjoyable read and most of the cases are perhaps better known than the ones in 'The Man who mistook his wife...' I notice that Amazon have paired it with Sach's book as a perfect partner so they must agree that the two are complementary. Both are well worth a read.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, 12 Oct 2000
This is a truly brilliant book, and one of the main inspirations which caused me to enter medicine in the first place. I agree with the Welsh reviewer that the amount of technical jargon in the book might frustrate a non-medic, but remember, these are genuine neurological patients being discussed in medical terms that would be of interest to both the specialist and general reader - the reason that the book is so universally readable is because of Sacks' wonderful empathy and determination (partly inherited from the great Russian neuroscientist Alexander Luria) that patients should be managed and documented as people first and cases second - a view which is sadly far from universal among neurologists. For those interested by this book, the work of V.S. Ramachandran addresses many similar issues (including bizarre stories to tell your mates in the pub!)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking
Very, very interesting and thought provoking. An insight into how complex a machine the brain is and how it can go wrong in the strangest of ways but in the process sometimes... Read more
Published 13 days ago by R. H. Clements

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Sensitive, witty and honest, a delight to read whether you are interested in neurology or not. Brilliant.
Published 1 month ago by Lauren N. Davies

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book that everybody should read
This is a book that everybody should read to get a better idea of mental problems that can happen to all of us, but may seem scarey to outsiders when you don't understand. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. Harriet Walters

1.0 out of 5 stars Follow the format!
The one star does not refer to the text, which I have only partially read. The one star is for the retarded publishers at Picador. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Andrew W

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but probably more for people with medical background
I really enjoyed the first half of the book "losses" but am finding the chapter on "excesses" a bit harder to get into. Read more
Published 6 months ago by JCS

4.0 out of 5 stars A wondrous look at some broken people
A fascinating review of a few extreme cases of neurological dysfunction. These are people whose brains are dysfunctioning in a way that has profound effects on their conscious... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Vexen Crabtree

5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD READ
WHAT A GOOD BOOK THIS IS A SELECTION OF TRUE STORIES AND AS A NURSE I DEAL VERY OFTEN WITH PATIENTS WITH CONFUSION AND THIS BOOK IS TYPICAL OF MY PATIENTS GOOD READ ESPECIALLY FOR... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mrs. J. M. Taylor

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply amazing...
Well maybe not all that simple, but truly amazing. This is one of the first (and to my mind best) of the popular science books. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. N. Ireson

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Fairly well written, and as someone who has no prior background in this field, it was easy to understand and descriptive enough to be interesting. Read more
Published 20 months ago by K. Koh

3.0 out of 5 stars A little disappointing
An interesting book though I have to admit I didn't enjoy the writing style. I find Sacks to be overly academic (I'm in the medical field myself) and his use of technical jargon... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ibrahim Ali

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