Sunday 3 November 2013

A puff for Dorling Kindersley

I think I have from time to time made rather snooty remarks about picture books from Dorling Kindersley, so it is only fair that I should record my experience with a rather large example of same, 'The Brain Book'.

From time to time I read brain books of the popular science variety, for example 'Self Comes to Mind' by Antonio Damasio, and the form seems to be that such books are rather poorly illustrated, which is probably fine for the serious student of the brain, not so fine for yours truly. So I got myself the small format colour atlas for the nervous system published by Thieme (illustrated), which helps, but it is a bit dry, probably being intended for medical students. So the other week I came across 'The Brain Book' at Ewell Library, full of large colour pictures - mostly diagrams rather than photographs - of brains and various parts of brains, pictures which I dare say are not as carefully labelled and researched as the pictures in Thieme, but which are rather more accessible, with accessible not being a word of abuse in this context. A lot of the pictures attempt the view in the round, generally quite successfully. All in all, just the ticket.

And according to Amazon around £10 less than the Thieme atlas, which comes in at around £25. Presumably a much larger sale - perhaps to sixth formers and first year undergraduates - pays for all the pictures. I might even buy one myself; with the two of them Damasio should be a breeze!

PS 1: on peering at the small print at the front of the book, I learn that Dorling Kindersley are now a member of the Penguin family and that the book itself is actually made in China. And I had thought that they were an independent.

PS 2: the Thieme book does come with access to https://www.winkingskull.com/ - which does have some fancier illustrations than the book itself - but rather a bother for the amateur.

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